Two trad mad D ise brothers, Macdara and Pax Faol in, as well as two talented Armagh sisters, Annie and M abh Smyth, are amongst the fourteen finalists who will compete for the Se n Riada Gold Medal in Cork on Friday 3 February. Peadar Riada will present the event live on RT Raidi na Gaeltachta from the Rochestown Park Hotel.
Pax Faol in is a musician, singer and producer. He is also a composer, and is currently involved in various schemes to preserve the work of several important traditional musicians. He is a member of the group Nuad n, and does a lot of production work for TV and festivals. He is based between Cork and An Rinn. Macdara is a multi-instrumentalist, playing fiddle, mandolin and bouzouki. He works as a luthier, creating beautiful, handcrafted instruments in his studio in An Rinn. He previously competed in the Se n Riada Gold Medal final in 2019, and recently completed an honours degree in the Cork School of Music. He is also a member of the group Nuad n. Both brothers took part in the Tyrone productions show Sl na mBeaglaoich broadcast on TG4 in 2022.
Annie and M abh Smyth are from a musical family from Ballymacnab in Co. Armagh steeped in the South Ulster and Donegal fiddle tradition. The sisters both started on fiddle around age seven in the Armagh Pipers Club. M abh is a distinguished soloist, and was the inaugural Ed Reavy Fiddle Player of the Year as well as being crowned the 2021 Fiddler of London. She is a barrister, and previously qualified for the Se n Riada Gold medal Final in 2019. As well as being a gifted fiddler, her sister Annie also plays banjo and whistle, and qualified as a finalist for the Fiddler of London 2022. She also recently participated in the Ed Reavy Fiddle Weekend and the Birmingham TradFest. Annie is currently studying Marketing Innovation and Technology in DCU.
The Se n Riada Gold Medal competition is a prestigious traditional music competition that focuses on a different instrument every year over a four-year cycle, and this year it is for fiddle. The competition attracted the highest ever number of entries this year since its inception in 2010. There are five US musicians in the final on 3 February, the highest ever number of finalists from abroad, as well as fiddlers from across the island of Ireland.
The judges for this year's competition are esteemed traditional musicians Connie O'Connell, amon McGivney and Ciar n Maonaigh. The winner of the competition will take home the bespoke gold medal, as well as 2500. Tickets to the event can be bought on the door for 10, and it will be broadcast live on RT RnaG and streamed live.
Competition organiser Peadar Riada said: We are very happy with the development of the competition over the last 13 years and its place in the international world of traditional Irish Music. Radio makes the world grow smaller, and the competition has attracted entrants from across the world through the Cuireadh chun Ceoil programme. The calibre of this year's entrants is as high as it's ever been and we believe the competition is setting a standard, and this is due in great part to the quality of its adjudicators over the years. We hope that trad audiences will tune in on the night, and we'll also have the live stream as we do every year.
The full list of finalists are Adam Cole-Mullen from Boston, Alice Bradley from Maryland, Andrew Caden from Maryland, Joe de Georgeo from Minnesota, Ty Kelliher from Connecticut, Caoimhe Flannery from Rockchapel Co. Cork, Megan Nic Fhionnghaile from Gaoth Dobhair in Donegal, Annie Smyth from Ballymacnab in Armagh, Jason McGuinness from Dromore West in Sligo, Macdara Faol in from An Rinn in Waterford, M abh Smyth from Armagh, Pax Faol in from An Rinn in Waterford, Sin ad Nic Cionnaith from Augher in Co. Tyrone, and na McGlinchey from Omagh, Co. Tyrone.
The final will be broadcast at 7 pm on Friday 3 February on RT Raidi na Gaeltachta.
The competition is sponsored by RT Raidi na Gaeltachta, Iontaobhas F dhla, Gael Linn, Comhaltas Ceolt ir ireann, IMRO and the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
02/06/2026
Musically intelligent soft synth gets upgraded
Scaler Music will be probably be best known to many for their music theory tools, but their product range al...
02/06/2026
Powerful new vocal-production tool announced
Described as a vocal performance station , Klevgrand's latest plug-in combines pitch-correction with harmo...
02/06/2026
Launched alongside Go Green sale extension
McDSP have just released the latest addition to their APB line-up, DC-2 Dual Compressor, and have also announced ...
02/06/2026
Create custom tools for Ableton Live 12 Suite
Ableton have just introduced a new open JavaScript toolkit that allows anyone to create their own custom tools...
02/06/2026
Now features full H90 algorithm library
Eventide have announced the upcoming launch of the H9 Harmonizer Gen 2, a new and improved version of their hugely p...
02/06/2026
Plus UAD Half Yearly Sale now live
The latest arrival to the Universal Audio range delivers a new native pitch-correction plug-in that's capable of deli...
02/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to present comprehensive performance, conformance and spectrum-m...
