It’s a seminal time for women in Ireland. Gender parity is accelerating, and we have a lot to celebrate.
To mark International Women’s Day on Tuesday, March 8th, we’re shining the spotlight on fabulous females who are changing the game in Ireland today.
Over the coming days, we will introduce you to women you need to take note of now – with new names added every day.
From actors to musicians, activists to authors – They may not be household names (yet), but these are the women who are quietly shaking things up; and even if they’re not going to shout about it, we will.
These are the women we’re really excited about. These are the Women You Should Know.
50. Emma Hannigan
Having met Emma, we can confirm that she is both lovely and an incredible inspiration to boot.
The author was originally diagnosed with cancer in 2005 after discovering she had the BRCA1 gene.
Since then, she has battled cancer ten times and we are in awe of her bravery, determination and resilience.
She works with Breast Cancer Ireland to raise awareness of the condition and Emma urges women to “listen to their bodies”.
A “second opinion saved her life” and if you’re worried about your health, don’t suffer in silence.
49. Michelle O’Donnell Keating
If you followed our recent #HerTalks event, you’ll know all about Michelle and the fantastic work she does with Women For Election.
Michelle is co-founder of Women For Election, an organisation that mentors and advises women looking to break into politics.
We’re not quite sure where she gets the time but Michelle is also a lecturer in the Law and Government Department at DCU AND she’s a PHD candidate focusing on how the IMF policy impacts women.
During #HerTalks, a member of the audience asked Michelle why she didn’t enter politics herself and Michelle’s brilliant answer was that she would rather help 100 women get into politics than just herself.
48. Aine Kerr
A stalwart in the field of journalism, Aine left traditional ‘doorstepping’ when she joined Storyful in 2011.
During her five-year stint at the global media agency, Aine held a number of roles including Political Editor, Head of Content and Managing Editor.
Aine recently announced her decision to leave Storyful and take up a position as Head of Journalism Partnerships at Facebook.
Aine is a digital-savvy journalist and as Facebook is such a huge media platform, we’re excited to see what she introduces and creates in the coming months.
47. Lynn Ruane
Lynn is President of Trinity College Dublin Students Union and later this year, she intends to run for Seanad Éireann.
For years, Lynn worked to develop community addiction services in Tallaght but when these measures were cut by the government during the recession, she decided to fight this issue.
Further education was the next step and in 2011, Lynn began a degree in Philosophy, Politics, Sociology and Economics via the Trinity Access Programme.
Passionate about making education available for all, Lynn is hoping a Senate term will help her effect that change.
46. Toryn Glavin
Toryn Glavin is a trans rights activist and a founding member of the Irish Trans Student Alliance, as well as a former chairperson of DIT’s LGBT society.
She recently made headlines for defending herself against public transphobic comments.
Toryn is vocal about her perception of beauty and wrote this touching piece for Her.ie about self-acceptance.
The Event Management student has both written and commented on the portrayal of Trans people in the media, mental health and LGBT rights.
45. Katie Molony
Behind a digital powerhouse, is a powerful woman.
Managing director of Maximum Media Katie Molony, this lady knows all about breaking the glass ceiling.
Katie is the driving force behind the brand and played a key role in getting the company where it is today – namely, Ireland’s No. 1 digital publishing company.
The Sligo lady oversees every department of the business, from editorial to commercial and has seen the company through unprecedented growth in recent years.
Now with over 10 million unique users each month and the launch of two new sites (JOE.co.uk and HerFamily.ie) last year, this is no mean feat, but one that Katie has taken entirely in her stride.
44. Joanne O’ Riordan
As inspirational women come, you don’t get much more inspiring than the nation’s sweetheart Joanne O’ Riordan.
The disability activist is a true ambassador of living life to the full, no matter what the perceived obstacles may be.
The Corkonian endeavours to give a “voice to the voiceless” and tirelessly campaigns for disability, even personally challenging Enda Kenny about disability cuts.
Her hugely popular documentary No Limbs No Limits showed a girl that easily switches from a teenager coming of age, to a steely force to be reckoned with.
The 19-year-old is set to be the youngest Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick’s Day parade this year, and we will be there waving her on with gusto.
43. Louise O’ Neill
A prominent voice when it comes to issues of rape culture and consent, Louise O’Neill fearlessly takes the tougher subjects by the neck and wrings them dry.
Author of Only Ever Yours and Asking For It, Louise has been instrumental in opening up a discourse about these topics and unknotting Ireland’s tricky relationship with sex and gender issues.
