The winners of the 2021 RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards were announced last night at an event in Vicar Street. 

John Francis Flynn won two awards including Best Folk Singer and Best Emerging Artist, while the award for Best Folk Album went to Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin and Ultan O’Brien for Solas an Lae. 

Mick Flannery and Susan O’Neill were presented with the award for Best Original Folk Track for ‘Chain Reaction’; uilleann piper Caoimhín Ó Fearghail was awarded Best Instrumentalist; and Ye Vagabonds won awards in the categories of Best Folk Group and Best Traditional Folk Track for ‘I’m a Rover’. 

Christy Moore was presented with the Lifetime Achievement award by Damien Dempsey, and folk singer from County Armagh, Sarah Makem, was inducted into the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards Hall of Fame.

The awards were hosted by RTÉ presenters John Creedon and Ruth Smith, with live performances from KÍLA, John Francis Flynn, Stephanie Makem, Allanah Thornburgh, John Spillane, Mick Flannery and Susan O’Neill, Christy Moore, and the Mary Wallopers.

Listen back to the awards here. For the full list of winners and nominees, see below. Highlights of the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards will be broadcast on RTÉ 1 this Saturday, 20 November at 10:50pm.

Best Original Folk Track
Chain Reaction – Mick Flannery and Susan O’Neill (winner)
Almost – Susan O’Neill
Bread and Wine – Adrian Crowley
Patsy Cline – Jack O’Rourke
Taking the Wheel – Joshua Burnside and Laura Quirke

Best Traditional Folk Track
I’m a Rover – Ye Vagabonds (winner)
An Bhuatais – Lorcan MacMathúna
Cúirt Bhaile Nua – Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin and Ultan O’Brien
Easter Snow / Sally Gally – Ryan Molloy and Padraig McGovern
My Son Tim – John Francis Fynn
Peggy Gordon – Lisa O’Neill and Colm Mac Con Iomaire

Best Folk Singer
John Francis Flynn (winner)
Emma Langford
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh
Susan O’Neill
Declan O’Rourke

Best Folk Instrumentalist
Caoimhín Ó Fearghail (winner)
Brian Finnegan
Martin Hayes
Ryan Molloy
Alannah Thornburgh

Best Folk Group
Ye Vagabonds (winner)
Greenshine
Moxie
The Whileaways
Villagers

Best Folk Album
Solas an Lae – Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin and Ultan O’Brien (winner)
I Would Not Live Always – John Francis Flynn
They’re Calling Me Home – Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi
In the Game – Mick Flannery and Susan O’Neill
Where I Should End – Saint Sister

Best Emerging Artist
John Francis Flynn (winner)
Bridín
Dani Larkin
Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin and Ultan O’Brien
Alannah Thornburgh

Hall of Fame 
Sarah Makem

Lifetime Achievement Award 
Christy Moore