Here are the nominees for this year's RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards 2026: Joshua Burnside, Lisa O'Neill, lullahush, Ye Vagabonds and more

Tommy Sands receives the Lifetime Achievement award and Dolores Keane enters the Hall of Fame at Vicar Street on Tuesday 10 November.

The nominations for the eighth RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards have been announced, with the ceremony taking place at Vicar Street in Dublin on Tuesday 10 November 2026. It will be broadcast live on RTÉ Radio 1, with John Creedon returning as host and a television highlights programme to follow.

It’s a change of season for the awards. The last two ceremonies were held in February, when Lankum and Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin were the big winners in 2024, and Róis took Best Original Folk Track and Best Emerging Artist in 2025. This year’s eligibility window runs from 18 November 2024 to 11 September 2026. As before, the seven main awards are chosen by a jury (of which I am one), with no public vote.

Several of this year’s nominees are back after being shortlisted last time. Joshua Burnside and Macdara Yeates were both in the running in 2025, as was Lemoncello, who are now up for Best Folk Group. Lisa O’Neill was also nominated in 2024, when she was shortlisted for Best Folk Singer and Best Folk Album.

Performers on the night include Beoga, The Unthanks, Declan O’Rourke, Jillian O’Malley, Joshua Burnside and Hammy Hamilton & the Ora Quartet, with more to be confirmed.

Honorary awards

• Lifetime Achievement: Tommy Sands
• Hall of Fame: Dolores Keane

Best Folk Album

• An Bhearna Bhán – Jillian O’Malley
• Caillte Sa Cheol – Ciarán Ó Maonaigh
• Curlew’s Cry – Barry Kerr
• Ithaca – lullahush
• It’s Not Going To Be Okay – Joshua Burnside.
• Phases – Beoga

Best Folk Group

• An Chéad Ghlúin Eile
• Beoga
• Lemoncello
• Poor Creature
• Ye Vagabonds

Best Folk Singer

• Barry Kerr
• Clare Sands
• Joshua Burnside
• Lisa O’Neill
• Macdara Yeates

Best Folk Instrumentalist

• Caroline Keane
• Ciarán Ó Maonaigh
• Jack Talty
• Seán McKeon
• Altan O’Brien

Best Emerging Artist

• Rua Rí
• Ellie O’Neill
• The Railway Boys
• Leevy

Best Original Folk Track

• ‘Anam Cara’ – Clare Sands
• ‘Heaven Has No Wings’ – Dove Ellis
• ‘Johnny Workman’ – Rua Rí
• ‘The Curlew’s Cry’ – Barry Kerr
• ‘The Wind Doesn’t Blow This Far Right’ – Lisa O’Neill

Best Traditional Folk Track

• ‘Amhrán na Scadán’ – The Railway Boys
• ‘Cad É Sin Don Té Sin’ – Tríona & Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill
• ‘Coleraine Jig’ – Rattling Ark
• ‘De May Bush’ – Macdara Yeates
• ‘Ryan’s Rant’ – Cormac Begley & Liam O’Connor
• ‘The Mickey Dam’ – Damien Dempsey