RTÉ RADIO 1 FOLK AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED
RTÉ RADIO 1 FOLK AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Celebrating the very best in folk music in Ireland from the past year
LANDLESS win Best Folk Group
RÍOGHNACH CONNOLLY wins Best Folk Singer
JOHN SPILLANE wins Best Folk Album
RÓIS wins Best Original Folk Track and Best Emerging Artist
DÓNAL LUNNY receives Lifetime Achievement Award
TV HIGHLIGHTS PROGRAMME, RTÉ One, Saturday 1st March
The winners of the seventh RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards were announced in Vicar Street tonight and live on RTÉ Radio 1 in a celebration of the very best in folk music in Ireland from the past year.
Hosted by RTÉ presenter, John Creedon in front of a live audience and on RTÉ Radio 1, the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards delivered another very special night, with great live performances from Damien Dempsey, Róis, Seamas Hyland, Pólca 4, Niamh Regan, John Spillane, plus five-time Grammy award winner, Mary Chapin Carpenter, among others.
The winners of the seventh RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards are:
Best Original Folk Track – Caoine by RÓIS
Nominees
- Caoine – RÓIS
- Chasing the Hare – Alannah Thornburgh
- I’m for Gallipoli – Fiach Moriarty (feat. Damien Dempsey)
- Old Friend – Lemoncello
- The Good Life – Joshua Burnside
Best Traditional Folk Track – Welcome Home, Gráinne by Natalie Ní Chasaide & Iarfhlaith Ó Domhnaill
Nominees
- Bean an fhir ruaidh – Diane Cannon
- Helen of Kirkconnell lea – The Half Room
- Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye – Macdara Yeates
- The Rocky Road to Dublin – Lankum
- Welcome Home, Gráinne – Natalie Ní Chasaide & Iarfhlaith Ó Domhnaill
Best Folk Singer – Ríoghnach Connolly
Nominees
- Cathy Jordan
- Christy Moore
- Macdara Yeates
- Ríoghnach Connolly
Best Folk Instrumentalist – Alannah Thornburgh
Nominees
- Alannah Thornburgh
- Diarmuid Ó Meachair
- Macdara Ó Faoláin
- Sinéad McKenna
Best Folk Group – Landless
Nominees
- Altan
- Cuas
- Keane Connolly McGorman
- Landless
Best Folk Album – Fíoruisce – The Legend of the Lough – John Spillane
Nominees
- A Terrible Beauty – Christy Moore
- Crankie Island Song Project – Cathy Jordan
- Fíoruisce – The Legend of the Lough – John Spillane
- Keane Connolly McGorman – Keane Connolly McGorman (self-titled)
- Lemoncello – Lemoncello (self-titled)
Best Emerging Artist – RÓIS
Nominees
- Cuas
- Niamh Bury
- RÓIS
- Seamus Hyland
- Sinéad McKenna
Hall of Fame – Róise Rua
Róise Rua, a renowned singer from Árainn Mhór, Dún na nGall, was inducted into the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards Hall of Fame on the night. Georgina Dudgeon, a relative of Róise Rua who has been involved in promoting and celebrating her great-grand-aunt’s legacy, was among the guests of honour at Vicar Street and accepted the award on her behalf.
Lifetime Achievement Award – Dónal Lunny
Dónal Lunny was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards by Christy Moore. Donal also performed with his new group, Dónal Lunny’s Darkhorse, as part of the celebrations of his award.
Dónal Lunny is one of the most significant figures in folk and traditional music ever to come out of Ireland. His influence as a multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer has shaped the sound of Irish music for more than half a century.
Head of RTÉ Radio 1 and Member of the 2025 Folk Awards Steering Committee, Peter Woods said: “With the change between The Raggle Taggle Gypsy and Tabhair dom do Lámh on the Prosperous album and the opening chords of the Kesh Jig on the first Bothy Band recording, Dónal Lunny announced and was central to a shift of gear in Irish music. He defined much of the music of a generation at a time when traditional music was not mainstream and was almost subversive.
“His contribution to that music through Planxty, to Moving Hearts, Mozaik and of course the Bothies and beyond, sits alongside a career as a producer and collaborator across genres and as a true innovator. Dónal has done this without losing sight of the integrity of the music. What he has turned his hand to he has enhanced. It is a real honour for RTÉ Radio 1 to be associated with this award.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually by the Executive Steering Committee of the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards to a living artist who has made a significant contribution to Irish folk music over many years. As this year’s recipient, Dónal joins a distinguished list of Lifetime Achievement recipients, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill (2024), Mary Black (2022), Christy Moore (2021), Steve Cooney (2020), Moya Brennan (2019) and Andy Irvine (2018).
TV highlights programme on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player
If you missed the awards, or you want to relive then, don’t forget to watch our television highlights programme which will air on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Saturday 1st March 2024.
ENDS
For information: Neil O’Gorman, RTÉ | neil.ogorman@rte.ie