Busking friends Fiachna Ó Braonáin and Liam Ó Maonlaí formed the nucleus of the enduring Irish rock band The Hothouse Flowers when they joined with Peter O’Toole and together won a street-entertainers award.

Cork native John Spillane has been transfixing audiences for years with his distinctive take on Irish folk music, sung in his inimitable honest voice and accompanied by his own guitar.

Made up from five members from different counties in Ireland, Lúnasa have established themselves as truly a supreme Irish traditional band. Kevin Crawford from Clare, Mayo man Sean Smyth, Armagh’s own Cillian Vallely, Trevor Hutchinson from Tyrone and Manchester-born, Armagh-raised Paul Meehan make up the current line-up of the band that was started when Smyth and Hutchinson toured with Donogh Hennessy

This Belfast Celtic fusion band clashes Irish language lyrics with reggae beats, rhythm and blues and ska influences to create a unique and potent hybrid musical experience, likened by them to the combination of ‘soda bread and jerk chicken’, which describes them perfectly.