Asking For It struck a nerve, and saw the 30-year-old’s profile escalate, a fact that she did not take for granted.
She is using her platform to make sure these conversations are continued, and recently got people talking again with her #NotAskingForIt campaign in the wake of the UCD200 scandal.
This lady is a proper trailblazer, and embodies a new and brave young female voice in Ireland.
42. Kathryn Reilly
When it comes to consolidating women’s place in politics, Kathryn Reilly is right at the heart of the matter.
The Sinn Féin politician became the youngest senator ever to be elected to the Oireachtas in 2011, but there’s no naivety with the Cavan-Monaghan lady when it comes to gender quotas in the Dail.
While the 27-year-old supports gender quotas, she feels it’s important to delve deeper into the reasons we need them, in order to solve this tricky problem.
Kathryn, who says she was “never politically ambitious”, has made it her business to focus on the five C’s that have led to under-representation of women in politics – Culture, Confidence, Childcare, Cash and Candidate Selection.
With Kathryn’s seat in the 62nd Dail secured, we can rest assured the female voice will be heard.
41. Lian Bell
Set designer turned changemaker Lian Bell is founder of #WakingTheFeminists, a powerful campaign championing equality for women in theatre in Ireland.
Sparked by the pronounced gender imbalance in the Abbey Theatre’s 2016 centenary program, Lian stormed the Abbey stage (in jeans and doc martens) and opened the gender discussion because she was “tired of quiet conversations in corners”.
Thus began a powerful movement which will change the story of theatre, and the place of women in Ireland.
Lian is spearheading a new wave of feminism, and with supporters including Meryl Streep, Simon Callow, Saoirse Ronan and Gabriel Byrne, it looks like Lian rang a bell that will sound for a long time to come.
40. Today FM News Team
In an industry that continues to be dominated by males, there’s a formidable and almost entirely female team behind Today FM’s news output (shout out to political correspondent Gav Reilly who is majorly outnumbered.)
Sinead Spain is head of news and runs a tight ship, keeping Today FM firmly on the map as Ireland’s most popular independent radio station.
Helen Vaughan, Susan Keogh and Juliette Gash make up a radio dream team, continuing to produce quality output, challenging mind sets and embodying the “guts, currency and connectedness” that has become synonymous with the station.
Susan joined recently us for our inaugural Her Talks, to speak about her fantastic viral response to a Twitter user who criticised her for being a working Mum.
39. Susan Cahill
Brave, honest and fearless, Susan Cahill recently became the first woman to give a firsthand account of abortion on the Abbey Stage as part of the Repeal the Eight campaign. She later penned a moving and candid account of her experience for the Irish Times, which we consider required reading.
She did this because she believes that it is through our personal stories that we can destigmatise abortion and break the silence and shame that surround it.
Her mission is to highlight the need to make abortion safe, legal, and accessible for every woman in Ireland who needs to terminate her pregnancy.
The Cork lady hails from Clonakilty, Co. Cork, and is an Assistant Professor in the School of Irish Studies, Concordia University, Montreal.
38. Pamela Blake
Long standing producer of the Tony Fenton show, Pamela Blake was the brainchild behind the fantastic Whole Lotta Live ’ album and subsequent tour in the late presenter’s memory and in aid of the Irish Cancer Society (buy here).
Along with her husband, Gavin Blake, Pamela took the reins in the face of adversity and heartbreak, and made something really special happen.
The 30-track album was a compilation of live sessions recorded at the station by Irish and International acts, and a record-breaking 100 + musicians joined together for a performance of One to celebrate its launch in what was the largest ever live performance on Irish Radio.
Speaking about Fenton’s love of live music, Pamela said:
“You could hear the excitement in his voice over the radio when he was about to witness a live performance – and we’ll never forget that grin and sparkle in his eye of pure enjoyment and love for his work.”
37. Rachel O’ Neill
Rachel O’ Neill is our reader you should know. The UCD student got our attention when she wrote an incredibly poignant piece on lad culture, in response to the #UCD200 scandal.
No matter the outcome of investigations into the incident whereby it was claimed that a Facebook group with over 200 members reportedly shared images of women they had slept with, her piece remains relevant and touches on some major sore points in our culture.
Her piece (read here) quickly gained traction and even landed her on the Ryan Tubridy show where she proudly managed to make him say the words “dick pics”.
