Renewed interest in learning traditional instruments following the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in Belfast has prompted a call for musicians to pay more attention to their physical health.

Donal O'Connor, artistic director of Belfast Tradfest, said that as more people take up playing, the need to avoid injury and safeguard mental wellbeing must be considered. He stressed the importance of warming up, stretching, and maintaining correct posture and positioning.

At the end of July, Belfast Tradfest included yoga sessions for musicians, led by Anne Macmillan. A former lawyer who retired from Bank of Ireland, Macmillan used a retraining grant to qualify as a yoga instructor. She has practised yoga for more than 25 years.

Macmillan, who learned tin whistle at 56 and has played the flute for about a decade, said she and musician friends commonly experience strains such as "flute shoulder" or "fiddle chin". She noted that amateur and professional players alike hold their bodies in unnatural positions for extended periods.

The only way to counteract that, Macmillan said, is to develop both flexibility and strength.