Executive Overview
In an era where contemporary electronic and acoustic music often seeks hyper-modernity, the most compelling sonic frontiers are increasingly being mapped by artists looking deep into the historical rearview mirror. Enter RÓIS—the moniker of Fermanagh-born, Dublin-based composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Rose Connolly. Following a wave of critical acclaim, prestigious award victories, and a rapidly expanding international profile, RÓIS has officially signed to the legendary independent imprint Domino Records.
This landmark signing marks a major turning point for the artist, accompanied by the global announcement of a remastered reissue of her celebrated 2024 debut full-length album, MO LÍAN. The newly minted release will not only present the original masterwork in pristine, elevated audio fidelity, but will also gift listeners a brand-new, hypnotic bonus track titled "PORT NA H-EALA".
MO LÍAN is far more than a standard collection of songs; it is a profound cultural artifact, an artistic reclamation, and a visceral tribute to the pre-Christian Irish tradition of "keening" (caoineadh). In RÓIS’s hands, ancient, pre-Christian sonic motifs are stripped of museum-glass sterility and given vibrant, haunting wings. Joining the ranks of contemporary Irish luminaries like Lankum, Landless, and John Francis Flynn, RÓIS repurposes centuries-old history, bridging the gap between pagan ritual and modern avant-garde composition.
To celebrate her new chapter with Domino Records, RÓIS has shared a stunning, visceral live performance video for "WHAT DO YOU SAY (LIVE FROM A WAKE)", alongside the announcement of high-profile international live dates spanning London and Brooklyn. As MO LÍAN prepares for its physical rollout on clear vinyl, CD, and digital formats, the music world is waking up to an artist who refuses to let the ghosts of old Ireland remain undisturbed.
Detailed Chronology: From Underground Acclaimed Release to Domino Records
The trajectory of MO LÍAN is a textbook study of how word-of-mouth critical validation can propel an uncompromising underground artist into the upper echelons of the international independent music landscape.
When MO LÍAN was first independently released in 2024, it immediately captured the attention of astute music critics and traditionalists alike. Created by Connolly under her RÓIS alias, the album operated on the fringes of folk, drone, and experimental vocal music. Critics quickly latched onto its startling emotional intensity and historical depth.
As the calendar turned toward 2025, the momentum behind RÓIS snowballed into a tidal wave of industry recognition. MO LÍAN captured the coveted Album of the Year prize at the Northern Ireland Music Prize, a powerful statement from her home region regarding the cultural weight of her work. Shortly thereafter, the record was shortlisted for the prestigious Choice Music Prize, cementing its status as one of the finest long-form artistic statements to emerge from the island of Ireland in years.
The accolades did not stop at album-level recognition. Throughout 2025, RÓIS’s unique artistic vision continued to yield major victories. Her staggering composition "CAOINE" was named Best Original Folk Track at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards. At the same ceremony, RÓIS was awarded the title of Best Emerging Artist, signaling to the wider musical establishment that a major new voice had arrived.
This unprecedented run of critical validation caught the eye of Domino Records, a label globally renowned for championing idiosyncratic, boundary-pushing artists who defy easy genre categorization. The partnership between RÓIS and Domino represents a natural alignment of ethos: an independent powerhouse providing global infrastructure to an artist whose work bridges ancient heritage and modern alternative sensibilities.
With the upcoming remastered reissue of MO LÍAN—inclusive of the exclusive new track "PORT NA H-EALA"—Domino is set to introduce RÓIS’s singular vision to a vastly expanded international audience, ensuring that the echoes of Ireland’s pagan past resonate across borders.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Art of Keening and Modern Folk Resurgence
To truly understand the weight of MO LÍAN, one must examine the dying, highly misunderstood art form that birthed it: keening.
In pre-Christian Ireland, keening (caoineadh) was a vital, communal, and intensely emotional ritual. Practiced predominantly by women known as "keeners" or bean chaointe, it was a vocalized expression of grief at a wake or funeral. Far from quiet mourning, keening was a visceral, semi-improvised vocal outpouring—often described as a form of charismatic meditation or talking in tongues. As grief consumed the griever, language would deconstruct into pure ritualistic sound, combining weeping, wailing, and melodic incantation to guide the soul of the departed into the next realm.
Over centuries, this ancient tradition was systematically suppressed, marginalized, and sanitized by religious authorities and societal shifts toward "mannered" grief. RÓIS’s MO LÍAN acts as a direct counter-offensive against this cultural sanitization.
