Traditional Singing from Dublin, the debut album by Macdara Yeates, marks a new arrival on the Irish folkscape. Named in MOJO’s Top 10 Folk Albums of the Year and nominated for two RTÉ Folk Awards, the ten-track effort features a rich store of old and weathered folk songs, ranging from the comic and surreal to the mournful and disconsolate. Siobhán Long of The Irish Times writes: “Raucous, bawdy, reflective and wistful in turn, Traditional Singing from Dublin is a candid, clear-eyed snapshot from a singer who is finally stepping into the spotlight.”

Macdara Yeates is an Irish folk singer. Born and raised in Dublin, Yeates is one of a crop of artists associated with the recent resurgence of young folk talent in the Irish capital, alongside acts such as Lankum, Ye Vagabonds, and Landless. In 2012, Macdara became a founding member of The Night Before Larry Got Stretched, a monthly Dublin folk gathering, counting such luminaries as Lisa O’Neill, Ian Lynch and Radie Peat (Lankum) among its earliest attendees. Then, from 2013 to 2017, Yeates served as a member of seven-piece trad ensemble Skipper’s Alley, recording and touring across the UK, Europe, India, Canada, and the USA. Following the release of Traditional
Singing from Dublin, Macdara was nominated for two RTÉ Radio One Folk Awards, including a nomination for ‘Best Folk Singer’ alongside Ríognach Connolly, Cathy Joran and Christy Moore.

With a stentorian voice described as “a bracing, baleful, baritone that sounds as if it’s been dug from the deepest, most fragrant turf” (Songlines), Macdara Yeates is ploughing his furrow as a solo performer, garnering wide critical praise and performing on some of the most coveted stages in folk music, from An Góilín Traditional Singers’ Circle to the Sidmouth Folk Festival.

“Macdara Yeates is a mighty chanter.” – Christy Moore
“A heart aching classic. Essential Listening” ★★★★★ – Songlines
“In a golden age for traditional singing in Ireland, Yeates’s debut comes as a further welcome affirmation that the torch is being passed to a generation who truly understand and value its worth, while unafraid to inhabit it with their own particular voice.” – The Irish Times