Ireland Now: Music, Memory, Momentum

Описание: A snapshot like this doesn’t come around often: late January 2026, the island buzzing with Choice Music Prize speculation while cinemas sell out for a film about a training camp argument from 2002. We pull the lens tight on Ireland’s cultural present to hear the clash and harmony between heritage and hype—how CMAT’s sparkling country-pop confidence can sit alongside Amble’s warm, rooted storytelling and still feel unmistakably Irish. That same duality threads through reunions and reinventions: Pilgrims brings Paul Noonan and Brian Crosby together for something new rather than a victory lap, and Aslan’s decision to continue after Christy Dignam asks what parts of a band’s soul live inside the songs.

The week’s emotional center of gravity is memory. We say goodbye to Seán Ó Sé, a bridge to O’Riada’s revival that lifted trad from the margins to the stage. We tip the hat to a century of broadcasting with a commemorative stamp and enjoy a rediscovered Hollywood story that widens the family tree. Meanwhile, the infrastructure beneath the art shifts: The Cooler, a cherished jazz laboratory, closes its doors, a loss that stings beyond the listings because rooms like that teach listening, risk, and time. Add in the grind of touring musicians, Glór Tíre hitting 20 years, and the Rose of Tralee stepping onto a glitzy reality stage, and you get a culture that isn’t choosing sides so much as learning to braid them.

Money and mood tell their own story. The Arts Council commits €1.1 million to 129 international projects, a clear bet on cultural soft power that carries Irish work abroad. A new dementia care center for the Irish community in Birmingham reframes culture as clinical care—songs, accents, and familiar food as medicine for memory. And then there’s the jolt on the doormat: a nationwide emergency preparedness booklet, a stark reminder that joy and fear share a hallway. The guide explains how to keep the lights on; the songs, films, and stories remind us why we want them on in the first place. Join us for a grounded, spirited tour of a country deciding what belongs in the attic and what deserves the front window—then tell us what you’d keep.

If you enjoyed this conversation, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves Irish music and culture, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find us.


Your source for Irish music and culture news! Tune in for the latest in Irish and Celtic music, festivals, and heritage. Listen 24/7 at MyIrishRadio.com (https://www.myirishradio.com/) — and host your own show! Email [email protected]


From trad to rock — Ireland’s soundtrack lives here.
Listen worldwide at MyIrishRadio.com (https://www.myirishradio.com/)


Script compiled and read with voices from NotebookLM (https://notebooklm.google.com/)