As noted by critic Christian Wethered in his incisive review for KLOF Magazine:
"Like Landless, Lankum, John Francis Flynn, et al., she’s repurposed history and given it wings. And this is ancient, pre-Christian stuff—with the kind of sounds you don’t hear every day… MO LÍAN is a tribute to, and reimagining of, the pre-Christian tradition of ‘keening’. Like charismatic meditation or talking in tongues, grieving becomes the griever. Language deconstructs into ritual… RÓIS’s voice is astounding—one that will often quiver, as though circling a trauma… MO LÍAN is a masterful album—with incantatory soundscapes that leave you for dead."
This musical movement—often colloquially termed the modern Irish folk revival or dark-trad movement—is rewriting the rules of traditional music. Artists like Lankum and John Francis Flynn have demonstrated that contemporary audiences possess a deep, ravenous appetite for music that engages with history honestly, acknowledging its darkness, trauma, and transcendent beauty without modern pop gloss. RÓIS takes this premise further by transforming the recording studio and the stage into spaces of active, communal mourning and catharsis.
Official Statements: RÓIS on Death, Drama, and Unsterilising Grief
The conceptual framework of RÓIS extends far beyond the audio tracks pressed onto vinyl. It is an all-encompassing aesthetic experience, most prominently displayed in her meticulously choreographed live performances.
When RÓIS takes the stage, she does not merely perform songs; she embodies an archetype. Clad entirely in black, her face concealed beneath a heavy veil, she steps into the role of the traditional keener. The veil serves as a powerful multi-layered symbol: it represents anonymity, absolute grief, and a direct visual reminder of the keener’s sacred duty to mourn the physical body while shepherding the soul onward.
In interviews surrounding her Domino Records signing and live video releases, RÓIS has been vocal about the intentionality behind her immersive aesthetic:
"I wanted to do something more conceptual. I wanted to set the gig at a funeral. There were accounts that, in Pagan times, the Wake would have been a debaucherous affair [referenced in her bold video project, ‘Did ye ever get The Ride at The Wake House?’]. I wanted to bring that to my music and the show because I think we need to unsterilise how we see death and how you have to be mannered."
By contrasting the sacred, terrifying intimacy of grief with the historical, sometimes debaucherous reality of pagan wakes, RÓIS challenges modern society’s clinical, sanitized relationship with mortality. Her live shows function as modern rituals, dissolving the fourth wall between artist and audience and inviting everyone in the room to participate in a shared emotional reckoning.
This philosophy is vividly captured in her recently shared performance of "WHAT DO YOU SAY (LIVE FROM A WAKE)", a piece that translates the raw, ghost-conjuring power of the sean-nós vocal style into a modern avant-garde framework.
Future Outlook: Live Dates, Format Releases, and Collaborative Horizons
As RÓIS embarks on this next chapter with Domino Records, the immediate future is packed with landmark releases and high-profile international live performances that will test the global appetite for her uncompromising sonic rituals.
Physical and Digital Release Details
The remastered edition of MO LÍAN is designed to satisfy both audiophiles and collectors. The release will be available globally in three primary formats:
- Crystal-Clear Vinyl: A tactile, beautiful physical pressing that mirrors the icy, clear emotional resonance of the music.
- Standard Compact Disc (CD): For high-fidelity digital extraction and physical archiving.
- Digital Streaming & Download: Ensuring global accessibility, complete with the newly added bonus track "PORT NA H-EALA".
Fans can pre-order the physical edition via the DomMart store or secure digital versions through the official release link.
Upcoming Live Dates
RÓIS will bring her immersive, funeral-styled theatrical concert experience to key cultural hubs in the UK and North America:
- 17th November: ICA, London, UK — Tickets & Info
- 3rd December: Union Pool, Brooklyn, NY, USA — Tickets & Info
Ticketing Note: Exclusive fan presales are available starting today via RÓIS’s official mailing list, with general ticket sales opening on Friday, October 2nd at 10:00 AM local time.
Beyond her solo work, RÓIS continues to push collaborative boundaries, as evidenced by her ongoing creative work with rob mulhern (performing as hhh).
Conclusion
The signing of RÓIS to Domino Records and the global reissue of MO LÍAN signal a triumphant victory for uncompromising, deeply rooted artistic expression. In an industry frequently obsessed with ephemeral trends and algorithmic comfort, RÓIS offers a terrifying, beautiful, and utterly essential alternative: a descent into the ancient subterranean depths of human grief, led by a voice that refuses to be quieted.
