Amble Win RTÉ Choice Music Prize for ‘Schoolyard Days’ | 2026
Dublin’s Vicar Street played host to a significant night for Irish music on , as Amble were crowned RTÉ Choice Music Prize Song of the Year for their track “Schoolyard Days.” The announcement, made live on The Tracy Clifford Reveal on RTÉ 2FM, preceded a live event celebrating the best in Irish recorded music.
The win clearly resonated with the band. Robbie Cunningham of Amble described the feeling as “unbelievable,” adding, “We were very, very happy and delighted.” The nomination itself, across four categories, was as well a source of pride. “It’s something that you don’t think about when you’re writing songs or playing music,” Cunningham explained. “You don’t write the songs for awards, but when you do get nominated, it is a lovely moment to sit back and soak in what’s really happened in the last couple of years. Hopefully, we have a couple of more awards at the end of the day.”
Bandmate Oisín McCaffrey echoed the sentiment, expressing gratitude to listeners across Ireland. “Thank you to everyone who voted for us across Ireland,” he said. “It’s special, really special.” He also highlighted the significance of sharing the stage with artists they’d long admired. “There’s a lot of people taking the stage tonight for the awards gig, people we looked up to for years,” McCaffrey noted. “I was in college in Galway listening to those people five or six years ago now – and now to share the stage with them is surreal, genuinely, and we’re very, very grateful for the whole thing.”
For Ross McNerney, the evening held a particularly poignant meaning. Having attended the RTÉ Choice Music Prize event as a fan in , witnessing Lankum’s Album of the Year win, he found himself on the receiving end of recognition this year. “I was here in 2016 when Lankum won one Album of the Year, and that was my first time seeing them,” McNerney recounted. “And I just came as a punter, as a music fan, and to be here in 2026 getting to play on the stage, it’s something I never thought of then. So, Here’s a celebration of Irish music, and we’re just proud to be a part of that.”
The RTÉ Choice Music Prize, now in its 21st year, has become a cornerstone of the Irish music calendar, celebrating excellence in recorded music. The live event at Vicar Street featured performances from seven of the ten nominated acts: Amble, Joshua Burnside, CMAT (solo), Junior Brother, Just Mustard, pôt-pot, and SPRINTS. Bricknasty and Maria Somerville were unable to perform due to prior commitments, and the performance of Dove Ellis was still to be confirmed at the time of the lineup announcement in .
Beyond the Song of the Year award, the evening also saw the announcement of the Irish Album of the Year, Irish Artist of the Year, and Irish Breakthrough Artist of the Year. These awards, along with the Classic Irish Album prize (to be announced on RTÉ Gold next month), were presented at the live event. Live coverage continued on RTÉ 2FM throughout the evening, hosted by Tracy Clifford, in a four-hour extended show with Beta Da Silva.
Amble’s success isn’t limited to this single award. The band has a busy ahead, with a European tour supporting Dermot Kennedy and upcoming dates opening for Ed Sheeran in America. “We’re supporting Dermot Kennedy around Europe, and then we are lined up for a couple of dates with Ed Sheeran in America, as well as our own, so we’re going to be busy men again in 2026,” Cunningham confirmed. The band also expressed a desire for continued collaboration and camaraderie. “Hopefully, the three of us just remain best pals and the three boys behind us [on stage] as well,” they said.
The RTÉ Choice Music Prize also included a series of industry discussions, titled “Conversations,” held at BIMM, Francis St, Dublin, on . These panels brought together artists and industry professionals to address key issues facing the music industry. The event underscores the Prize’s commitment to not only recognizing artistic achievement but also fostering dialogue and collaboration within the Irish music community.
Amble’s win marks a high point for the band and a promising start to what is shaping up to be a landmark year. The RTÉ Choice Music Prize continues to serve as a vital platform for showcasing and celebrating the vibrancy of Irish music, both domestically and internationally.