The winners of the 2022 RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards were announced last night (17 November) at an event in Vicar Street.

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh won two awards for Best Folk Singer and Best Traditional Folk Track for ‘Róisín Dubh’ – her collaboration with the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

Cormac Begley won the award for Best Folk Instrumentalist, while Susan O’Neill was presented the award for Best Original Folk Track for her song ‘Now You See It’.

Singer and multi-instrumentalist Cathal Ó Curráin received the award for Best Emerging Artist; the olllam won the award for Best Folk Group; and the award for Best Folk Album went to Ye Vagabonds for Nine Waves. 

Paddy Moloney was posthumously inducted into the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards Hall of Fame; and Mary Black was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. 

The awards were hosted by RTÉ presenter John Creedon with live performances from the Sharon Shannon Band, Dani Larkin, Navá, Séamus and Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta, members of The Chieftains, Anna Mieke, Scullion, Skipper’s Alley, Inni-K, Martin Carthy and Eliza Carthy, and more. 

Listen back to the awards here. For the full list of winners and nominees, see below. Highlights of the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards will be broadcast on RTÉ One television on 21 November.

Best Original Folk Track
Now You See It – Susan O’Neill (winner)
Déanamh Gaineamh / Making Sand – Pádraig Jack
Footnotes On The Map – Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler
Spéir Rua – Síomha
To War – Cormac Begley
Twin – Anna Mieke

Best Traditional Folk Track
Róisín Dubh – Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh & the Irish Chamber Orchestra (winner)
An Caoineadh – Ceara Conway
Éamonn an Chnoic – Inni-K
Rolling in the Barrel / O’Neill’s March / Tralee Jail – Cormac Begley
The Bird in the Bush – Pauline Scanlon
The Bonnie Bunch of Roses – Séamus McGuire & Steve Cooney
Úrchnoc Chéin Mhic Cainte – Cathal Ó Curráin

Best Folk Singer
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (winner)
Anna Mieke
Cathal Ó Curráin
Clare Sands
Junior Brother
Pauline Scanlon

Best Folk Instrumentalist
Cormac Begley (winner)
Aidan Connolly
Aisling Lyons
Alannah Thornburgh
Bríd Harper

Best Folk Group
the olllam (winner)
Navá
Téada
The Alt
The Whileaways
We Banjo 3

Best Folk Album
Nine Waves – Ye Vagabonds (winner)
B – Cormac Begley
Iníon – Inni-K
Róisín Reimagined – Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh & the Irish Chamber Orchestra
The Great Irish Famine – Junior Brother

Best Emerging Artist
Cathal Ó Curráin (winner)
Aisling Lyons
Alannah Thornburgh
Ciara O’Neill
Les SalAmandas

Hall of Fame
Paddy Moloney

Lifetime Achievement Award
Mary Black 

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