Ye Vagabonds
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With four stunning albums under their belts, Ye Vagabonds are headlining their own tours worldwide and they are a must-see live. They have been regular collaborators at our annual Mix Tape gigs in Vicar Street. Keep an eye on their website for news of upcoming tours.
2022 RTÉ Radio One Folk Awards - Best Album
2021 RTÉ Radio One Folk Awards - Best Traditional Track, Best Folk Group
2019 RTÉ Radio One Folk Awards - Best Traditional Track, Best Group, Best Album
2019 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards - Best Traditional Track
2019 RTÉ Radio One Folk Awards - Best Traditional Track, Best Group, Best Album
Brothers Brían and Diarmuid Mac Gloinn grew up playing music together around their hometown of Carlow, a small town in the southeast of Ireland. After moving to Dublin in 2012, they quickly became a staple of the live music and session scene in Ireland, playing their own original songs as well as folk songs from Ireland, Scotland, England and America.
In 2014 they came to the attention of Arbutus Yarns’ music filmmaker Myles O’Reilly, whose videos gained international attention for the brothers for the first time.
After a chance meeting at Electric Picnic in September 2015, the brothers performed onstage with Glen Hansard, who invited them to open for him on his European tour the following October.
Their debut EP Rose & Briar was released on October 7th 2015.
Since then, they have been busy touring Ireland, the UK and Europe, opening for acts such as Villagers, Roy Harper and Lisa Hannigan (whose band they played in for her Irish tour, June 2016). They have played sold out headline shows in Ireland, France, Switzerland and the UK.
They have made numerous television and live radio appearances in Ireland, and were also part of ‘Imagining Home’, a live broadcast concert in the National Concert Hall of Ireland, 2016, curated by Glen Hansard, Philip King and Gary Sheehan.
While initially achieving renown as purveyors of their ancestors’ music mixed with folk-based originals, the Mac Gloinn brothers – Brían and Diarmuid - have increasingly focused on honing their own material, enlisting trusted co-conspirators to distill voice and vision into potent tunes. They have brought their interpretation of the Irish folk tradition to global audiences, going from Trad sessions to touring with the likes of Hozier and boygenius.
Their fourth album, All Tied Together follows the duo’s previous acclaimed 2022 album Nine Waves and standalone single ‘I’m A Rover’, which won them an RTE Radio One Folk Award for Best Traditional Folk Track. Ye Vagabonds were also named Best Folk Group for the second time at the 2021 ceremony, where they hold the record for most awarded artists.
“A remarkable album” - Songlines
“Joyous” - Uncut
“A cavern of delights… A labyrinthine treasure trove” - The Irish Times
“They remind me of my first days at ‘Les Cousins’ in Soho in 1965... Ye Vagabonds are a modern expression of a tradition that is truly robust and important to these islands.” Roy Harper
“Going backwards to go forwards, [Ye Vagabonds] look not to
modern day influence to inspire their sound, but prefer to absorb and reflect the most genuine leanings of deep tradition, playing folk music that resonates as pure and
honest as it has since time immemorial. In an age where styles have a limited shelf life, and musicians so often live by definition of their sell-by date, Ye Vagabonds make music that honours timeless sincerity with acoustic fireside storytelling that will sound as current a hundred years from now as it has a hundred generations past.” Myles O Reilly (Arbutus Yarns)
“Going backwards to go forwards, [Ye Vagabonds] look not to
modern day influence to inspire their sound, but prefer to absorb and reflect the most genuine leanings of deep tradition, playing folk music that resonates as pure and
honest as it has since time immemorial. In an age where styles have a limited shelf life, and musicians so often live by definition of their sell-by date, Ye Vagabonds make music that honours timeless sincerity with acoustic fireside storytelling that will sound as current a hundred years from now as it has a hundred generations past.” Myles O Reilly (Arbutus Yarns)