02/06/2026
BTL Laboratory becomes Taiwan's first test house with a CTIA Certification c...
02/06/2026
If you've kept up with this article series, you know by now where to start w...
02/06/2026
With new DSP configurations and flexible licensing options, Calrec is removing the barriers to virtualised audio, giving broadcasters the freedom to scale produ...
02/06/2026
02 Jun 2026
VEON Closes USD 1.4 Billion Bond Offering, Refinancing 2027 Notes A...
02/06/2026
Praise for series three:
The Times - sun-dappled pleasure
The Daily Mail - The Homes Counties' Charlie's Angels
The Sun - 4* this [is an] enjoya...
02/06/2026
Wuppertal June 2, 2026
Gudrun Scharler Appointed CEO of Riedel Networks The Riedel Group today announced the appointment of Gudrun Scharler as CEO of Riedel N...
02/06/2026
Trust has become a commercial issue With global advertising spend forecast to exceed US$1 trillion this year*, the commercial consequences of weak governance co...
02/06/2026
June sees Ireland's cultural calendar in full bloom, as RT Supporting the Arts showcases a vibrant and wide-ranging programme spanning music, theatre, visu...
02/06/2026
After The Traitors Ireland launched in 2025, Irish audiences proved to have a taste for the global hit reality show. This Bank Holiday Monday fans can indulge e...
01/06/2026
Category line-up & sponsors announced
Photo: Paul Clarke
The Production Music Awards (PMA) have announced that submissions are now officially open ahead of...
01/06/2026
New hybrid sample/synthesis instrument revealed
Excite Audio have just released the latest instalment in their Evolve series, which has been developed in co...
01/06/2026
Latest TONEX expansion captures three rare vintage amps
The newest addition to IK Multimedia's ever-growing TONEX line-up introduces a set of three incr...
01/06/2026
Musically intelligent soft synth gets upgraded
Scaler Music will be probably be best known to many for their music theory tools, but their product range al...
01/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz Satellite Industry Days 2026 guided by the motto From Earth to ...
01/06/2026
Luxembourg, June 1, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, launched fast and reliable multi-orbit satelli...
01/06/2026
Mardi 2 juin 14h00
FilmLight (ARRI), 10 rue Ren Boulanger, 75010 Paris
Rejoignez-nous pour d couvrir comment FLAPI (l'API FilmLight) peut transformer e...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
cetecom advanced certifies Rohde & Schwarz test solution for hybrid and Next Gen...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Genelec announces V2.1 for Aural ID binaural headphone monitoring application posted: 29/05/2026
Aural ID 2.1 enhances binaural monitoring for stereo and ...
29/05/2026
At just 20 years old, Sean Melia from Summerhill Co. Meath has been revealed as the winner of Super Garden 2026. Sean is the youngest ever contestant and winner...
28/05/2026
Thomsons Climate Crisis Toolkit is already being put to work, helping journalist...
28/05/2026
A little refresh can go a long way. We've been making behind-the-scenes upda...
28/05/2026
Since early last year, our quarterly Creator Milestone Awards have celebrated podcasts from around the world that hit major streaming milestones on Spotify. Tod...
28/05/2026
New software-based MIDI multi-clock announced
Rapid Flow have just announced the launch of a new MIDI utility plug-in that aims to solve one of the most per...
28/05/2026
Company introduce most affordable interface yet
SSL's range of audio interfaces has just gained its latest, and smallest member, the SSL 1. Designed to ...
28/05/2026
New compact drum machine & sampler announced
The latest instrument from Sonicware sees the company kick off an all-new Deconstruct series with a compact dru...
28/05/2026
Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority modernizes nationwide ATC voice communications...
28/05/2026
Comscore Announces Appointment of Matt McLaughlin as Chief Executive OfficerJon Carpenter to remain as Senior Advisor to the Board and CEO
Global business lead...
28/05/2026
Wuppertal May 28, 2026
Berliner Ensemble Upgrades Backstage Infrastructure With Riedel Stage SystemsRiedel Communications today announced that Berliner Ensemb...
28/05/2026
Harmonic's Software-Based XOS Advanced Media Processor Powers Cost-Efficient 24/7 Channel Origination and Direct-to-Consumer Delivery
SAN JOSE, Calif. - M...
28/05/2026
RT presents Wild Conamara, a two-part natural history documentary that brings a...
27/05/2026
Spotify already brings together listeners' favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks in one place. Now, we're trialing a new format that expands the cont...
Two trad mad D ise brothers, Macdara and Pax Faol in, as well as two talented Armagh sisters, Annie and M abh Smyth, are amongst the fourteen finalists who will compete for the Se n Riada Gold Medal in Cork on Friday 3 February. Peadar Riada will present the event live on RT Raidi na Gaeltachta from the Rochestown Park Hotel.