This week, Rachel put pen to paper again in a letter to the Government in support of Repeal the Eighth. 
36. Grace Mongey
Anyone au fait with the Irish blogging scene will be familiar with ‘Faces by Grace’.
Grace Mongey is a fashion, beauty and lifestyle vlogger and a talented make-up artist with an impressive social media following.
Opening up about personal issues, such as anxiety and documenting her weight loss, has allowed people to identify with her.
Her relatability and down to earth approach set Grace apart in a competitive industry and we can’t wait to see what 2016 has in store for her.
35. Louise O’Reilly
Louise, a plus-size model and award-winning blogger, has her finger firmly on the fashion pulse.
Working with eight different modelling agencies means travel is a key part of her job and she’s worked with several international brands and publications.
The Malahide native previously studied International Relations at DCU and her blog, Style Me Curvy, has received a considerable amount of attention since its inception.
Shooting an editorial for Vogue is one of her ambitions and we’re backing her all the way.
34. Indy Power
The ‘eating clean’ phenomenon shows no sign of waning but making healthy lifestyle choices doesn’t have to be boring.
Indy Power, who blogs at Little Green Spoon, is all about good food and healthy living.
Her recipes focus on natural and nutritious ingredients but she doesn’t forego flavour or taste.
Indy prides herself on thinking up gluten free and refined sugar-free while catering for vegans, those following the Paleo plan and anyone cutting out dairy.
33. Emer O’Mahony and Vivienne McCarthy
Emer and Vivienne are co-directors of Lockdown Models, a model agency based in Cork.
The duo introduced Cork Fashion Week to the city and are the brains behind Miss Universe Cork.
If you’re an aspiring model based in Munster, these are the ladies in the know and we’re not quite sure where they manage to find the time for everything on their agenda.
Girl bosses.
32. Grainne Maguire
A stand-up comedian, comedy writer and actor, Grainne Maguire has flexed her creative muscle across a range of platforms.
She has performed at the Kilkenny Cat Laughs Festival, The Bulmers Galway Comedy Festival and further afield at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and has also appeared on RTÉ, BBC, and written for Channel Four.
When she live–tweeted her menstrual cycle to the Taoiseach, she did not expect the massive reaction she received. However, her tweets hit a nerve and using laughter to tackle the big issues is a skill this lady has mastered – we are looking forward to hearing a lot more from her.
31. Alison Spittle
Another extremely vocal funny lady – who gets to the heart of social issues via the funny bone, Alison Spittle is a voice to be reckoned with.
She has appeared on the telly “enough times for her mam to tell strangers she works for RTÉ” and anchors The Alison Spittle Show with guests such as Kevin McGahern, Tara Flynn and Aidan Power.
Her incredibly poignant article ‘Why Can’t All Lads Be Sound Like Hozier’, about street harassment caused a major fuss for all the right reasons, and if you haven’t read it yet, what are you still doing here? Go read it. Now. (And then come back).
30. Anne Enright
Irish author Anne Enright scooped the top prize at the Irish Book Awards for her novel The Green Road, a novel that explores Ireland’s difficult relationship with itself.
This is a common theme in the author’s work, as well as family, love, sex and relationship and Ireland’s modern Zeitgeist.
A mover and shaker on the Irish literary scene, Anne is not afraid to tackle the topics so close to home, and is essential reading for anyone coming of age in an Irish household.
29. Grace Dyas
An activist, theatre director, writer, theatre producer and all round powerhouse, Grace Dyas is playing an instrumental role in effecting change.
She makes art with a distinct purpose – her writing challenges ideas and structures and she makes theatre “to change the world”.
This is evident in her extensive work with young people and vulnerable adults with groups like the Rialto Community Drug Team, The Star Project Ballymun and many, many more.
Her recent play Heroin, about addiction to the drug, is described as “the story you were never told about the new republic” and prompted a one-off event at Liberty Hall to discuss the issue of heroin in Irish society with guest speakers including Love/Hate’s Stuart Carolan.
28. Aisling McMahon
Aisling is one of the incredibly bright brains behind NewsWhip, the content discovery platform used by editors, PR professionals, journalists, and companies to find the most relevant stories for their audience each day.
Newswhip monitors what 2 billion social network users are engaging with, so as media producer, Aisling has her finger on the pulse of the stories that are changing the world.
The Monaghan lady graduated from NUI Maynooth with a degree in Media and English in 2013, and considering what she’s achieved in just three years, we predict big things for this tech-savvy lady.
