Irish singer-songwriter CMAT has criticised former taoiseach Bertie Ahern while accepting the Best Album award for Euro-Country at the 2026 Ivor Novello Awards.
The 30-year-old, whose real name is Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, was joined on the winners list by the likes of pop rocker Sam Fender, Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalia and Elton John.
“It’s really nice to finally win an award in England. English people don’t generally give me awards, so that’s a first, really good,” CMAT said.
She told fellow artists in the room that now was “not the time to sit on the fence” as “fascism is on the rise”.
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“That c**t Bertie Ahern recently decided that he was going to be really f***ing racist on camera,” she said, before going on to add: “I have no time, sympathy or empathy for anybody that decides to make life more difficult for people who are just trying to live and that’s what this record is about.”
She said her album is about her “very complicated relationship” with Ireland.
The former taoiseach faced criticism last week for remarks he made on May 11th about immigration in Ireland. He had been canvassing in Cabra for Fianna Fáil’s Dublin Central byelection candidate, John Stephens.
While being covertly recorded at a doorstep by a woman raising concerns about immigration and sharia law, Ahern said: “The ones I worry about are the Africans." He added that “we can’t be taking people from the Congo and all these places”.
Ahern later told The Irish Times he has “no problem with people from the Congo or Africa or anywhere else”.
“I’ve good friends around Drumcondra, there’s a lot of the clergy in from Africa,” he said.
CMAT has previously been outspoken about the effect the 2008 financial crash had on her upbringing, criticising Ahern – who was taoiseach from 1997 until 2008 – in this context.
The eponymous track of Euro-Country recounts “all the big boys, all the Berties, all the envelopes, yeah they hurt me”. The music video shows the singer in an empty shopping centre wearing a top bearing the word “Bertie”.
Meanwhile, Fender won Songwriter of the Year, while Rosalia – full name is Rosalia Vila Tobella – collected the International Songwriter of the Year gong award. Elton John was presented with an Ivors Academy Honour and was also announced as the academy’s first president.
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke was given a Fellowship of The Ivors Academy, as was late singer George Michael.
Poet Kae Tempest won best contemporary song for I Stand on the Line from his 2025 album Self Titled. He said he would celebrate with “a little party”. Lola Young won the PRS For Music award for most performed work for her 2024 song Messy.
Lily Allen received the award for outstanding song collection, Calvin Harris scooped the music icon award and rapper Kano won the visionary award.
Scottish singer-songwriter Jacob Alon took home two awards for rising star and best song musically and lyrically for his track Don’t Fall Asleep. Linda Perry, the guitarist and and 4 Non Blondes singer, received the special international award, which was presented to her by her friend, singer James Blunt.
The soundtrack to Trespasses, composed by David Holmes and Brian Irvine, won best TV soundtrack, while the music for Testimony by Tom Hodge won best film score.
During the ceremony, performances came from Yorke, Alon, who performed Don’t Fall Asleep, and rising star nominee Skye Newman, who performed Careless Whisper in tribute to George Michael.
Presented by the Ivors Academy, the peer-judged award ceremony celebrates and recognises songwriting and composing. – Additional reporting PA
