Like everyone else born between 1995 and 2001, I attended the All Together Now music festival in Portlaw last week, based in County Waterford. This was my third year there; I think I enjoy the festival for the same reason as everyone else there. The size of the event is perfect: there’s space for 30,000 compared to 80,000 at Electric Picnic, but more than the 12,500 for Beyond the Pale in County Wicklow. The travel from Kilkenny is just a few minutes, and the most important reason: the schedule is always incredible. There’s a mix of big bands (Fontaines D.C., Primal Scream), seasoned artists who are new to the Irish audience (Hinds, English Teacher), and Irish bands that are just starting their careers with heartwarming performances (Skinner, Cardinals). This range of artists creates the best festival in Ireland - and the main reason for its success is that it puts Irishness at the core of its mission statement.

With Fontaines D.C. - the most in-demand music band on the island at this time, I would say - playing on the main stage on Friday night of the festival, the crowd was packed with people wanting to hear Grian Chattan and his men sing about politics in Ireland (‘I Love You’), independence and the media (‘A Hero’s Death’) and interpersonal ballads (‘Favourite’). As they also emerge as stars abroad, a comparison to Oasis came to mind on Friday. It’s an easy comparison, perhaps, but particularly with Oasis on the public's mind these days, especially given their presence on stage. There’s something masculine and mysterious about Fontaines; they say nothing to the audience except to shout ‘Freedom for Palestine’ once or twice. They are so focused on the atmosphere they are creating that they have no time to build a connection with the thousands of people dancing in front of them. Like Oasis and their connection to Manchester, Fontaines have a significant link to place in their music - Dublin is the main character of their debut album, Dogrel. And since Oasis was the biggest music band in the West in the 90s, it is a good omen for Fontaines D.C. to receive this comparison.

The fresh talent didn’t stop there, of course. On Saturday night, CMAT took to the stage with her “very sexy CMAT band”, in her own words. Similarly to Fontaines, Ciara Mary Alice Thompson’s quality is rising in Britain fast these days, following her performance at Glastonbury in June of this year. Unlike Fontaines, however, CMAT would lure the bird from the branch. Dancing, chatting with us, giving us sweet tunes to sing along with her, the audience was in the palm of her hand from the first song. In my opinion, there is no artist quite like CMAT currently creating music, either in Ireland or abroad. Whatever you need, it’s in Ciara Mary's catalogue. Need something upbeat? Try ‘I Wanna Be A Cowboy Baby’. A singer of contemporary life in Ireland? ‘Euro-Country’ or ‘Where Are Your Kids Tonight’ will do the job. Have you just ended a relationship and need songs that will break your heart? ‘Stay For Something’ and ‘Such a Miranda’ will sort you out. And while making comparisons (though these two are so unique, and that most comparisons between female artists have no sense of femininity, remind you that they are my all-time favorite musicians), Sinéad O’Connor comes to my mind. Both have beautiful voices, and although there will be no one like her again, O’Connor's politics and absence of her shadow were evident on stage as CMAT sang.

With Palestinian flags everywhere, CMAT took time to focus on the oppressed people in our society and abroad. She said she was selling t-shirts to raise money for TENI (Transgender Equality Network Ireland), but when we went to buy one after the concert, they were sold out four times over. Like O’Connor before her, CMAT made sure we would be on the right side of the world’s historical change.

Before the weekend came to an end, a wide range of artists appeared, and the schedule was packed with many Irish bands gaining strength. Muireann Bradley, Negro Impacto, Morgana; while the soundtracks of our hero music nights were great, our days were far sweeter due to those musicians. On Sunday afternoon, Villagers came out to soothe our minds. I think Villagers - the stage name of Conor O’Brien - is one of the best songwriters in Ireland. Although he doesn’t have the same genre range as CMAT, he has complete mastery of his craft, creating soothing guitar music, full of emotion, with intertwined stories in his voice. Villagers were not on the schedule until a few days before the festival began, but their presence improved the weekend significantly. With ‘The First Day’ flying around in my head as all the equipment was packed, I was able to keep going, driving down the M9, looking forward to next year.

Song of the week: ‘Hot Scary Summer’ by Villagers.