Barry Kerr
About Barry Kerr
Barry Kerr’s seventh studio album, Curlew’s Cry, has been named the inaugural Folk Album of the Year for the UK and Ireland—confirming him as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary Irish folk music.
An acclaimed singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and visual artist, Barry is increasingly in demand across Ireland and the UK. Recent appearances include Newton Stewart Traditional Music and Dance Festival, Broadstairs Folk Week and Belfast TradFest, with forthcoming engagements at Durham Folk Festival, Celtic Connections and Manchester Folk Festival 2027, an eight-date English tour in March 2027 and London Kings Place in April 2027.
Originally from County Armagh and now based in Inverin, Connemara, Barry grew up beside Lough Neagh. Its landscape, wildlife, stories and communities continue to shape music that brings Irish tradition and folklore into urgent conversation with the present.
Produced by Gerry O’Beirne, Curlew’s Cry combines finely crafted original songs with imaginatively reworked traditional material. Its themes of memory, belonging, environmental loss and humanity’s relationship with the natural world are carried by Barry’s richly expressive voice and instinctive command of guitar, bouzouki, flute, whistle and uilleann pipes.
Live Formats
Solo: Barry’s voice, guitar and bouzouki create an intimate, powerful setting for award-winning songs, traditional material and stories of Ireland’s people and landscapes.
Duo with Síle Denvir: Barry performs with his wife, celebrated Connemara sean-nós singer and harpist Síle Denvir. A native Irish speaker, founding member of Líadan and former touring member of The Chieftains, Síle was named TG4 Gradam Ceoil Singer of the Year in 2023.
Trio with Pauline Scanlon and Gerry O’Beirne: Barry is joined by Pauline Scanlon—one of Ireland’s most distinctive traditional singers and a member of acclaimed duo Lumiere—and renowned guitarist, songwriter and producer Gerry O’Beirne. A former member of Patrick Street, Gerry has toured with many of Irish music’s leading artists and produced Curlew’s Cry.
Discography
- The Three Sisters (1998)
- The World Looks Away (2011)
- Boy in a Boat (2015)
- Castor Bay — with Laura Kerr and Donogh Hennessy (2018)
- Cairn (2020)
- Fuascail (2022)
- Curlew’s Cry (2025) — Folk Album of the Year
Additional releases include the singles Those Were the Days and Father’s Way, alongside the multidisciplinary music-and-visual-art projects CEATHAIR and Continuum. Across every format, Barry offers emotionally direct, beautifully crafted performances in which ancient tradition speaks vividly to contemporary audiences.