27. Yvonne Tiernan
Yvonne Tiernan stepped out from behind the camera and into the spotlight in her new chat show The Couch launched exclusively on RTÉ player.
She’s been the brains behind some of the biggest Irish acts, managing and promoting acts including Altan, Paul Brady, The Chieftains, and her husband Tommy Tiernan, whom she managed for ten years and still plays an integral part in the company which produces his DVDs.
Already a qualified life-coach, Yvonne began studying for a degree in Psychology with The Open University in 2015, and her talent for genuine interaction brought a refreshing approach to tackling women’s issues, highlighting our unique ability to engage in an open exchange of stories, intimacies, life lessons and wisdom.
26. Ciamh McCrory
Known in the digital community as Ciamhie McDigital, Ciamh McCrory is the head of digital at insight consultants.
The ultimate social media addict, when she’s not busy working you will find her chained to a computer or glued to her phone somewhere in the city!
She has built up a vast knowledge of the digital sector and campaigns in the integration of digital marketing into Irish businesses. A lover of analytics and SEO, when it comes to stats and facts her enthusiasm can be infectious.
Ciamh is recognised as one of the most successful digital influencers in Ireland having been listed as one of the “Top 5 PR pros to connect with in 2016” by Media HQ, along with being a regular contributor to both the Irish Independent and the Sunday Business Post on all things digital.
She also loves to give back as much as she can in her spare time and sits on the board of the Irish Homeless Street Leagues, volunteers overseas in Haiti with Haven Partnership and mentors a number of young communications graduates.
25. Ciara King
One half of Chris and Ciara on 2fm, Ciara King deserves to be mentioned here just for the simple fact that she puts up with Chris Greene on a daily basis.
As part of a major reshuffle on 2fm, Ciara left iRadio in 2014 and since then has become a firm favourite with 2fm listeners.
Audiences have also come to rely on her for their festival and event updates in her weekly slot on TV3’s The Seven O’ Clock Show.
From sharing juicy tidbits from her teenage diary every Wednesday, to going head-to-head with Chris in rap-offs, Ciara is a refreshing and fearless female voice on the airwaves.
The fact that the show has been criticised for its bounteous profanity, makes us like her even more.
24. Ellen Keane
Aged just 20, Ellen’s lifetime achievements put us to shame.
She started swimming at the age of two, began competing at 9 and just four years later, she competed at the Paralympics in Bejing.
Currently studying Culinary Arts in DIT, Ellen has high hopes to take part in the Olympics in Rio later this year and having interviewed her, we can attest to her determination and passion for the sport.
After setting a lifetime personal best in the 200m Individual Medley final at the Paralympic World Championships in Glasgow last year, we have every reason to believe that Ellen will continue to do Ireland proud.
23. Ashling Thompson
Last year, Cork secured both senior camogie and football titles, and one of their shining stars both on and off the pitch was camogie captain Ashling Thompson.
Always an inspiration (and undoubtedly a seriously formidable opponent), Ashling didn’t just catch our eye for her prowess on the field of play – which saw her awarded an All-Star by the Camogie Association last year – but also for her raw and extremely powerful interview about her battle with depression.
22. Katie Walsh
You didn’t need to be a fan of horseracing to know that something special happened at last year’s Irish Grand National.
Ireland’s hugely talented Katie Walsh claimed the prestigious title on the 20/1 outsider and Sandra Hughes-trained Thunder and Roses, to cement her name forever in the annals of Irish sporting history.
Katie put in an incredible performance to pip Rule the World to the post and became only the third female jockey to claim the honour.
21. Aisling Daly
In a major feat, Aisling Daly was the first Irish woman to win in the UFC in the TUF 20 finale.
Despite losing a decision against Randa Markos at UFC 186 last year, Daly then showcased her skill with an unbelievable home win at UFC Dublin in what can only be called a technical masterclass against Erika Almeida.
A sporting hero whose star is going to soar even higher over the coming years.
20. Chupi Sweetman-Pell
After meeting Chupi, we couldn’t think of a person more deserving of success. A ridiculously lovely lady (for proof, check out our chat with her) with a long list of talents.
She produced a best-selling cookbook when she was just 18, was head hunted by Topshop after leaving college and now the Dubliner is an award-winning jewellery designer with an impressive social media following.
Last September, Chupi showcased her wares alongside ten other Irish designers at Unfold, an event set up by Irish Design 2015 which coincided with London Fashion Week.
