Ye Vagabonds

“Both timeless and utterly of our times… [Ye Vagabonds] tap into the beating heart of the tradition” – The Irish Times

Diarmuid and Brían Mac Gloinn are the alt-folk duo, Ye Vagabonds. The brothers are considered “at the fore of a new wave of Irish folk” (Irish Examiner), along with the likes of Lankum, John Francis Flynn, Brigid Mae Power, and Lisa O’Neil. Layering close harmonies over acoustic instruments, Ye Vagabonds’ reimagined folk standards are evocative nods to the past that resonate deeply with audiences now.

Growing up, they began performing in the streets of their hometown Carlow, in the southeast of Ireland. After moving to Dublin in 2012, they quickly became a fixture in the folk music scene. Diarmuid and Brían’s setlist of ballads, jigs, drinking songs, and reels are drawn from trad Irish, English and Scottish folk songs, mixed with American roots music and ‘60s folk revival songs, alongside their original compositions.

Ye Vagabonds has won multiple RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards. In 2019, they won Best Track, Best Album, and Best Folk Group for The Hare’s Lament. In 2022, they won Best Folk Album for Nine Waves. Taking their music around the world in recent years, Ye Vagabonds have collaborated with or opened for Patti Smith, boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers, Hozier, and Vampire Weekend.

Diarmuid and Brían are on tour this summer with a full band to make their VFMF debut.

– ZQ