Clare Sands

Drawing deeply from the music of her ancestors, Clare weaves traditional Irish roots with contemporary sound. Hers are songs of place — where folklore, language and activism meet melody, carried by a fearless, warrior-like spirit. As well as representing Ireland on global music stages, she is a cross-continental swimmer and black belt with several world medals to her name.

Born and raised in Cork with deep family roots in Co. Wexford and the North of Ireland, Clare took up the fiddle at the age of three — learning Irish traditional tunes from her father each week, while her mother Susan introduced her to the Blues. She went on to study Music & Italian at UCC and a Masters in Composition & Creative Practice at the Irish World Academy, developing her craft as a bilingual songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist across ten-plus instruments.

Her eponymous album secured a place among The Irish Times Top 5 Folk Albums of 2022 and earned a Best Folk Singer nomination at the Irish Folk Awards. Other notable projects include the "hypnotic and tribal" Tírdhreacha agus Fuaimdhreacha (Landscapes and Soundscapes) — four songs written across the four seasons and four provinces of Ireland — and Gormacha, a musical odyssey between the Irish language, folklore and the natural world.

Her passion for collaboration has led her to work with some of Ireland's finest musicians — Hothouse Flowers, Paul Brady, Susan O'Neill, Niamh Regan, Sharon Shannon and Mary Coughlan among them. Her innovative creations are matched by electrifying live performances, bringing audiences on a journey full of hope, celebration and heart.

With a new album arriving in Autumn 2026, Clare shows no signs of slowing down — a testament to the enduring power of music to unite and inspire; a troubadour for the modern age whose melodies resonate across generations and cultures alike.