The Irish trad super group, BIIRD.

The singer announced that the trad group, alongside folk trio Amble and a host of other guests, will be supporting him on his Loop tour, which will see him play stadiums and arenas across North America.

Consisting of 11 of Ireland’s best female trad musicians, the band has gone from strength to strength — making their Late Late Show debut earlier this year before their inaugural tour, which occurred over the summer.

Who are BIIRD?

BIIRD is an 11-piece trad supergroup that was founded by Lisa Canny, a seven-time harp and banjo All-Ireland winner, who began sowing the seeds for the group when she wondered what the genre would be like with female trad musicians, adding that 10 years ago, trad was stuck in a bubble while the underground scene was thriving.

Initially wanting to start a five-piece in the vein of a trad Spice Girls, Lisa ended up with 14 BIIRDs — with the girls planning to play their first gigs in the US before the COVID-19 pandemic put the plans on ice.

With three members having to leave, the 11 remaining BIIRDs realised that they should start around in Ireland — and despite practical hurdles, Lisa’s friend and renowned DJ Annie Mac gave them a slot on her literary night in the London Irish centre for their ‘soft launch,’ with the band playing their first ‘proper’ gig that Paddy’s day to over 10,000 people on Trafalgar Square.

Trad influences, and boom of Irish music

Speaking to Hot Press earlier this year, Lisa said that the current renaissance in Irish music — which includes LANKUM and Kneecap — and saying that young people in the country have become more passionate about trad.

 "Sometimes in the past, our attempts at fusing trad with other things weren’t always tasteful,’ Lisa said. ‘But now, we’re all looking inward at our culture and the very rich heritage of storytelling in music. You can see it happening in not just how many Irish artists are popping out of the woodwork, so to speak, but how many of them are based in Irish trad music, like Lankum or KNEECAP. They’ve absolutely nailed it and paved the way for something new.

"People are more passionate about trad. One thing I’ve really recognised this year is the increased energy towards trad in teenagers. I’ve been working for years in summer schools where you’d be teaching them from 9 am to 8 pm. But on their breaks, they’d take out their instruments and play tunes together. They absolutely live, eat and breathe it.

"This has always been the case, but I feel like there’s been a massive increase in numbers recently. Trad is having a real moment of being cool and trendy. This year has been monumental – and I think the next few years are going to be very, very interesting."

Irish TV debut, tour, and opening up for Ed Sheeran

The band performed their first tour in May of this year, which saw them head to Cork, Limerick, Dublin, Mayo, and Belfast before finishing in London.

As well as this, however, the band performed on the "Late Late Show" for their Irish TV debut back on Friday, February 21.

On Tuesday (September 23), Ed Sheeran announced that BIIRD would be joining him on their North American tour, which will see them play colossal stadium gigs in Canada and New Jersey.

The girls will be joining Ed, Myles Smith and Lucas Graham for three nights in Toronto’s Rogers Centre, before doing one night in Ford Field, Detroit. From there, they’ll be joined by Myles Smith and Macklemore — yes, that Macklemore — for two huge shows in the MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.

Ed will be bringing his Loop tour to Dublin this December, when he’ll play the 3Arena on December 9, 2025.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.