Sound.Waves. unveils programme for three days of music, podcasting and live
Sound.Waves. opens in style this year. Dónal Gallagher will sit down for a fireside chat with Tom Dunne on Tuesday 10th November in Adare, Co. Limerick. Dónal is the brother of Rory Gallagher and managed him for most of his career. Tom is Chair of IMRO, a broadcaster, and the Something Happens frontman.
Rory was Ireland’s original rock star, and Dónal was with him every step of the way, from the Irish showband circuit to 25 tours of North America. He has now told that story in Edged in Blue: A Rock ’n’ Roll Odyssey with Rory Gallagher, published on 25th September with a foreword by Joe Bonamassa. It’s an eyewitness account of a golden age of live music, from bomb-shattered Belfast to Tasmania. Thirty years after Rory’s death, opening night is a rare chance to hear those stories first-hand, from the man who lived them, in conversation with one of Irish music’s best-loved voices.
Wednesday 11th November kicks off with the inaugural Sound.Waves 5k! The conference day begins at 9.30am with a State of the Nationsession taking the temperature of Ireland’s music, podcast and live sectors. From there, the programme gets practical. The Producers go behind the scenes of how great shows are made, and Marketing Your Podcast looks at how they find an audience. The Money Behind The Shows and Sponsorship in Music & Podcasting follow the cash, while The Economics of Live asks what it really costs to put on a show. Elsewhere, sessions on Sports Podcasting, AI & Content Creation, and Music, Sync & Publishing look at where the industry is heading. A Keynote Interview closes the day at 5.15pm, and Stories from the Stage brings the conversation into the bar.
Then it’s time to get dressed up. The All-Ireland Podcast Awards start with a drinks reception at 8pm, and the ceremony crowns the best in Irish podcasting from 9pm. The 2026 shortlist will be announced next week.
On Thursday 12th November the conference moves to the 19th hole in Adare Village for brunch with Tales from the Frontline of Sports and a look ahead to Adare 2027, when the Ryder Cup comes to town.
This is a press release which we link to from Podnews, our daily newsletter about podcasting and on-demand. We may make small edits for editorial reasons.