19. Iseult Ward and Aoibheann O’Brien
Foodcloud is a charity app that allows local charities to avail of surplus foods from supermarket chains in areas.
Here’s how it works: the app allows Tesco to upload details of their surplus food every day at a particular time.
The next step is to specify a time for collection and then a text message is sent out to the Foodcloud partner charities in the community to notify them of the offer.
Set up by Dublin native Iseult Ward and Galway girl Aoibheann O’Brien, the initiative “helps businesses redistribute their surplus food to people who need it”.
Iseult featured on TIME magazine’s list of ‘Next Generation Leaders’ last year and with plans to expand, Foodcloud is something you’re sure to hear a lot more of.
18. Jules Coleman
Jules Coleman is the co-founder of Hassle.com, a cleaning service website that many have termed ‘Hailo for Housecleaners’.
Hassle is a three-year-old company that was founded in the UK and it is currently the leading on-demand cleaning service in both the UK and Ireland.
The company launched a mobile app for customers in Ireland and since it was acquired by German company Helpling, it operates in 14 markets.
17. Shawna Scott
We interviewed Shawna previously and she explained how the idea came about for Sex Siopa, Ireland’s first health and design focused sex shop.
Her goal is to “give customers the best experience possible by stocking body-safe, well-designed toys and accessories as well as providing them with current, up-to-date information about toy care, safe sex, and the products themselves”.
Shawna started out at the age of 26, in the midst of a recession but this didn’t deter her and Sex Siopa has gone from strength to strength.
Ireland’s first online sex shop, Sex Siopa previously won Realex Fire Web Award for Best eCommerce and there’s no doubt that Shawna is a force to be reckoned with.
16. Lisa McDermott and Linda McNamee
Lisa and Linda are the ladies behind Bellamianta tan, a product that we are currently obsessed with. After twenty years training as beauty therapist and working in the world of luxury cosmetics, these ladies know what they are doing, and the tan itself is evidence of this.
Paraben and chemical free, we can testify that this tan goes on streak free and dries in seconds. Mango, shea butter and goji berry mean that there is a fresh, pleasant scent, and the colour is a perfect golden brown.
All clean, luxury ingredients, no sacrifice with the payoff, and an affordable price tag. These ladies more than deserve their recent success.
15. Aisling Franciosi
Cabinteely native Aisling Franciosi has swiftly seen her star rise stateside since being cast in BBC’s The Fall alongside Jamie Dornan.
Her IFTA award-winning perfomance has attracted plenty of attention across the pond, and the 22-year-old has been cast in new TNT show Legends which will see her rub shoulders with Sean Bean.
The half-Italian actress studied French and Spanish at Trinity College, and cut her acting teeth on high-profile productions like BBC’s Quirke.
14. Ruth Negga
Ruth first came to the attention of Irish audiences as Rosie in Stuart Carolan’s crime drama Love/Hate, and it seems she has also made an impression stateside after landing the lead role in US film Loving, to be directed by Jeff Nichols.
She has also nabbed the lead in US TV pilot Preacher, produced by Hollywood’s Seth Rogan and also starring her beau Dominic Cooper. Not bad company to be keep.
13. India Mullen
India is best known as Red Rock‘s Katie, a member of the Kiely family who are at war with the Hennessys on the TV3 crime drama. It’s India’s first major role – the 21-year-old just graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting in July of last year, but she has more than proved her prowess since then.
She is a founding member of Gumption Theatre and is an experienced theatre actress with credits including Sarah in Changed, directed by Aonghus Og McAnally and Lady Justice in Rough Magic’s production of The Critic in the Dublin Theatre Festival 2013.
12. Valene Kane
Valene got her big break when she was spotted in a YouTube short film and was hand-picked to star in the Irish production The Fading Light.
Now audiences will know her as Rose Stagg in BBC crime series The Fall and she has just landed a juicy new role in BBC3 drama Thirteen, so we can expect to see a lot more of her.
11. Sarah Greene
The Cork actress who trained at The Gaiety School of Acting has enjoyed a seriously prolific acting career since graduating.
Currently starring in Showtime’s Penny Dreadful, Sarah made waves stateside last year starring alongside Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller in Burnt.
She starred in RTÉ’s Rebellion and has tread the boards alongside Daniel Radcliffe in Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan at the Cort Theatre on Broadway.
