Noel Brazil Song Competition

Coughlan's, Douglas St.

7 Oct - 08 Oct 2026

7pm Coughlan’s Bar, 7 Douglas Street T12 DX39

Cork Folk Festival -Noel Brazil Song Competition 2026

We’re delighted to see the return of the Noel Brazil Song Competition at the 2026 Cork Folk Festival in Coughlan’s Bar on Wednesday 7th October.

The rules are simple:

1. Original Song Requirement: Your entry must be your song written in the folk/traditional style.

2. Live Performance: The song must be performed live at the festival. The song can be performed live with an accompanist or without accompaniment.

Submission Process: Participants must submit an MP3 or SoundCloud link or other form of digital record of their song to moray@goldiefish.ie for entry.

Prizes: Prizes will be announced shortly. 1st prize will include a live performance of the song at The Triskel on Thursday 8th October

If you have a song you’d like to enter then send your song Moray at moray@goldiefish.ie

Deadline for entries is Monday 28th September

A little bit of History

The Song Writing Competition

The Song Writing competition began at the very first festival in 1979. It was held in the Phoenix bar for the first two years and then was moved to Kenny’s Bar in 1981, in 1982 it moved to the Metropole Hotel. There was no competition in 1983 and 1984 but in 1983 it returned to the Phoenix Bar. Information on the winners is sparse and no records of the competitions exist. However, I was able to find out who were the winners and songs from 1979- 1983 they include, Con Ó Drisceoil with ‘A Hymn to St Finbarr’, Ger Shine (performed by Noel Shine) with ‘The Seagull’, Johnny Moynihan with ‘John o‘ Gods’. Deaglán Tallon with ‘The Ordnance Survey Man’ and Noel Brazil with ‘Ellis Island’ Over the five years the competition was held many songwriters entered and there were many unsuccessful entries including, a song by John Spillane and a song written by bunch of socialists who drank in the Phoenix known as ‘The Counter Committee’.Last years winner 2025 was Brendan Duffin.