The Cacks bring a sense of curiosity and shared adventure to their music. The seven-piece band from Drogheda draws together Irish folk, Americana, blues and rock, with occasional electronic influences widening the possibilities. Their musical identity allows different tastes and approaches to sit beside one another, giving the group plenty of room to experiment. There is a playful confidence in how they describe themselves, and an obvious interest in making something with its own character.
The Cacks bring a sense of curiosity and shared adventure to their music. The seven-piece band from Drogheda draws together Irish folk, Americana, blues and rock, with occasional electronic influences widening the possibilities. Their musical identity allows different tastes and approaches to sit beside one another, giving the group plenty of room to experiment. There is a playful confidence in how they describe themselves, and an obvious interest in making something with its own character.
Declan O’Rourke is an Irish singer, songwriter and storyteller whose music gives equal attention to the words being sung and the feeling behind them. His work moves between folk, acoustic music and broader arrangements, with a warm, deep voice holding everything together. There is an unhurried quality to his approach: he allows a story to develop, gives a melody room to settle and trusts that a carefully chosen detail can communicate as much as a dramatic chorus. His songs explore love, belonging, separation and the experiences that connect one generation to another.
The Mary Wallopers make Irish folk music feel crowded, noisy and full of life. Their songs contain laughter, hardship, bad decisions, sharp observations and people who refuse to behave themselves. Coming from Dundalk, County Louth, they bring a strong local identity to performances that can be wildly entertaining and deeply affecting. There is a mischievous streak running through their work, alongside an understanding that a song can carry history, anger and affection without losing its ability to get people singing.
Kingfishr make music with a strong feeling of togetherness. Their songs can begin quietly, with a voice and a few carefully placed notes, before growing into something that invites a whole room to sing. They combine folk instruments with the scale and energy of modern rock, creating a sound that feels rooted in familiar traditions while reaching towards a wider audience. There is warmth in their music, but also a restless emotional pull: the sense of wanting to hold on to people, places and moments while life continues moving.
Dead Goat bring together four experienced musicians from Northern Ireland, each with a musical identity of his own. Featuring Stevie Scullion, Matt McGinn, Mark McCausland and Declan McManus, the group draws on years of songwriting, recording and performing. Their background makes them an intriguing proposition: a new band whose members already understand the patience, instinct and cooperation involved in making a song work. Friendship is part of that foundation, giving the project a personal connection alongside its musical possibilities.
Garron Noone has a way of making people feel as though they already know him. The singer, musician and comedian from Ballina, County Mayo, brings a familiar warmth to everything he does, whether he is talking about everyday life or sitting down with a guitar. His humour helped introduce him to a huge audience, but music was part of his life long before that attention arrived. Behind the quick observations and easy conversation is a performer with a serious interest in songs and the stories they carry.
Chris Cresham is an Irish singer-songwriter from Castlebar, County Mayo, whose music brings together personal storytelling, folk influences and the reach of modern indie pop. His work centres on people and their experiences, finding material in his own life and in the lives of those around him. That interest in different perspectives gives his songwriting a thoughtful foundation. There is room for a song to begin with something private and specific, then open into a feeling that other people can recognise.
Dermot Kennedy is an Irish singer-songwriter whose powerful, gravelly voice brings raw emotion to every song. Blending acoustic folk with modern pop and hip-hop influences, his music explores love, loss, and finding strength through difficult times. Known for songs such as “Outnumbered” and “Power Over Me,” he pairs intimate storytelling with soaring choruses—a sound that feels equally at home in a quiet room or a packed arena.
Sinéad O’Connor had a voice that could stop everything around it. She could sing with extraordinary force, then soften to a near whisper without losing any of the intensity. Anger, tenderness, grief and affection all had a place in her performances. The feeling often seemed close to the surface, giving the impression that each word mattered too much to be delivered casually. Her music asked people to listen closely, and her voice gave them every reason to do so.
Damien Rice makes music that feels close enough to hear the hesitation behind the words. The Irish singer-songwriter has a remarkable ability to turn a quiet melody into something emotionally overwhelming. A song might begin with little more than an acoustic guitar and a restrained vocal, then gather force until the feelings seem impossible to contain. Love, regret, desire and the difficulty of understanding another person run through his work, often tangled together in ways that resist easy answers.
KhakiKid is an artist with plenty of personality, bringing humour, feeling and a recognisable Dublin voice to his music. His songs have an easygoing charm, but there is thought behind the playfulness. He can move from a cheeky remark to something personal without making the change feel awkward. That ability to let different moods sit together gives his music a human quality. There is confidence in it, alongside the uncertainty that comes with relationships, growing up and trying to understand yourself.
Republic of Loose brought a different kind of swagger to Irish music. Their songs put rhythm up front, mixing funk, soul, hip-hop, R&B and rock into music that could be playful, seductive and slightly unruly. Bass lines pulled you in, backing vocals added colour, and the arrangements always seemed to have another small surprise waiting around the corner. They made records that encouraged movement while giving listeners plenty of detail to enjoy beneath the surface.
NewDad make music that captures the feeling of having a busy mind in a quiet room. Their songs can sound gentle and distant at first, before the guitars gather weight and the emotions underneath begin to break through. Coming from Galway, the Irish band bring together alternative rock, dream pop and shoegaze in a sound built around atmosphere, memorable melodies and a constant pull between calm and tension. There is something inviting about their music, even when it moves into uncomfortable emotional territory.
Fontaines D.C. make music that sounds restless even when it slows down. There is tension in the guitars, a strong physical pull in the rhythm and a voice that can make a simple phrase feel challenging, wounded or unexpectedly tender. Their songs explore belonging, identity, love and disillusionment, often leaving those feelings tangled together. The result is music with a distinct personality: thoughtful, sometimes confrontational, and capable of finding beauty in an uncomfortable moment.
U2 are an Irish rock band whose music combines powerful emotion, distinctive guitar playing and songs that invite people to sing together. Formed in Dublin in 1976, the group brought together Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., beginning a partnership that would take them from school rehearsals to some of the biggest stages in the world. Their story started at Mount Temple Comprehensive School after Larry put up a notice looking for musicians. Fifty years later, those beginnings remain an important part of their identity: four people discovering what they could create together.
Folk / AmericanaThe Cacks
