Máirtín de Cógáin

Máirtín de Cógáin is one of Ireland’s most compelling contemporary ballad singers—an electrifying performer whose work seamlessly weaves song, rhythm, movement, and story. A powerful vocalist and accomplished bodhrán player, he is equally renowned as a playwright and actor, performing throughout Ireland and across the United States. With an infectious presence and instinctive rapport with audiences, Máirtín commands any space he enters, from packed concert halls to the quiet intimacy of a fireside gathering.

Born into a rich storytelling tradition and a two-time Comhaltas All-Ireland Champion for Storytelling, Máirtín was raised in a music-filled rambling house in Carrigaline, Co. Cork. In a home where every gathering demanded a “party piece,” he was performing from the age of seven. Taught first by his father, Barry, and later shaped by legendary Irish storytellers including Éamon Kelly, Pat “the Hat” Speight, Bob Jennings, and his father’s uncle Éamonn de Barra, Máirtín absorbed the craft at its source.

As a ballad singer, Máirtín is a passionate custodian of Ireland’s song tradition. Through his work with groups such as Gailfean, The Fuchsia Band, Captain Mackey’s Goatskin and Stringband, and The Máirtín de Cógáin Project, he has dedicated himself to reviving forgotten songs, breathing new life into old ballads, and contributing original compositions rooted firmly in tradition. He is also the co-host of The Ballad Lounge Podcast with Rory Makem, where they explore the stories behind the songs, interviews fellow tradition bearers, and champions the living ballad tradition for new audiences.

A fluent Irish speaker, Máirtín’s deep connection to the language—Teanga na nGael—comes from being raised in a bilingual household and educated entirely through Irish, culminating in a degree in Irish from University College Cork. His singing and storytelling are profoundly informed by this linguistic and cultural grounding.

When not on stage as a singer and storyteller, Máirtín is an accomplished actor, appearing most notably in The Wind That Shakes the Barley, and co-writing and performing numerous theatre productions with the Be Your Own Banana Theatre Company, including De Bogman, which played Off-Broadway in New York.