Ríl Óg have reached the finals of Battle of The Folk Bands 2024. The competition will be held at Celtic Connections on January 20th in the Drygate Brewery at 1pm. Why not come along and join in the fun?
We asked Dylan of Ríl Óg a few questions about the band.
Tell us about your band
Ríl Óg are an Irish Contemporary Traditional Band from County Longford. Dylan Hanly (accordion), Tomás Mulligan (banjo), Alex Walters (guitar) and Setanta Flood (bodhran) fuse Irish Traditional Melodies with Contemporary Variation to produce an explosively energetic, universal , bold, fresh & new-age sound. Notable performances and accolades to the Ríl Óg name include: being shortlisted as one of the TOP 20 artists out of a total 460 artists who performed on the DKOS Stage at Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Scotland in January of 2023, to performing and touring Wales in July of 2023, to their most recent SELLOUT HEADLINE gig alongside Irish Folk Ballad Group “The Kilkennys”.
From being featured on RTE RADIO ONE’s “The County Measure” & “The Marty Morrissey Show”, to other Radio Stations such as Galway Bay FM, numerous appearances on Shannonside Northern Sound, Athlone Community Radio & international Radio Stations such as “Celtic Music Radio” – Ríl Óg are bringing Traditional Music to a whole new level. They’ve done support for some of Ireland’s biggest live acts such as “The Tumbling Paddies” and “The Kilkennys”. From the band’s formation in 2021, these are just some of the many accolades this young band have achieved.
Who are the band members
Dylan Hanly – accordion
Tomás Mulligan – banjo
Alex Walters – guitar
Setanta Flood – bodhrán
What are you hopes and aspirations for the band?
Ríl Óg hope to be able to say that some day somewhere their music had an impact on someone. That their music got someone through a difficult period. That their music inspires the next generation of young musicians to form a band, the very same way that some of the best Scottish, Irish and even international artists inspired them to form Ríl Óg. They hope to share their music across the globe so that someday this dream becomes a reality – touring and selling out theatres, concert halls and albums are all a part of this dream too!!
This has always been the vision for Ríl Óg along with making a more universal traditional sound as a band – to innovate traditional music to an even further level and never stop experimenting with different arrangement styles and sounds.
Check out the band’s website.
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