Originals find Originals

Original since 1710, a pint of Smithwick’s is a 315-year-old tradition. Culturally it sits alongside trad music, storytelling, Irish art and sport as a provider of moments of Irish connection that people continue to seek out. Smithwick’s wants to connect with communities who are seeking out and re-inventing old Irish traditions.
The first stop on this new brand journey, developed in collaboration with Ringers Creative is the Irish trad music community - specifically the people that are finding trad music and putting their own spin on it. This engagement will kick off in style this weekend at TradFest.
Kozo Toyota is a Tokyo based Irish Trad musician and is the first story to be told under the new “Originals Find Originals” platform. Kozo is a music explorer who first came to Ireland in 2007 and connected with the Irish music scene. He found that traditional Irish music and culture was alive and thriving in Irish pubs. He quickly became a part of the Irish music community and has come to Ireland nearly every year since, for Trad festivals and fleadhs. He’s a true original, and as Ireland’s original ale, we think that’s worth celebrating.