Rhi McPhelim
Launched officially on September 28th, 2026, Ceoláire, a free online home for Irish music, arrives to an ecstatic reception.
The independently-run community database of Irish music has opened fully after a three-month soft launch, with nearly 10,000 artists and 40,000 releases added, alongside the addition of the 24/7 radio station Ceoláire Radio.
Listeners can use the platform to find, rate and review Irish albums and singles, discover new acts, and tune into Irish music around the clock.
The site has run as a soft launch since the 11th of July 2026. In that time, it has grown into one of the largest digital catalogues of Irish-recorded music to date. It covers everything from early 20th-century recordings to the country’s newest music releases.
Ceoláire is built for the Irish scene, and is not dictated by an algorithm. Artists and labels can claim and run their own pages, and the community adds what the catalogue is missing.
Shayne Byrne, founder of the platform, says:
“Irish music has never had one place that holds all of it. Records go out of print, Bandcamp pages go quiet, and great albums get forgotten or go unheard. Ceolaire is somewhere to keep all of it, and a way for people to find their next favourite Irish band. The soft launch showed us people want that, so now we’re opening the doors properly”
What’s on Ceoláire?
The catalogue
10,116 Irish artists, 66 labels and 40,054 releases*, each with a page to rate, review and share. Critic reviews from Irish publications are gathered alongside the community’s scores.
*figures are accurate as of September 28th, 2026.
Ceoláire Radio
A 24/7 station for Irish music. Listeners pick from 27 stations by genre and decade, or pop the radio out into a small window to keep browsing. The radio hub currently boasts 2,971 songs, and approximately 117 hours of music, which is growing every day with its community.
Artist pages
Artist pages that artists run themselves. Acts and labels can claim their page, keep it up to date, list gigs and add their latest videos, which goes straight into consideration for the radio rotation.
Each user page can double as a link-in-bio for social media. One link that gathers the act’s music, socials, streaming and Bandcamp links, alongside videos, gigs, press kit and their website.
The Directory
194 listings (so far) of emerging Irish bands and music services, from studios and photographers to agents and venues.
Gig listings, blog and the newsletter
The site has seen 470 gig listings to date, and has a growing news hub in the form of the Ceoláire blog. A weekly newsletter of new Irish releases sent direct to your email upon registering is also underway.
Community
Users can join the Ceoláire forum to bond over live chats, lists, charts, the Explore Map of connected artists, and three daily Irish music games: a crossword, a five-letter word game and a cover-art puzzle.
For more information or to join the Ceoláire community, visit ceolaire.ie
