Clare Sands

Clare Sands is a sixth generation fiddler and bilingual singer from Cork. Channelling the music of her ancestors, she weaves traditional roots with contemporary sounds and influences, embodying a fearless warrior-like spirit. 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 and Soundscapes) EP, comprising four songs 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, Steve Cooney, Susan O’Neill, Niamh Regan, Brian Finnegan and more. Her innovative musical creations are matched by electrifying live performances - recent festival appearances include Glastonbury & Cambridge Folk Festival (UK), Fête De la Musique (FR), Festival Cervantino (MEX) and Cygnet Folk Festival, Tasmania.

‘Sands reach is wide & deep. This album speaks most of all of resilience & solidarity, of friendship & kinship. 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