Cara Dillon

Born in Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Cara Dillon belongs to the tradition of Irish singing she learned early on in a local setting steeped in folk repertoire and traditional sessions. After a notable stint with the group Óige in the early 1990s, she joined Equation in 1995, a British folk outfit connected to the Lakeman brothers, before developing a long-term artistic partnership with Sam Lakeman—first under the name Polar Star and later in her solo career. Her music sits between traditional Irish balladry, acoustic folk and restrained contemporary arrangements, with melody and narrative at its centre. Cara Dillon released her first solo album, Cara Dillon, in 2001, followed by Sweet Liberty (2003) and After the Morning (2006), establishing a repertoire that blends ancient songs and co-written compositions. She continued with Hill of Thieves (2009), A Thousand Hearts (2014), Upon a Winter’s Night (2016), Wanderer (2017) and Live at Cooper Hall (2021). Over the years she has also appeared in contexts adjacent to folk and Celtic music, notably with Mike Oldfield on “Man in the Rain” in 1998, while remaining associated with the folk scenes of Ireland and the UK.