10. Shauna Harrison
Dublin-born Shauna became a notable name among the fashion elite almost overnight after she designed a dress for Vogue Williams to wear to the National Television Awards back in January.
The Grafton Academy graduate has since opened her own studio where she’s designing bespoke, one-off pieces to prove that everyone can have that dream dress moment.
Her frothy feminine creations are seriously gorgeous and we predict big things for the 25-year-old.
9. Celestine Cooney
Celestine hails from Co Meath originally but the fashion director of TWIN magazine (and talented stylist) is now based in London.
If you’re a fashion fan, you might be familiar with her name but if not, she really is a woman you should know.
She’s worked with Dazed and Confused (instant cool-girl acknowledgement), styled Preen by Thornton Bregazzi and basically, we want to be her friend.
8. Shauna Fay
Newry woman Shauna had her very own Hollywood moment this year when actress Eileen O’Higgins wore one of her designs to the BAFTAs.
Eileen had a dress dilemma on her hands as she only found out last-minute that she could go to the awards but thankfully she had her very own fairy godmother in Shauna.
We’re actually obsessed with how Shauna adds a modern touch to old-school glamorous designs and with a background in both art and fashion management, she knows her stuff.
Shauna takes inspiration from Christian Dior and we have a feeling her dresses are going to be a regular feature on all the major red carpets.
7. Zoe Jordan
Zoe has a pretty unique story: she worked as a bond trader for years before moving into fashion.
Since then she’s gone from strength to strength and showed her collections at the Designer Showrooms during London Fashion Week for the past two seasons.
Last year, she launched a capsule collection with River Island and her tie-dyed textured creations won favour with high-street shoppers and fashion aficionados alike.
6. Laura Mullett
Laura has an impressive fashion portfolio: red carpet reporter, Xposé regular and celebrity stylist.
Active on all social media platforms, Laura’s your go-to girl when it comes to the latest Irish designer making it big, the bargain piece that looks designer and the hidden fashion hotspots in Dublin.
The Co Wexford native studied Journalism and Visual Media in Griffith College and setting up her own blog helped her pave a career as a successful stylist.
5. Tara Lee
Tara Lee may be familiar to some; She has appeared on RTÉ’s hit show Raw and is probably best known as Daisy Drake on BBC’s award-winning drama The Fall, however, the Blessington native is also an accomplished musician.
Tara Lee was one of our first Irish acts to premiere on Sunday Sessions back in 2014. Last year saw her sign a publishing deal with music giants BMG Chrysalis, which sees her rub shoulders with the likes of The Kings of Leon and Duran and Duran, also on their books.
The 21-year-old has a busy year ahead, including filming Moon Dogs in Scotland, but we are sure her music career is also set to skyrocket in 2016. Check out her incredible original song ‘Soundtrack’ here.
4. Rosie Carney
Based in Donegal but originally from Hampshire UK, 18-year-old singer/songwriter Rosie made a big impression when she burst onto the scene with Other Voices in 2013.
Since then she has been going from strength to strength, working on new music and gigging across the UK and Ireland.
Rosie’s sweet and soothing brand of acoustic folk went down a treat on the Body & Soul stage at Electric Picnic last year, and we were lucky enough to have her perform at our Sunday Sessions Live 2 in October of last year. Check out her beautiful stripped cover of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ here.
3. Áine Cahill
Cavan singer/songwriter Áine Cahill has released three songs so far, but they have firmly put her on the map as one of Ireland’s most exciting young artists.
Her third single, ‘The 27 Club’, has got people talking in a big way and has been described as ‘Lana del Ray meets Nirvana’.
Her unique voice and keen songcraft are sure to set her apart this year.
2. Sorcha Richardson
One of the most promising Irish talents at the moment, New York-based Dubliner Sorcha Richardson is making some (amazing sounding) noise right now.
The singer-songwriter has mastered her electronic sound and her solo track Petrol Station demanded attention last year.
A new EP is in the works and we’d advise you to keep an eye and trained ear on this one in 2016.
1. Emma Lou
Newcomer Emma Lou has no qualms admitting that the Spice Girls inspired her to pen her first song aged just 7.
Since setting up her YouTube channel in 2008, the Dubliner has gained attention from the right people, with Perez Hilton and Calvin Harris championing her acoustic covers.
Now armed with a band, Emma Lou & The Agenda debut EP is due to land next month, we predict big things for this lady. Watch out for an exclusive live performance from her on our Sunday Sessions in the coming weeks.
