Clare Sands

Clare Sands is a sixth-generation fiddle player and bilingual singer from Cork, Ireland. Channeling the music of her ancestors, she weaves Traditional roots with Contemporary sounds and influences, embodying a fearless warrior-like spirit. By night, Sands is an open water swimmer and black belt, holding several world medals representing Ireland in martial arts! Her eponymous album secured a place among the Irish Times’ Top 5 Folk Albums of 2022, and earned Sands a Best Folk Singer nomination at the Irish Folk Awards. Other notable projects include the ‘hypnotic and tribal’ (BBC Radio 2) Tírdhreacha agus Fuaimdhreacha (Landscapes & Soundscapes) EP, written and recorded across the four seasons in the four provinces of Ireland and Gormacha, a musical odyssey that treads a path between the Irish language, folklore and our natural world. Sands' passion for collaboration has led her to work with some of Ireland’s finest folk and traditional musicians, including Hothouse Flowers, Paul Brady, Susan O’Neill, Sharon Shannon and more. Her innovative musical creations are matched by electrifying live performances – Clare​ brings her audiences on an exhilarating journey full of hope,​ celebration and heart. Recent festival appearances include Glastonbury Festival (UK),​ Fête De la Musique (FR), Sumida Triphony Hall (JPN) Festival Cervantino (MEX) and Port Fairy Folk Festival (AUS). With a new album being released in Autumn 2026, Clare is showing no signs of slowing​ down. She stands as a testament to the enduring power of music to unite and inspire – a​ troubadour for the modern age, whose melodies resonate across generations and​ cultures alike. Irish Language bioIs fidléir den tséú glúin agus amhránaí dátheangach í Clare Sands ó Chorcaigh, Éire. Tarraingíonn sí go domhain ó cheol a sinsear, agus fíonn sí fréamhacha traidisiúnta Gaelacha le fuaimeanna agus tionchair chomhaimseartha. Tá baint dhomhain ag a hamhráin le háit, agus an teagmháil idir béaloideas, teanga agus gníomhaíochas le fonn ceoil. Tá cáil uirthi as a fuinneamh amh tógálach, agus tá spiorad neamheaglach mar a bheadh ag gaiscíoch aici, a spreagann agus a aontaíonn lucht féachana timpeall an domhain.Chomh maith lena saothair nuálacha cheoil tá taibhithe spleodracha. Tugann Clare a lucht féachana léi ar aistear spreagúil lán dóchais, amhránaíochta, ceiliúrtha agus croí. Le halbam nua á eisiúint san fhómhar in 2026, níl aon chuma ar Clare go bhfuil sí ag moilliú. Is léiriú í ar chumhacht bhuan an cheoil daoine a aontú agus a spreagadh, trúbadóir don lá atá inniu ann, a théann i bhfeidhm i nglúiní agus cultúir éagsúla. On the new album – ‘They Tried to Bury Us’ is a collection of songs that gives voice to the silenced: the endangered curlew; Lí Ban of Lough Neagh; lost words of our native tongue; the Rostrevor oak; those seeking refuge on our shores and the Palestinian poets whose words embody defiance and inspire generations. All songs have a deep North of Ireland connection – the album was written across Ulster with an incredible array of musicians based in the Northern counties, alongside producer Seán Óg Graham (Beoga, Karen Casey). It is an album that rises from the earth against oppression and insists that love and hope will never be buried. 'Her songs and music reflect and renew the past and present, both in English and Irish. Her own voice, sensibilities and cares make her music so powerful – the personal becoming the universal.'- The Irish News ‘Sands excavates into Ireland's ancient myths & landscapes whilst exploring the political exigencies of it's here and now… A bold, beautiful album brimming with ideas.' – Songlines Magazine ‘This fine debut revels in Sands innate & fearless curiosity, and her insistence on diving deep below the surface. A mighty first step to what promises to be a lifelong expedition.’- Siobhán Long, The Irish Times ‘Armed with the combined powers of virtuosity, boldness, and a touch of madcap spontaneity, Clare Sands has continued to mark herself as one of Irish music’s most compellingly unique forces.’- Lucy O’Toole, Hotpress Magazine