Clare Sands @ The Wesley Anne

Clare Sands is a Belfast-based sixth generation fiddle player and bilingual singer from Cork, Ireland. Drawing deeply from the music of her ancestors, she weaves traditional Irish roots with contemporary sounds and influences. Her songs are deeply connected to the place where folklore, language, and activism meet melody. Known for raw, infectious energy, she embodies a fearless warrior-like spirit that inspires and unites.

With her new album, They Tried to Bury Us (October 2026), Sands is showing no signs of slowing down. She stands as a testament to the enduring power of music to unite and inspire, a troubadour for the modern age, whose melodies resonate across generations and cultures alike.

Over haunting uilleann pipes, Clare's vocal echoes the immortal words of poet Refat Alareer: If I must die, you must live to tell my tale. This opening song and title track from Clare's new album was inspired by the Palestine solidarity movement in Ireland, giving hope and strength during the darkest times.

They Tried To Bury Us is a collection of original songs that gives voice to the silenced: the endangered curlew; Lí Ban of Lough Neagh; lost words of our native tongue; the Rostrevor oak; those seeking refuge on our shores and the Palestinian poets whose words embody defiance and inspire generations. All songs have a deep North of Ireland connection. The album was written across Ulster with an incredible array of musicians based in the Northern counties, alongside producer Seán Óg Graham (Beoga, Karen Casey).

It is an album that rises from the earth against oppression and insists that love and hope will never be buried.

RTÉ Album of the Week

Best Folk Singer and Best Original Folk Track nominee, RTÉ Folk Awards 2026

"Sands has never been afraid to wear her politics on her sleeve. This ambitious multilingual album is timely, emotionally charged, and marks another bold step in Sand's evolution as an artist."
Sunday Independent

"Folklore, nature, language, politics, human rights and the fundamental right to belong are woven together, not as a blunt instrument to tell us something, but as a beautiful reminder of that which we already know, or perhaps have forgotten. There is no preaching here, but rather an invitation to remember, to feel, to care and to act."
Pauline Scanlon

"A brilliant new album from Clare Sands, filled with haunting melodies and spirited songs of hope and resilience, nodding to our Irish tradition, culture and language with a fresh personal twist, performed by a wonderful group of hugely talented musicians."
Aedín Gormley, RTÉ Lyric FM