The RTÉ Choice Music Prize marks the annual celebration of Irish music. This year’s nominations have taken a turn away from mainstream radio and an eclectic mix embraced. The Album of the Year nominees in particular reflect the vibrant music scene that has its chokehold not only on Ireland, but on the world.

Album of the Year takes the lead as main prize of the awards night, with previous winners including Lankum for ‘The Livelong Day’ (2019) and False Lankum (2023), SOAK’s ‘Before We Forget How to Dream’ (2015) and Two Door Cinema Club for ‘Tourist History’ (2010). Winners bring home a €10k, so the coveted prize brings more than just notoriety, especially in the current Irish financial and cultural climate.

Fontaines DC’s fourth studio album ‘Romance’ already receiving Rolling Stone’s Album Award and a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album, it was no surprise that the BIMM boys came out on top. Accepting the award on their behalf due to touring commitments in Australia, Irish Palestinian artist Róisín El Cherif took the opportunity to speak on human rights and Palestinian rights in a co-written acceptance speech.

Roisin El Cherif at Choice Music Prize 2024, Vicar Street. Photo by Owen Humphreys www.owen.ie

The awards themselves were interwoven with live performances. Missing on the night were perhaps two of the most revered acts of the year, with both Fontaines DC and Kneecap playing shows across Australia. A full cast took to the stage, however, with nominees NewDad, Orla Gartland, Róis, Niamh Regan, Curtisy, A Lazarus Soul, Silverbacks and Sprints crafting unique performances throughout the night.

A year in excellent music, the nominated acts gave renditions of a select few tracks, showcasing the vast variation in genre of this year’s nominees. Róis cast a haunting, charmed spell wearing a black lace face covering, while Sprints rocked the room, previously respectful guests shifting their feet from the floor to stools and tables.

Classic Irish Album of the Year was awarded to Enya’s ‘Watermark’. Though not present on the night (she is after all a woman known to bask in a quiet life – her Killiney castle home a place of privacy and respite), her ‘Watermark’ album has left an undoubtable mark on Irish music.

Northern Irish rap had a stronghold on the awards – Kneecap took the title of Irish Breakthrough Artist of the Year, while Irish Artist of the year went to Jordan Adetunji.

The announcement of The Kabin Crew and Lisdoonvarna Crew’s Song of the Year win for ‘The Spark’ on Tracey Clifford’s 2FM show was followed by an electric performance by the kids (on a school night) on the Vicar Street stage. A deserving winner, the Cork / Clare collective captured the hearts of the nation and the world with ‘The Spark’ going viral on TikTok.

A night of celebration marking the best in Irish music, it feels like we’ve never been in a better place culturally. The range of creativity, talent and genre across all awards highlights the experimental nature that artists are embracing – Irish language, hip-hop, dance, rhythm and punk peppered the nominees. Though some key figures were missing in the nomination list, the awards embraced the new, the creative, and the excelling talent the country has to offer.