RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards to Take Place This Month

Andy Irvine was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards to Take Place This Month

Awards will be broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 on 26 November; nominees will be announced on 12 November.

The RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards will this year take place on Thursday 26 November in the form of a live broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1. The awards, which are now in their third year, will be presented by John Creedon and Ruth Smith and will also feature specially recorded performances from many of the nominated artists. 

The award categories include Folk Singer of the Year, Best Folk Album of the Year, Best Original Folk Track of the Year, Best Traditional Folk of the Year, Best Folk Group of the Year, Folk Instrumentalist of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, a performer will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The nominees and the Lifetime Achievement Award will be announced on 12 November.

Announcing this year’s awards, Ann-Marie Power, Head of Arts and Culture at RTÉ, said: 

After a year of gig cancellations and a really difficult time for the live music industry, we are delighted to highlight Ireland’s vibrant folk music scene in this two-hour radio special. It’s a privilege for us to give a platform to musicians. The 2020 RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards are a great opportunity to celebrate the work of performers and artists who, despite all the odds, still created beautiful music in this year.

Co-presenter Creedon added: 

As a concert goer myself, I’m really missing live gigs. I can scarcely imagine what the performers are feeling, so I’m delighted to be part of this platform for the best of Irish talent. Despite the challenges, the creativity goes on and the show goes on!

Last year, Moya Brennan was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Ye Vagabonds won three awards, including Best Folk Album for The Hare’s Lament and Best Folk Group. In 2018, Lankum won Best Folk Group and their singer Radie Peat received Best Folk Singer while Emma Langford won Best Emerging Folk Artist and Andy Irvine was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. 

The awards will be broadcast at 8–10pm on RTÉ Radio 1 on 26 November. Visit www.rte.ie/radio1.

Published on 9 November 2020

comments powered by Disqus