Band with Mayo connections nominated for top music prize
Fontaines DC on stage at All Together Now 2025. Picture: Aiesha Wong
Post-punk band Fontaines DC, who feature two members from Mayo, are among the artists who have had their album nominated for the Mercury Prize, one of the top prizes in music.
The band, who were previously nominated in 2019 for their debut album Dogrel, were nominated for their 2024 release Romance.
Fontaines DC consist of five members including Castlebar natives Tom Coll (drums) and Conor Deegan (bass).
Romance has catapulted the band to further success and the album was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards alongside household names like award winners The Rolling Stones, Green Day and Pearl Jam. The single ‘Starburster’ was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Performance.
They are joined on the 12-artist shortlist by another Irish artist, CMAT, who has been nominated for her album Euro-Country.
Sam Fender, Pulp, Wolf Alice, FKA Twigs, PinkPantheress, Pa Salieu, Emma-Jean Thackray, Jacob Alon, Joe Webb, and Martin Carthy complete the shortlist.
The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in Newcastle on October 16.
