CMAT’s speech at the Ivors in London took a direct path to serious questions. First published on The Journal of Music in Ireland, 26 May 2026.

It won’t be long before the publicity machines smooth down public discourse again, moving our critical attention away from the splintering of our communities, and the ongoing corporate seizure of our housing, music, writing and intelligence, but for now let us appreciate, once more, a young Irish artist cutting through the noise and speaking out about the world today. 

‘I would compel my fellow artists in the room – it is not the time to sit on the fence,’ CMAT saidwhen she won her Best Album award for EURO-COUNTRY at the Ivors in London last Thursday 21 May, ‘Fascism is on the rise.’