Madra Salach

Born in Dublin in 2023, Madra Salach is part of a new Irish folk scene that blends tradition and contemporary writing. The group, initially formed by Paul Banks, Adam Cullen and Dara Duffy before becoming a sextet with Maxime Arnold, Jack Lawlor and Jack Martin, develops a sound situated between Irish folk, traditional Irish music and Celtic folk, with a direct approach where ballads, popular tunes and the energy of the band occupy a central place. Madra Salach first built itself on stage, in pubs and small venues in north Dublin, before expanding its schedule to Irish festivals such as All Together Now and Electric Picnic. Their repertoire pairs instruments and forms from the trad with a more contemporary shaping, in a balance that hints both at the heritage of Irish narrative songs and a band sensibility rooted in the present. After the singles 'Blue & Gold' and 'I Was Just A Boy' in 2025, Madra Salach released the EP It's a Hell of an Age in 2026. A first album, Gorta, is announced for 2027. Madra Salach thus belongs to those Dublin-based formations that reinvest Irish folk without freezing it, linking it to a collective, urban and stage practice.