Channeling the music of her ancestors, Clare Sands is a unique force in Irish music. Weaving traditional roots with Contemporary sounds and influences, Sands sings for the young and the old, brave and the bold. A 6th generation fiddler & bilingual singer, Sands has been wowing audiences around the world with her groundbreaking fearless folk style and infinite warrior energy. These electrifying live performances see Clare on fiddle, guitar, percussion, vocals & cassette recordings. An unmissable & raw live performer, she brings her audience on an exhilarating journey of celebration, resilience and hope. Throughout 2021 Clare collaborated with Ireland’s finest Folk & Traditional musicians – Susan O'Neill, Steve Cooney & Tommy Sands, BRÍDÍN & Liam Ó Maonlaí. This unique project ‘Tírdhreacha agus Fuaimdhreacha’ was described by The Folk Show, BBC2 as ‘Hypnotic, Tribal, and Full of Life.'

Beguiling, intense, driven folk songs expertly accompanied by guitar and banjo, Dani Larkin’s songs voyage through stories drawn from mythology and folklore, ruminations on love and relationships, and experiences of wildness, loss, love and mystery, steered with a gentle strength and engagingly calm conviction. Nominated for ‘Best Single’ (2022), ‘Best Album’ at Northern Ireland Music Prize (2021), and Best Emerging Artist at RTE Folk Awards (2021), Dani Larkin has been an artist picking up speed with each release, and one that has been making her mark on the industry, in her own way. 2022 saw Larkin tour with Declan O’Rourke, Ye Vagabonds and Wallis Bird as well as performing at Folk Alliance, SXSW, Reeperbahn, English Folk Expo, WOMEX, and a profound performance at the RTE Folk Awards. In addition to appearances with Glen Hansard and Snow Patrol, it is clear that Larkin has firmly established herself as a must-see artist on the national and international stage. Already, 2023 has seen Larkin perform her first run of sold out shows in New York at the Irish Arts Centre and her first international tour in Australia at a series of festivals and headline shows including the world-renowned Portfairy Folk Festival.

Jo Wright works as a Music and traditional arts development officer at the Arts of Northern Ireland (ACNI). Jo has been working at ACNI for the past 6 years and she has been working in the music sector across Ireland for the past 24 years. She started out as a session brass player and a recording and live sound engineer. Jo graduated from Queen’s University in 2004 with a BSc in Music Technology before moving into artist management, development and consultancy…