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 bio
Is 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
