Padraig Jack
RTE Folk Music Awards nominee Padraig Jack writes and sings meaningful songs on guitar and piano in Gaelic and English. A native of the Aran islands which has produced writers Liam O Flaithearta, Máirtín Ó Direáin and Breandán Ó hEithir, Padraig is proudly bilingual both as a conversationalist and a songwriter. His debut album ‘Making Sand’ was released in September 2020 being named the RTE Radio Album of the Week. The title track off the album, ‘Making Sand’, was released as a single in 2022 and was nominated for an RTE Folk Music Award for “Best Original Song”.
The album was recorded with producer John Reynolds (Sinead O’Connor, Damien Dempsey, Indigo Girls) and has garnered critical acclaim at home and abroad with positive reviews in Irish Music magazine, Hot Press, Rock’n’Reel magazine (UK), The Alternate Root (US). Padraig has won second prize at the Pan Celtic Song contest and his song ‘Minnie’ was shortlisted for the final of the Christie Hennessy song award. He has also received numerous Gradaim NÓS Award nominations (incl. Song and Artist of the year).
Having played numerous headline shows and toured Ireland and the UK extensively with Sharon Shannon prior to lockdown, the pandemic caused him to postpone shows including his Galway, Dublin and London album launch shows, an appearance at the world famous World Music Festival WOMAD as well as an Irish tour with Damien Dempsey and solo tours in the UK and Germany.
However in 2022 post lockdown, Padraig began the year writing and recording with Irish music legends Foster and Allen and he performed with the duo in Dublin's Pepper Canister church as part of the RTE One TV documentary ‘Foster and Allen - Behind The Music’ which was broadcast in October 2022. Padraig joined Damien Dempsey for a sold-out Irish tour including shows in Vicar St and at the Iveagh Gardens in front of 4000 people.
He had a hit record with his song 'Making Sand' in summer 2022 as it was Number One in the RTE Airplay Chart for 4 weeks in a row leading to appearances on The Miriam O Callaghan Show, The Ray Darcy Show and even prompting a tweet from The Waterboys' Mike Scott. Padraig ran a one-man residency show at Joe Wattys marquee in Kilronan, Aran islands in the summer of 2022 which he revived again summer 2023.
Padraig played out 2022 with live performances leading up to midnight on both RTE Raidió na Gaeltachta and TG4 television and started 2023 with tours of Wales and the Basque country and playing shows all around Ireland including at Doolin Folk Fest and Galway Folk Festival. He has also been island hopping from Ireland to the UK for numerous shows with Miles Hunt of The Wonder Stuff who invited him to join him as support.
His two releases in 2023, the singles ‘It Could Be Home’ and 'What Is Love' were both added to the RTE Recommends list on their release and are the first singles of his upcoming second album which will be released in 2024. He has begun recording this with John Reynolds.
"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)
"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
“A fantastic album” - Sharon Shannon
"One of Ireland's most exciting artists" - Hot Press Magazine
