Dublin-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Caoimhín Mac Uaid appears with Limerick rapper Rusangano Family member GodKnows on TG4's new music series Cara sa Cheol (A Friend in Music) tonight. We asked Caoimhín the BIG questions . . .
The six-part Cara sa Cheol celebrates creative collaborations between Irish-language artists and musicians from Ireland’s New Irish and immigrant communities.
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Each episode follows a creative exchange as two artists step into one another’s communities - sharing stories, influences, and lived experience rooted in Irish, African, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European traditions.
"Blending Irish traditional music with rap, soul, and global musical forms, Cara sa Cheol reveals a contemporary Ireland shaped by migration, diversity, and shared creativity," say TG4.
"The title of the series captures the essence of the series: the powerful bonds forged through collaboration, transcending language and cultural difference to connect communities."
Each episode culminates in a live concert performed before a local audience in community spaces.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I'm colourblind.
I have a biochemistry degree (which gets feck all use).
I have a birthmark the shape of Ulster on my left thigh.
How would you describe your music?
Uplifting groovy Irish folk music that blends elements of old with modern beats and textures.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Have one of my tunes be used in a pre-match playlist in Croke Park on All-Ireland Final day, release a new album late this year/early next year, be involved in the scoring of the soundtrack for a Disney/Pixar movie about something Irish mythology related if they ever make one (for example: a film about the life of Fionn Mac Cumhaill).
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What was the first gig you ever went to?
I can't remember what exactly the first one was (probably some sort of fiddle recital at the Willie Clancy week when I was a gasúr) but the first one I went to as an adult was Bombay Bicycle Club in the Academy circa 2013. Was savage craic.
What was the first record you ever bought?
I vividly remember buying two Eminem CDs (Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show) from Golden Discs in Donaghmede Shopping Centre in Dublin with my Communion money when I was about eight. Not exactly sure how I got away with that one . . .
What’s your favourite song right now?
Lizzy In The Lowground, Pauline's Place, and Jerome Lacey’s by Gary Curley and Stephen McKee off the Chunky Business album.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"Chuir tú arraingeacha an bháis tríd cheartlár mo chroí ("you sent pangs of death through the core of my heart") from the love song Bríd Óg Ní Mháille.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Bog an Lochan by Brighde Chaimbeul (legit played this about 100 times in a row the day I discovered it).
Where can people find your music/more information?
@caoimhinceol on Instagram, @caoimhinofficial on TikTok or YouTube or check out my website.
Alan Corr
