Ríoghnach Connolly & John Ellis
23.05.25 - Capel Bethel
RTE Folk Singer of the Year 2025 . We are super excited to announce that Ríoghnach Connolly and John Ellis will be playing Fishguard Folk Festival 23rd May 2025.
(£17 + fees)
Rydym yn hollol gyffrous i gyhoeddi y bydd Ríoghnach Connolly ac John Ellis yn chwarae Gŵyl Werin Abergwaun ar 23ain o Fai 2025.
(£17 + ffioedd)
“(Connolly is) A remarkable singer and flautist…who can ease from Irish traditional influences to soul.” The Guardian
Ríoghnach Connolly grew up surrounded by a rich musical familial heritage and through Armagh Pipers’ Club in Armagh City, in the northeast of Ireland. Now based in Manchester, she is a professional vocalist, flautist, lyricist, workshop facilitator and musical activist.
She has toured internationally and extensively, performing and recording in bands The Breath (Real World Records), HoneyFeet (Stardust Works) Band of Burns (Órd Bán) and Afro Celt Sound System (ECC).
Ríoghnach has a worldwide publishing deal with Real World Records as a writer and currently holds the title of BBC Radio 2’s Folk Singer of the Year. And now RTE1 Folk Singer of the Year 2025.
“Delightfully undefinable…irrepressible, inimitable,” Folk Radio
“A voice that echoes back through the ages of jazz and soul, resonant and resplendent in glorious, exploding power and control.” Manchester Music
“Connolly is a free spirit and strikingly self-assured…seldom has conspicuous greatness been more accessible.” Mike Butler, CityLife / Dyverse Music
Connolly will be joined by John Ellis...
John Ellis is a pianist, composer and producer from Manchester, England. A founder member of The Cinematic Orchestra, he has also worked with the likes of Corinne Bailey Rae, Lily Allen, Tom Jones, Mica Paris, The Breath, James Yorkston and John Squire (Stone Roses)
He currently tours with Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet, Kirk McElhinney and Baked ALaSka. He is known for blending genres, creating rich, emotionally charged soundscapes that resonate with audiences worldwide.