MÉAV to Launch SWEET SORROW Album with Concert at RIAM Dublin

Méav Ní Mhaolchatha will celebrate the launch of her new album Sweet Sorrow with a special concert at the Whyte Hall, RIAM, on Saturday 24th October 2026.

Sweet Sorrow is the forthcoming album from Grammy-nominated singer and composer Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, featuring ten original songs exploring grief, memory and consolation. Written by Méav in collaboration with acclaimed composer Stephen Rennicks, the album is a deeply personal collection that brings together Méav's distinctive blend of Irish traditional and classical influences with contemporary, atmospheric arrangements. Ahead of the release, Méav will share the first single, 'Near', on Friday 25th September.

Performed by Méav and shaped by her unique musical voice, Sweet Sorrow reflects on loss and remembrance with restraint, honesty and warmth. Created over an extended period of artistic exchange, the songs draw together melodies, texts, poems and musical sketches into a work that offers solace without sentimentality.

For Stephen, whose internationally acclaimed work has largely been written for film, the project marks his first collection of original songs created outside the cinema. For Méav, whose career has included worldwide success as a solo artist, composer and as a founding member of Celtic Woman, Sweet Sorrow represents one of her most personal artistic statements to date.

Raised in an Irish-speaking household steeped in traditional music, Méav studied classical voice, harp and piano before establishing an international career that has spanned traditional, classical and contemporary music. Throughout Sweet Sorrow, these influences are woven together in songs that are intimate in scale yet universal in their emotional reach.

The origins of the album can be traced to a Christmas concert performed by Méav in RIAM's Whyte Hall in 2023. Conversations that followed about music, loss and the enduring power of song gradually developed into the creative process behind Sweet Sorrow. Having both experienced profound personal bereavements, Méav and Stephen Found themselves drawn towards creating music that could speak quietly and honestly about grief while offering comfort and connection.

The result is an album that moves between reflection and healing, balancing traditional songcraft with contemporary textures, shaped by Méav's artistic vision and distinctive sound.

The album was recorded with engineer Hugh Drumm at his Dún Laoghaire studio and mixed in New York by Thomas Bartlett, whose collaborators include Taylor Swift, Norah Jones and The Gloaming. It was mastered by Josh Bonati. Bartlett and Bonati previously collaborated on Sufjan Stevens' Carrie & Lowell, an album whose emotional honesty became an important touchstone during the making of Sweet Sorrow.

Released by SoSimpatico with Anthem Vinyl, Sweet Sorrow, coming Friday 23rd October, is produced by Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, Stephen Rennicks and Hugh Drumm.

The album will be officially launched with a special concert by Méav at RIAM Whyte Hall on 24 October 2026, presented by SoSimpatico. Details are available at riam.ie.

Tracklist

1. Probate

2. Near

3. Béara

4. Lament

5. Rest

6. Follow

7. Suan

8. Nothing Left

9. Caoin

10. Tempus

About Méav

Méav is one of Ireland's most celebrated vocalists, known internationally for her luminous voice and distinctive interpretations of Irish traditional and classical repertoire. Following early work with Chamber Choir Ireland and Anúna, she enjoyed international success as a solo recording artist before becoming a founding member of Celtic Woman, whose recordings have sold more than ten million albums worldwide and earned six Billboard World Music Artist of the Year awards.