Kildare singer-songwriter Megan O’Neill offered a rousing home-county performance at Naas’s Moat Theatre during last year’s Nothing Compares – Brigid’s day celebration.

During a set which exhibited the emotional depth which fulcrums her songwriting, she wetted more than a few pairs of eyes in the audience with ‘Ireland’, a love letter to her native country which felt particularly fitting for the occasion.

Having displayed her storytelling prowess on 2022’s Time EP, O’Neill has gotten this year up and running with the new single ‘The Hard Way'. Her superb voice has garnered acclaim from critics and contemporaries - she's made appearances on the Late Late Show, toured with Glen Hansard, performed with Sir Tom Jones and even earned admiration from the iconic Olivia Newton John.

She has also seen some success in the film industry, performing at private Oscars parties and having her hit ‘Time In a Bottle’ featured on Netflix's Firefly Lane.

Joining O’Neill at last year’s Nothing Compares events were some of Ireland's most lauded female performers, marking the new public holiday with powerful tributes to women’s indelible contributions to Irish music and culture.

The festivities are making a much-anticipated return in 2024, with various Nothing Compares events taking place as part of the Brigid 1500 programme presented by Hot Press and Kildare County Council.

The Wonderful Barn Show in Leixlip on Saturday, January 27, features songs on the theme of 'Mother Earth' with a star-studded lineup of Denise Chaila, Gemma Hayes, Una Healy, Róisín O and Tolü Makay.

Social justice and freedom will be the focus at We Shall Overcome in the Athy Library on Tuesday, January 30, with performances from Eleanor McEvoy, Mary Coughlan, Pauline Scanlon, Jess Kav, Toshín and local artist IF.

Attention will shift once more to the Moat Theatre in Naas, on Thursday, February 1,  with Laura Whitore MCing Nothing Compares – In Concert, featuring Imelda May, HamsandwicH, Camille O'Sullivan, Niamh Regan and Nell Mescal.

Proceedings draw to a close at St Brigid’s Cathedral, Kildare, for She Moves Through The Fair, which features traditional and contemporary songs about Irish women, with Moya Brennan, Loah, Lisa Lambe and The Henry Girls and more taking the stage on Sunday, February 24.