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RTE Folk Awards Nominee and native Irish Gaelic speaker Padraig Jack is a bilingual Folk, Celtic, Contemporary artist gaining a reputation as a singer-songwriter of substance with music and songs rooted deep in Irish history, language and culture.

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RTE Folk Awards Nominee Padraig Jack is gaining a reputation as a bilingual (Irish/English) singer-songwriter of substance with music and song rooted deep in Irish history, culture, language and storytelling. Born and raised in the Aran islands Gaelic-speaking Gaeltacht, Padraig is recognized as ‘One of Ireland’s best emerging songwriters’ (Hot Press) and he has been developing a reputation internationally as an authentic representative of Irish language and culture at International Celtic festivals such as Celtic Connections (2025, 2026) and Festival Interceltique de Lorient (2025, 2026) as well as representing Culture Ireland at Folk Alliance in Montréal in 2025.

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Padraig Jack is gaining a reputation as a bilingual (Irish/English) singer songwriter of substance with music and songs rooted deep in Irish history, culture, language and storytelling. The RTE Folk Music Awards nominee, billed by Hot Press as "One of Ireland's Best Emerging Songwriters", was born and raised in the Aran islands Gaeltacht, a place that has produced well known Irish writers Liam O’Flaithearta and Máirtín Ó’Direáin, and this place influences his Celtic, Folk, Contemporary music. Padraig is proudly bilingual both as a conversationalist and a songwriter and writes and sings meaningful songs on guitar and piano in Irish Gaelic and English. With influences from Enya, Emmyou Harris and The Eagles to Van Morrison, Sinead O’Connor and Richard Thompson, Padraig appreciates strong songwriting with a distinct point of view.

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When 'Making Sand” was nominated for "Best Original Song" at the RTE Folk Awards, it helped establish Padraig as one of Ireland’s finest contemporary songwriters, in both languages, with plaudits from Hot Press magazine and Folking.com. On it’s release, ‘Making Sand’ spent four weeks at Number 1 on the RTE Radio 1 Airplay Chart and Padraig is a regular in Irish language media Raidió na Gaeiltachta and TG4. Padraig’s show consists of authentic Irish and English language original songs about life in the west of Ireland and his other observations. He plays either solo or with a band which sometimes includes legendary musician Anthony Thistlethwaite (The Saw Doctors, The Waterboys).

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The themes of his songs translate well in regions where he has toured which share a ‘minority language’ connection such as Mid/North Wales, Friesland and Euskal Herria. On the release of his second album ‘These Shores’ Padraig spent 2025 playing Festivals such as Festival Interceltique de Lorient, Brittany, Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Folk Alliance in Montreal (representing Culture Ireland) and the St Patrick’s Day Festival in Dublin as well as playing Dublin and Kilkenny TradFest. Padraig Jack ended 2025 with a performance in Dublin's Christchurch Cathedral along with Martin Hayes and began 2026 in Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall for a unique minority language themed event 'Our Mother Tongue' at Celtic Connections along with artists including Gruff Rhys and Gwilym Bowen Rhys (Cymru) and Le Vent Du Nord (Quebec).

 

In 2026 he will represent Culture Ireland and perform two showcases at The ECMA's in Sydney Nova Scotia before he returns to Festival Interceltique de Lorient to play four shows and he will undertake tours in Wales, The Basque Country, the Netherlands and Scotland as well as play at the Tocati Festival in Verona, as well as playing Dublin Tradfest, Tonnta Bilingual Festival Galway and Kilkenny Trafest.  

 

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“An absolute sense of sincerity in all his songwriting” – Sean Rocks, RTE Arena 

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“You can hear traces of Van Morrison, James Taylor and Jimmy McCarthy in this album (These Shores)” – Kate Brennan Harding, Music Producer

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"One of the evening’s most striking discoveries was Padraig Jack, a softly spoken bilingual singer-songwriter from the Aran Islands Gaeltacht Irish-speaking region" - Jo Frost , Songlines - Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Celtic Connections

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"Making Sand sounds beautiful" - Mike Scott (The Waterboys)

 

"Magic, there's a deeply romantic core to Making Sand but Padraig Jack is too talented to ever veer into saccharine territory, authenticity is his hallmark" - The Alternate Root Magazine (USA)

 

"We must get him in for a session after hearing this"-  Janice Long (BBC Wales)

 

“This album will be a lifelong favourite” - Miles Hunt (The Wonder Stuff)

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"A recognizably Irish soul singer" PennyBlackMusic.com

 

"An assured and accomplished foundation on which to build a burgeoning career" Mike Davies (Folking.com)

 

"Picking up where Mic Christopher left off" - TheMacMusic.com

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"One of Ireland's most exciting artists" - Hot Press Magazine

"One of Ireland's most exciting artists" - Hot Press Magazine