Zoë Conway

Zoë Conway effortlessly combines a background steeped in Ireland’s rich aural music tradition with a strong founding in classical music. She has toured worldwide and has appeared in many prestigious concert halls including Carnegie Hall, New York, The Kremlin Palace, Moscow and The National Concert Hall, Dublin. Her versatility as an instrumentalist has allowed her to perform across a broad range of genres, from guest soloist with world renowned orchestras, to touring with Riverdance and working with mainstream international acts such as Rodrigo y Gabriella, Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan, Nick Cave and Lou Reed among others.

Zoë tours regularly with her husband, John Mc Intyre on guitar, and the duo have been described by the BBC as “simply one of the best folk duos on the planet.” They have released two recordings to date – the newest release is a superb collection of live European performances, Live in Concert, released in spring 2017. Their debut duo album, entitled Go Mairir I Bhfad (Long Life To You), received a glorious 5 stars from The Irish Times.

Zoë also tours with traditional music heavyweights Máirtín O Connor and Donal Lunny – the trio being described by critics as a “trad music super group!” releasing a new album in 2016 entitled Faoi Lán Seol (In Full Sail) recorded in Ireland’s premier studio, Grouse Lodge.

Zoë has released two solo albums, Zoë Conway, produced by Bill Whelan, and The Horse’s Tail, both critically acclaimed, and has also released a live DVD, Zoë Conway Live.

Her latest release, Allt, released in Autumn 2018, is a collaboration with two couples, Zoë and John, and Scots Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis and her husband Eamon Doorley.  Recorded live in the round, Allt is the culmination of a composition project inspired by old and new Gaelic poetry from Scotland and Ireland. Emotive and powerful melodies coupled with thoughtful and understanding accompaniment, the album has received 4 stars from The Irish Times and an incredible 5 stars from Songlines Magazine UK. 

Zoë was awarded Best Instrumentalist of The Year 2019 from the RTE Folk Awards.