The winners of the 6th RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards were announced last night (27 February) at a ceremony at Vicar Street in Dublin.

Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin won Best Folk Singer as well as Best Original Folk Track for ‘Anáil na hOíche’; Lankum won Best Folk Group and Best Folk Album for False Lankum; Séamus and Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta won Best Emerging Artist; Bláth na hÓige won Best Traditional Folk Track for ‘Seán Gabha’ sung by Piaras Ó Lorcáin; and fiddle player Aoife Ní Bhriain won Best Folk Instrumentalist.

Aoife Ní Bhriain (Photo: RTÉ)

In addition, singer Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Paddy Glackin, and uilleann piper Séamus Ennis was inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

Commenting on her award, Ní Dhomhnaill said:

I am delighted and honoured to accept this award for my life in music. It is lovely and heartwarming to be acknowledged in such a way, and I am very grateful for this special recognition of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards.

Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill performing at the RTÉ Folk Awards (Photo: RTÉ)

Peter Browne spoke about Séamus Ennis’ achievements and the award was accepted by the piper’s son, Christopher Ennis. Sorcha Ní Scolaí performed an uilleann pipes solo of the ‘Salamanca Reel’ and ‘Jenny’s Welcome to Charlie’ in tribute.

Gaza support
Accepting his Best Original Folk Track award, Ó Ceannabháin gave an impassioned speech about Gaza. ‘This is about what kind of world we want to live in,’ he said.

If this can happen before the eyes of the world, as the world screams for it to stop, we can’t say that we live in any kind of freedom or democracy. Rosa Luxemburg once said, ‘Those who do not move do not notice their chains.’ People are moving all over the world now and rattling their chains in unprecedented numbers. Now is the time to get organised and break those chains, and free Palestine.

Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, winner of Best Original Folk Track, speaking about #Gaza at the RTÉ Folk Awards #rtefolkawards pic.twitter.com/90EFE6y2iq

— The Journal of Music (@journalofmusic) February 27, 2024

Music and poetry
Performers at the awards included Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi and Niwel Tsumbu, Zoë Conway, Johnny McEvoy, Cormac McCarthy, Brendan Ó Beaglaoich and Steve Cooney, Bláth na hÓige, Aoife Ní Bhriain, Niamh Bury, Cathy Jordan and Feargal Murray, Seamie O’Dowd, Brooks Academy Set Dancers, Caimin Gilmore, Garadice, Matthew Berrill, Muireann Bradley, Méabh Ní Bheaglaoich and poet Stephen James Smith who opened the awards ceremony with an ‘Ode to Tony MacMahon’.

The evening was presented by John Creedon, attended by President Michael D. Higgins, and broadcast live on RTÉ Radio 1. To listen back visit https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/rte-radio-1-folk-awards. Television highlights will air on RTÉ One Saturday 2 March at 11pm.

See the full list of nominees and winners below.

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Séamus and Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta (Photo: RTÉ)

Nominees and winners for the 6th RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards
(winners in bold)

Best Original Folk Track
Abigail (Tomhas Ghobnatan) – Emma Langford
Anáil na hOíche – Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin
Glory Days – Steo Wall
Níl Aon Easpa Orm – Rónán Ó Snodaigh and Myles O’Reilly
Not Your Fight – The Henry Girls and Ríoghnach Connolly
Old Note – Lisa O’Neill

Best Traditional Folk Track
Amhrán Pheadar Breathnach – Diane Cannon
Eileanóir a Rún – Síle Denvir
Eileanór na Rún – Séamus and Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta
Go Dig My Grave – Lankum
Seán Gabha – Piaras Ó Lorcáin and Bláth na hÓige 

Best Folk Singer
Anna Mieke
Daoirí Farrell
Diane Cannon
Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin
Lisa O’Neill
Síle Denvir

Best Folk Instrumentalist
Aoife Ní Bhriain
Diarmuid Ó Meachair
Michael McGoldrick
Michelle Mulcahy
Sorcha Costello

Best Folk Group
Bláth na hÓige
Garadice
Lankum
Martin Hayes and the Common Ground Ensemble
The Mary Wallopers
ØXN

Best Folk Album
All Of This Is Chance – Lisa O’Neill
Bláth na hÓige – Bláth na hÓige
Double You – Aoife Ní Bhriain and Catrin Finch
False Lankum – Lankum
Look Over The Wall, See The Sky – John Francis Flynn

Best Emerging Artist
Cinder Well
Diarmuid Ó Meachair
Niamh Bury
Piaras Ó Lorcáin
Séamus and Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta
Sorcha Costello

Hall of Fame: Séamus Ennis
Lifetime Achievement Award: Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill