Westlife take home the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year 2019
Lankum has been announced as the winner of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2019.
The contemporary folk group from Dublin took the honours for their album The Livelong Day (Rough Trade Records).
The judging panel was made up of Irish music media professionals.
The band are currently on tour in the United States, but their manager, Cian Lawless (pictured), was at the live event in Vicar St, Dublin to collect the prize.
Lankum received a cheque for €10,000, a prize which has been provided by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) – as well as a specially- commissioned award.
The winner of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year was also announced and Westlife won the prize for their song Hello My Love”. Decided by the public, via the RTÉ and Choice Music Prize websites, fans were given the chance to get behind their favourite song.
The sold-out event in Vicar Street was hosted by RTÉ 2FM’s Eoghan McDermott and was broadcast live on the station on the Tara Stewart show.
RTÉ2 will broadcast a one-hour TV highlights programme of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize featuring performances from the acts and interviews by Bláthnaid Treacy on Sunday March 15th at 11.15pm.
Earlier during the day, the Conversations conference took place at IMRO, which was attended by international music industry representatives from Spotify, Partisan Records, ATC, Wildlife Management, Polydor and others.
RAAP, Culture Ireland & The BAI are also official project partners of the prize.
The RTÉ Choice Music Prize is organised by David Reid. RTÉ Brainstorm editor and co-founder of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize. Jim Carroll is the chairman of the judging panel. It is unique in that the judging of the Irish Album of the Year focuses simply and solely on the music (as opposed to sales, streaming or airplay).
The 2019 album shortlist was:
Daithi – L.O.S.S. (Strange Brew)
Mick Flannery – Mick Flannery (Rosaleen Records)
Fontaines D.C. – Dogrel (Partisan Records)
Girl Band – The Talkies (Rough Trade Records)
Jafaris – Stride (DFL)
Junior Brother – Pull The Right Rope (Strange Brew)
Lankum – The Livelong Day (Rough Trade Records)
Soak – Grim Town (Rough Trade Records)
Maija Sofia – Bath Time (Trapped Animal Records)
Sorcha Richardson – First Prize Bravery (Faction Records)
