The winners of the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards were announced last night in Dublin's Vicar Street.

The ceremony, broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1, was hosted by John Creedon in front of a live audience, and featured performances from Damien Dempsey, RÓIS, Seamas Hyland, Niamh Regan, John Spillane, Pólca 4, as well as five-time Grammy winner winner, Mary Chapin Carpenter, among others.

Damien Dempsey. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Irish folk legend Dónal Lunny was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Christy Moore, his former bandmate and longtime friend, who was awarded the same prize back in 2021.

"It's only when I look back at my career that I see the road I have travelled and the wonderful friends I have made through this community and getting this award means so much to me - the recognition of a lifetime making music," Lunny told RTÉ News.

A rapturous welcome for Dónal Lunny as he receives the 2025 Lifetime Achievement award 👏 🏆 #rtefolkawards @rte pic.twitter.com/fXvjcYHnpz

— RTÉ Radio 1 (@RTERadio1) February 26, 2025

Cork singer-songwriter and Irish language advocate John Spillane was awarded Best Folk Album for his folk opera Fíoruisce - The Legend of the Lough, a reimagining of the Victorian Cork fairytale Fior Usga, which deals with the origins of the Lough in Cork.

"I'm delighted that my little local legend that explores big themes such as water rights, possession and restriction of natural resources has found its place amongst the great music that is being created today," said Spillane.

John Spillane. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Armagh-born, Manchester-based singer Ríoghnach Connolly was awarded Best Folk Singer, while Co. Mayo multi-instrumentalist, composer, and vocalist Alannah Thornburgh received the Best Folk Instrumentalist award. Thornburgh's win follows the release of her debut album, Shapeshifter, just a few weeks ago.

Fermanagh genre-bending artist RÓIS received the Best Original Folk Track award for her song 'Caoine,' and also won Best Emerging Artist, following the release of her experimental sophomore album, 2024's MO LÉAN.

Talking about her wins, RÓIS said: "The tradition is going nowhere, and it continues to proper and evolve thanks to the traditionalists that are open to it, and the experimentalists that respect the tradition."

Niamh Regan. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

The pianist and fiddle player duo Natalie Ní Chasaide & Iarfhlaith Ó Domhnaill were awarded Best Traditional Folk Track for their rendition of 'Welcome Home, Gráinne.'

The late Róise Rua, a renowned singer from Árainn Mhór, in West Donegal, was inducted into the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards Hall of Fame, in recognition of her legacy in preserving Ireland's oral tradition. The award was received by her great-grandniece, Georgina Dudgeon.

Among the ceremony's attendees were President Michael D. Higgins, and his wife, Sabina, who received a warm welcome from the audience.

Fáilte, Uachtarán 🇮🇪#RTEFolkAwards @rte @PresidentIRL pic.twitter.com/bADuUp6g3i

— RTÉ Radio 1 (@RTERadio1) February 26, 2025

RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Award Complete Winners and Nominees List:

BEST ORIGINAL FOLK TRACK
'Caoine' – RÓIS
'Chasing the Hare' – Alannah Thornburgh
'I’m for Gallipoli' – Fiach Moriarty (feat. Damien Dempsey)
'Old Friend' – Lemoncello
'The Good Life' – Joshua Burnside

BEST TRADITIONAL FOLK TRACK
'Bean an fhir ruaidh' – Diane Cannon
'Helen of Kirkconnell lea' – The Half Room
'Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye' – Macdara Yeates
'The Rocky Road to Dublin' – Lankum
'Welcome Home, Gráinne' – Natalie Ní Chasaide & Iarfhlaith Ó Domhnaill

BEST FOLK SINGER
Cathy Jordan
Christy Moore
Macdara Yeates
Ríoghnach Connolly

BEST FOLK INSTRUMENTALIST
Alannah Thornburgh
Diarmuid Ó Meachair
Macdara Ó Faoláin
Sinéad McKenna

BEST FOLK GROUP
Altan
Cuas
Keane Connolly McGorman
Landless

BEST FOLK ALBUM
A Terrible Beauty – Christy Moore
Crankie Island Song Project – Cathy Jordan
Fíoruisce - The Legend of the Lough – John Spillane
Keane Connolly McGorman – Keane Connolly McGorman (self-titled)
Lemoncello – Lemoncello (self-titled)

BEST EMERGING ARTIST
Cuas
Niamh Bury
RÓIS
Seamus Hyland
Sinéad McKenna

HALL OF FAME INDUCTION – Róise Rua

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Dónal Lunny