Momentum Festival: The Scratch, Cliffords and Madra Salach Announced
By The Scratch, Clifford’s and Madra Salach Announced for Momentum Festival finale
Monday, 4th May 2026
Oranmore, Galway
Tickets €44.99 + booking fee
Tickets on sale now from
ticketmaster.ie and www.momentumfestival.ie
Momentum Festival today reveals that The Scratch will headline Bank Holiday Monday 4th May, joined by Cliffords and Madra Salach, to close the inaugural four-day festival in Oranmore, Co. Galway.
The three acts are among the most exciting bands to emerge from Ireland in recent years, building formidable reputations for their explosive live shows and earning growing recognition well beyond our shores.
This powerful line-up will close out Momentum 2026, the newest and biggest outdoor music festival in the West, which will bring a nightly audience of 4,200 people to the picturesque village of Oranmore.
Tickets for Monday night’s Momentum are priced at €44.99 + booking fee and are on sale now from momentumfestival.ie and ticketmaster.ie.
Momentum Festival organisers say:
“One of the main drivers for us when programming the inaugural Momentum Festival was to create a line-up that feels diverse, dynamic and genuinely exciting across the entire weekend. Closing the festival with artists like The Scratch, Cliffords and Madra Salach felt like the perfect way to do that. These are three of the most exciting live bands to emerge from Ireland in recent years, building audiences not just across Ireland but all over the world, so to have them sharing the stage here in Oranmore on Bank Holiday Monday feels incredibly special.
“As local residents ourselves, it was also really important that the festival reflects the community and caters to the 75,000-strong catchment in Oranmore and the surrounding area, while also bringing something new and ambitious to the West.
“Across the four days you’ll see real diversity in the line-up, from established names to some of the most exciting emerging artists coming out of Ireland right now. We’re also really proud that we’ve managed to keep tickets reasonably priced. The chance to see three of Ireland’s most impactful live acts together under one tent on Bank Holiday Monday is going to be something pretty special.
Additionally, we’re really proud that we’ve been able to give a platform for up-and-coming artists to share the stage with these dynamic acts as supports. Nurturing new talent is a core part of our mission with Momentum.“Now that the full line-up has been revealed, we hope people can see what we’re trying to build here. Momentum is about creating something a little different, a festival that feels distinct, ambitious, welcoming, inclusive and rooted in the place it’s happening.”
Dublin four-piece The Scratch are announced as Monday’s Momentum headliners as they prepare to release their third album Pull Like A Dog this Friday, 13 March. The record marks a major moment for the band, refining the acoustic and electric folk-metal fusion that has become their signature sound.
Renowned for their ferocious live shows, The Scratch have built a devoted following at home and around the world with their explosive blend of heavy metal intensity, Irish folk rhythms and acoustic instrumentation. Since a viral performance at the Rory Gallagher International Festival in Ballyshannon first propelled them into the spotlight in 2017, the band have gone on to sell out venues and light up festival stages across Ireland, the UK, Europe and beyond.
With the album landing this week and a major tour of the UK, North America and Australia ahead, Momentum offers fans the chance to catch The Scratch at a pivotal moment, as the new record arrives and the band gear up to take it around the world.
Hailing from Cork, Cliffords are quickly establishing themselves as one of the most exciting new bands to emerge from Ireland. Their EP Salt of the Lee introduced the five-piece to a wider audience and drew widespread acclaim, with NME calling them “a group destined to do something big” and Rolling Stone UK describing their sound as “the sound of a band on the cusp of greatness”. Praised by DIY Magazine for the “staggering power and unlimited potential on display” and hailed by DORK as a compelling new force, Cliffords have built a formidable reputation through word-of-mouth live shows and standout festival performances, marking them out as one of the most talked-about rising acts on the Irish scene.
Madra Salach are a Dublin-based alternative folk six-piece who have spent the past year building a reputation for their stirring and often raucous live sets across the city’s music scene. Formed by musicians who first crossed paths playing in different outfits on Dublin’s indie circuit before bonding over a shared love of the Irish traditional canon during impromptu pub sessions, the group draw inspiration from Ireland’s growing experimental folk scene. Expanding their sound with additional members, instruments and electronic elements, Madra Salach create music that feels strikingly modern while still rooted in the tradition. Following standout appearances at festivals including Electric Picnic, Beyond The Pale and All Together Now, the band recently celebrated their debut EP It’s A Hell of An Age reaching No.1 on the Independent Charts and No.3 in the Irish Albums Chart, while their UK and Ireland It’s A Hell of An Age tour has completely sold out.
Today’s announcement completes the four day inaugural Momentum Festival, taking place across May Bank Holiday. Set in Galway’s Wild Atlantic Way village of Oranmore, one of Ireland’s fastest-growing towns, Momentum Festival draws on a catchment of approximately 75,000 people, alongside strong regional and visitor appeal. The setting brings artists, culture and community to life, placing local businesses prominently on the map and reinforcing Galway as a rising force for live music and arts. A place of energy, growth and community – Momentum is an experience in the West that is not to be missed.
All performances will take place under The Crescendo Tent, a tented live music space with a nightly capacity of 4,200. Designed to elevate the live experience while keeping audiences close to the moment, the venue forms the beating heart of Momentum’s first chapter.
Momentum is the brainchild of BC Ventures, founded by Cian Burke and Trevor Cullinane, both established publican-restaurateurs, alongside Commercial Director Olivia Breene – all three Oranmore residents. Together, the team brings deep local insight, commercial experience and a shared belief in building momentum through live music.
Momentum Festival 2026
Friday 1 May
The Stunning
plus special guests The Riptide Movement and Tracy Bruen
Tickets €49.95 + booking fee
Saturday 2 May- Full Day Momentum’s Big Day Out featuring B*Witched, Sonique, D:Ream, Rednex, Mark McCabe Naughty Noughties & Fergal Darcy
Tickets €64.95 + booking fee
Sunday 3 May
The Coronas plus special guests Oscar Blue and Calum Agnew
Tickets €55.00 + booking fee
Monday 4 May
The Scratch, Cliffords, Madra Salach plus special guests
Tickets €44.99 + booking fee