Since 2017 the Irish Wings festival, under the direction of Kathryn Baird, has brought important Irish contemporary musicians, poets, writers and artists to Paxos in events and exhibitions attended every year by an enthusiastic international audience and by the Irish Ambassador to Greece. This year the wonderful singer-songwriter Paul Brady the Hiberno-Hellenic ensemble Bright Phoebus, the lute player Eirini Triantafillidi, , singer Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, fiddle player Dónal O’Connor and the Paxiot bouzouki player Elias Dendias will be all performing in an exciting cross-cultural collaboration for Irish Wings.

Paul Brady has been at the forefront of Irish music for over fifty years. Moving effortlessly through blues, jazz, pop, country, and traditional Irish music, he has forged a rich and varied career through numerous musical collaborations. He began writing songs in the late 1970s and has since become one of Ireland’s most respected and influential singer-songwriters.

His work has resonated far beyond Ireland, with his songs recorded by international stars such as Tina Turner, Cher, Bonnie Raitt, Santana, and Phil Collins. Bob Dylan, a long-time admirer, once described Brady—alongside Leonard Cohen and Lou Reed—as one of his "secret heroes."

For Irish Wings, Paul will revisit some of the favoured songs from his back catalogue and some Balkan music, first explored on his groundbreaking 1978 solo album, Welcome Here Kind Stranger—a record now regarded as a classic in the Irish tradition.

Dónal O’Connor is a highly regarded fiddle player and acclaimed music and television producer, rooted in a distinguished lineage of Irish traditional musicians and singers. Hailed by The Irish Times as a “fearless musical adventurer,” he has earned a reputation as one of Ireland’s leading musical voices, known for his versatility, innovation, and deep connection to tradition. Dónal has performed and recorded with many of Ireland’s finest artists, including Liam Ó Maonlaí (Hothouse Flowers), Duke Special, and Scotland’s Karen Matheson (Capercaillie), among others. His creative reach extends beyond performance—he is the founder and artistic director of Belfast TradFest, a vibrant week-long festival of world-class traditional music that welcomed over 45,000 attendees last year. Inspired by his mother, the celebrated traditional singer Eithne Ní Uallacháin, whose repertoire included Irish songs referencing Grecian queens, kings, gods, and goddesses, Dónal formed the cross-cultural ensemble Bright Phoebus. Through this group, he continues to explore and reimagine connections between Irish and Greek musical traditions with curiosity and passion.

Chrysoula Kechagioglou is a soulful and deeply emotive vocalist from Greece, widely admired for her ability to connect with audiences through her powerful voice and profound understanding of both Greek and Irish musical traditions. A frequent collaborator with some of Ireland’s most iconic musicians, she was a guest of honour at Andy Irvine’s 80th birthday concert at Dublin’s legendary Vicar Street, and has performed regularly with both Irvine and Dónal Lunny. Chrysoula has featured prominently with their acclaimed multicultural folk band Mozaik, contributing to the 2019 album The Long and the Short of It and appearing on Irvine’s Old Dog, Long Road Vol. II. Chrysoula is a frequent visitor to ‘Irish Wings’, including for ‘Muldoon’s Picnic’ in July 2022, when she sang for the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet with members of the iconic Celtic Rock band, ‘Horslips’. Her musical versatility and deep connection to both cultures have made her a standout presence in the world of cross-cultural collaboration. Whether performing traditional Irish songs or exploring new musical territories, Chrysoula continues to captivate audiences with her unique voice and ability to bridge the rich musical landscapes of Greece and Ireland.

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh is a multi-award-winning traditional singer and one of the leading voices in sean-nós, the ancient and highly expressive style of Irish singing. Renowned for her deep connection to the Irish song tradition, she brings a rare warmth and authenticity to her performances, engaging audiences with both passion and insight. Raised in the culturally rich environment of West Kerry, Muireann was immersed from an early age in a living tradition that has profoundly shaped her distinctive vocal and instrumental sound. Her formative years laid the groundwork for a highly successful career, including over thirteen years as lead singer and flute player with the acclaimed group Danú. In 2022, she was named Best Folk Singer at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards, and previously received Amhránaí na Bliana (Singer of the Year) at the TG4 Gradam Ceoil in 2011—two of the highest honours in Irish traditional music. Her most recent project, Róisín ReImagined, produced by Dónal O’Connor, is a groundbreaking album of sean-nós songs reinterpreted by leading contemporary Irish arrangers and performed with the Irish Chamber Orchestra. The recording received widespread critical acclaim, earning multiple five-star reviews, and a live performance in Germany in 2024 was met with enthusiastic audiences and glowing praise.

Eirini Triantafillydi is a dynamic performer, composer, and arranger, best known for her innovative work with the Greek lute (laouto), which she skillfully explores beyond its traditional context, blending it with a range of musical genres. Passionate about musical dialogue between cultures, she is the founder of Noriana, a band dedicated to traditional Celtic music, where she both arranges and performs. Eirini has played a key role in promoting Irish and Celtic music in Greece as an organiser and performer at the Athens Irish Festival and the Athens Celtic Music Festival. Alongside her work in traditional music, she composes and performs original material for her solo projects and has contributed to children’s theatre through collaborations with the production company Ergostasio Oneirou (Dream Factory).

Welcoming Paul Brady and ‘Bright Phoebus’ to the Paxos stage will be Elias Dendias, a virtuoso bouzouki player born and raised on Paxos. A master of rebetiko (the Greek Blues), Elias has built his distinguished musical career on a foundation of meticulous study, combined with a fluid and seemingly effortless precision in his playing. Deeply rooted in 20th-century and earlier Greek musical traditions, Elias’s own compositions reflect a rich blend of influences, ranging from Vivaldi to Django Reinhardt. His impressive list of collaborations spans both Irish and international music scenes, including performances with Andy Irvine and Dónal Lunny, Africa Black Mambazo, Jackie Leven, Andy White, Kyron Bourke, Bright Phoebus, and Crowded House, with whom he toured in 2023 and 2024.

Together, these outstanding musicians are ideally placed to reimagine the music and song traditions of Ireland and Greece—two cultures located at the edges of Europe—bringing them together in fresh, unexpected, and thrilling new interpretations.

Irish Wings is an initiative of Culture Ireland and the Embassy of Ireland, Greece.