RTE Folk Music Awards nominee Padraig Jack is a bilingual Folk, Celtic, Contemporary singer-songwriter from the Aran islands off the west coast of Ireland. He delivers a totally engaging performance which comprises a series of moments which are supported by his disarming charm, whit, perspectives on society, Irish history and of course top quality songs in both English and Irish.
Growing up on the Aran islands in the Irish speaking Gaeltacht, a place that has produced the writers Liam O’Flaithearta, Máirtín Ó’Direáin and Breandán Ó’hEithir, 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, James Taylor and The Eagles to Van Morrison, Sinead O’Connor and Richard Thompson, Padraig appreciates strong songwriting with a distinct point of view.
Having demonstrated his songwriting bona fides with his critically acclaimed debut ‘Making Sand’, which was named ‘RTE Album of the Week’ and garnered an RTE Folk Award nomination for ‘Best Original Song’ (Making Sand), Padraig again teamed up with renowned producer John Reynolds (Sinead O’Connor, Brian Eno). On it’s release, ‘Making Sand’ spent four weeks at Number 1 on the RTE Radio 1 Airplay Chart. With plaudits from industry legends like Mike Scott, Sharon Shannon and Miles Hunt, and laudatory reviews from the likes of Hot Press, Padraig Jack has already made his mark on the Irish music scene.
Padraig Jack played with Steve Wickham and No Crows at Celtic Connections in 2025 (incidentally Steve Wickham plays on Padraig’s new album) and the following morning he created a quite a buzz with a stunning showcase performance at the Celtic Cousins event with Culture Ireland before catching a plane to Dublin to play at Dublin Tradfest that evening with a full band in Áras Chrónáin. In February Padraig made his debut at Galway’s Tonnta bilingual Festival before heading to play multiple sold-out shows in Cymru and made his debut at Folk Alliance with Culture Ireland in Montréal, Canada…he also squeezed in a west coast of Ireland tour with The High Kings on what is their biggest tour yet. Padraig Jack made his debut at Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Summer 2025 with three fantastic performances.