What’s On This Week: The Anam Sessions

Other Voices: The Anam Sessions continues this Thursday at 11pm on RTÉ2 and worldwide on the RTÉ Player.

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The series finale of The Anam Sessions takes us to Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of the President of Ireland in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, for a special gathering of music, culture and conversation.

This week’s episode brings together seven artists from across Ireland’s rich musical landscape: Aibhse, CUAS, Dairena Ní Chinnéide, Damien Dempsey, Huartan, Pauline Scanlon and Ruth McGinley. Against the prestigious backdrop of Áras an Uachtaráin, their performances span contemporary and traditional Irish music, bringing together different generations, sounds and approaches to Ireland’s musical heritage.

The episode also features a special conversation between The Anam Sessions Presenter Cóilí Collins / Shampain and President Catherine Connolly, conducted as Gaeilge, exploring the importance of the arts and culture in Irish life. President Connolly reflects on the power of the arts to connect people, give them a sense of identity and belonging, and inspire people to find and use their own voice. The conversation considers the role of creativity in Irish society and the importance of ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to express themselves through the arts.

Presented by MayKay and Cóilí Collins/Shampain, The Anam Sessions brings contemporary and traditional Irish music into some of the country’s most significant heritage sites, creating space for artists and audiences to connect with the places, stories and traditions that shape Irish culture.

Aibhse

Aibhse is an Irish sean-nós song collective and traditional music group. Created as an artistic research project by renowned Irish musician, academic, and Amhránaí na Bliana (TG4 Singer of the Year) Dr. Síle Denvir, the project is a creative exploration of traditional Irish sean-nós song and intricate harmony singing.

CUAS

CUAS are a four-piece collective formed in 2023 to celebrate the vibrant musical traditions of West Kerry. Featuring Méabh Ní Bheaglaoich, Nicole Ní Dhubhshláine, Niamh Varian-Barry and Kyle Macaulay, the group draws on the region’s emotive songs and dynamic dance traditions, bringing traditional West Kerry songs, original compositions, polkas and slides to life. Their self-titled debut album, recorded live in Seanscoil a’ Chuasa and released in 2024, earned them nominations for Best Emerging Artist and Best Folk Group at the 2025 RTÉ Folk Awards. They have since performed at festivals and venues across Ireland, including Tradfest, Other Voices and the National Concert Hall.

Dairena Ní Chinnéide

Dairena Ní Chinnéide is a bilingual poet. The most recent of her twelve published collections is  Teacht Aniar, Meascra Dánta 2004 – 2024, before that Tairseach  also by Éabhlóid (2021) deleted  by Salmon Poetry (2019) was her first collection in English. She has received numerous awards for her writing including Irish Language Literature Bursaries from the Arts Council of Ireland , Ealaín na Gaeltachta, and a Patrick and Katherine Kavanagh Fellowship. Dairena is a former broadcaster and journalist, television producer and interpreter.

Damien Dempsey

Damien Dempsey is one of Ireland’s most distinctive singer-songwriters, known for his powerful voice, deeply personal songwriting and unique ability to connect traditional Irish music with soul, folk and contemporary influences. He began writing and performing songs as a teenager, playing guitar and singing in his bedroom, with his self-penned song Cardboard City earning second place in a 2FM songwriting competition. Alongside music, Dempsey and his two older brothers competed in amateur boxing for Dublin before his passion for music led him to leave the ring and study musical performance and management at Ballyfermot College of Further Education. Over a career spanning more than two decades, his songs have explored family, love, identity, community and working-class life, always delivered with an unmistakable emotional honesty. As Dempsey himself has said: “I want my music to give kids a bit of hope and strength, and they'd know that I was telling the truth and I wouldn't lie to them.”

Huartan

Formed in 2023 in the Gaeltacht Quarter of West Belfast, Huartan create an original blend of Irish traditional music and electronica, reimagining at-risk Irish-language songs for contemporary audiences. The group’s three traditional singers and musicians, Catriona Ní Ghribín, Múlú and Stiofán Ó Luachráin, are joined by masked performers embodying the síogaí, or fairy folk. Their distinctive sound and theatrical live shows have earned them the 2025 BBC Introducing NI Artist of the Year award, the 2024 NI Music Prize Live Act of the Year and the inaugural Amhrán na Laoch competition by Hot Press. Their self-titled debut album brings traditional Gaeilge songs together with what Hot Press described as “urgent, pulsating electronica.”

Pauline Scanlon

Pauline Scanlon is one of Ireland’s most distinctive singers, her voice balancing delicacy and strength with remarkable clarity. A native of West Kerry, she is deeply rooted in the Irish song tradition while maintaining a broad and varied artistic practice. She has released acclaimed solo albums including Red Colour Sun, Hush and Gossamer, while her work as one half of Lumiere with Éilís Kennedy has taken her to international stages including the Barbican and Carnegie Hall. A generous collaborator, Scanlon has also worked with artists including Damien Dempsey, Sinéad O’Connor and John Spillane, with her work continuing to be shaped by a deep commitment to song, language and lived experience.

Ruth McGinley

Derry-born Ruth McGinley is one of Ireland’s leading pianists, having gained widespread recognition as a teenager when she won the piano final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year. She has since performed as a soloist with orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra and Ulster Orchestra, as well as appearing at the BBC Proms and London’s Southbank Centre. Her career also reaches far beyond the classical world, with collaborations spanning jazz, folk, electronic and film music. Her latest solo album, Aura, sees her reimagine traditional Irish airs in collaboration with Belfast composer and musician Neil Martin. She is currently Artist in Residence at the MAC, Belfast.

Watch Episode 4 this Thursday, 1 October, at 11pm on RTÉ2 or catch up wherever you are in the world on the RTÉ Player.

Catch up on previous episodes now on the RTÈ Player, with performances from Joshua Burnside, Cliffords, Mick O’Brien & Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, Girl in the Year Above, Ellie O’Neill, Kean Kavanagh, Sárán Mulligan & Muirine Nic Róibín, SOAK, Aby Coulibaly, Aoife Ní Bhriain & Cormac McCarthy, Curtisy and Jacob Alon.

The Anam Sessions is produced by Other Voices in partnership with the Office of Public Works.

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