Nominations Announcement - RT Radio 1 Folk Awards

Nominations Announcement - RT Radio 1 Folk Awards

Celebrating the very best in folk music in Ireland from the past year

Awards event LIVE in Vicar Street and on RT Radio 1 on Tuesday 10th November

Live performances from Beoga, The Unthanks, Edwina Guckian, Declan O'Rourke and many more

Tommy Sands to receive award Lifetime Achievement Award

Tickets now on sale from ticketmaster.ie | #rtefolkawards

RT has today announced the nominations for the 8th RT Radio 1 Folk Awards. The Awards, which celebrate the very best in Irish folk music, will take place in Vicar Street, Dublin, on Tuesday 10th November at 7.45pm and live on RT Radio 1 from 8pm and will be hosted by RT 's John Creedon. A television highlights programme will be broadcast on RT One and RT Player on Saturday 14th November.

The nominations for the 8th RT Radio 1 Folk Awards, 2026, are:

BEST ORIGINAL FOLK TRACK

ANAM CARA Clare Sands

HEAVEN HAS NO WINGS Dove Ellis

JOHNNY WORKMAN Rua R

THE CURLEW'S CRY Barry Kerr

THE WIND DOESN'T BLOW THIS FAR RIGHT Lisa O'Neill

WINNER 2025: Caoine by R IS

BEST TRADITIONAL FOLK TRACK

AMHR N NA SCAD N The Railway Boys

CAD SIN DON T SIN Tr ona & Maighread N Dhomhnaill

COLERAINE JIG Rattling Ark

DE MAY BUSH Macdara Yeates

RYAN'S RANT Cormac Begley & Liam O'Connor

THE MICKEY DAM Damien Dempsey

WINNER 2025: Welcome Home, Gr inne by Natalie N Chasaide & Iarfhlaith Domhnaill

BEST FOLK SINGER

BARRY KERR

CLARE SANDS

JOSHUA BURNSIDE

LISA O'NEILL

MACDARA YEATES

WINNER 2025: R oghnach Connolly

BEST FOLK INSTRUMENTALIST

CAROLINE KEANE

CIAR N MAONAIGH

JACK TALTY SE N MCKEON

ALTAN O'BRIEN

WINNER 2025: Alannah Thornburgh

BEST FOLK GROUP

AN CH AD GHL IN EILE

BEOGA

LEMONCELLO

POOR CREATURE

YE VAGABONDS

WINNER 2025: Landless

BEST FOLK ALBUM

AN BHEARNA BH N Jillian O'Malley

CAILLTE SA CHEOL Ciar n Maonaigh

CURLEW'S CRY Barry Kerr

ITHACA lullahush

IT'S NOT GOING TO BE OKAY Joshua Burnside

PHASES - Beoga

WINNER 2025: F oruisce The Legend of the Lough by John Spillane

BEST EMERGING ARTIST

ELLIE O'NEILL

LEEVY

RUA R

THE RAILWAY BOYS

WINNER 2025: R IS

RT RADIO 1 FOLK AWARDS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT - TOMMY SANDS

The RT Radio 1 Folk Awards Lifetime Achievement goes to one of Ireland's most celebrated folk singers, songwriters, broadcasters and social activists. Tommy Sands. Born in Mayobridge, County Down, he first came to international prominence with The Sands Family, whose pioneering tours brought Irish traditional music to audiences around the world, from New York's Carnegie Hall to Moscow's Olympic Stadium. Over the course of a distinguished career, Tommy has become renowned for songs that combine powerful storytelling with a deep commitment to peace and understanding. His work has been recorded by artists including Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Dolores Keane and The Dubliners, translated into many languages, and embraced by audiences far beyond Ireland. As an author, broadcaster, and performer, he has consistently championed the role of music in connecting people across generations, cultures and communities.

Widely regarded as a significant cultural voice during Northern Ireland's peace process, Tommy's songwriting has often reflected the realities of conflict and reconciliation. His acclaimed song There Were Roses, inspired by the tragic deaths of two friends from different traditions during the Troubles, remains one of the most enduring musical responses to the conflict. In recognition of his contribution to music, peace-building and cultural understanding, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2002. Through his internationally recognised Artsawonder programme, collaborations with institutions including Harvard University, and performances with his children Moya and Fion n Sands, Tommy continues to perform live and to explore the connections between music, wellbeing and social change, bringing together his passion for storytelling, community and world-class musicianship.

Previous honourees include D nal Lunny (pictured receiving his award from Christy Moore in Vicar Street in February 2025), Mary Black, Christy Moore and Moya Brennan.

RT RADIO 1 HALL OF FAME - DOLORES KEANE

Dolores Keane will be inducted into the RT Radio 1 Folk Awards Hall of Fame at the awards event in Vicar Street on Tuesday 10th November. Dolores Keane, who passed away in March this year, was one of the defining voices of Irish folk and traditional music, celebrated for her rich, expressive singing and her lifelong commitment to preserving Ireland's musical heritage. In inducting Dolores Keane into the Hall of Fame, the RT Radio 1 Folk Awards will celebrate her legacy as a great ambassador and guardian of Ireland's sacred folk and traditional music traditions.

LIVE PERFORMANCES ON THE NIGHT

In what promises to be a very special night celebrating Irish folk music, the awards will feature live performances from outstanding musicians, including Beoga, The Unthanks, Declan O'Rourke, Jillian O'Malley, Joshua Burnside, Hammy Hamilton & the Ora Quartet, Kris Drever with Noriana Kennedy, Nicola Joyce and Pauline Scanlon, Edwina Guckian and more.

Tickets for the RT Radio 1 Folk Awards are on sale now via www.ticketmaster.ie and are priced at 33.50 plus 1.50 venue facility fee.

Stay up to date on the latest on the RT Radio 1 Folk Awards by following RT and RT Radio 1 on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X and by staying tuned to RT Radio 1 and the RT Listen app.

If you can't join us in Vicar Street on the night, join us live on RT Radio 1 at 8pm, as well as the RT Listen app, and don't forget our television highlights programme on RT One on Saturday 14th November and on RT Player.

ENDS

For informatio

LINK:	https://about.rte.ie/2026/10/16/nominations-announcement-rte-radio-1-f...
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