Amble is an Irish folk trio formed in 2022, made up of Robbie Cunningham, Oisín McCaffrey, and Ross McNerney. In just a few years, the band has gone from playing covers in pubs to topping the Official Irish Albums Chart, scoring a number-one Irish single, winning two RTÉ Choice Music Prize awards, and touring internationally alongside Hozier, Dermot Kennedy, and Ed Sheeran. This official biography brings together only publicly documented facts about Amble's formation, discography, awards, and live history.
Formation and Early Years (2022–2023)
Amble began in 2022 as a duo formed by Robbie Cunningham, from County Leitrim, and Oisín McCaffrey, from County Sligo, who initially set out simply to play cover songs in pubs in exchange for free pints. Ross McNerney, from County Longford, joined shortly after on the strength of his mandolin and banjo playing.
Before committing to music full-time, all three held other careers. Cunningham worked as a primary school teacher in Terenure, Dublin, including a year teaching in an autism unit. McCaffrey worked as a data scientist at pharmaceutical company Pfizer. McNerney was a secondary school teacher in Longford. The trio's first performance together took place in 2022 in Manorhamilton, County Leitrim; the story goes that a football training session had to be rescheduled so the gig could go ahead. That Leitrim show convinced McNerney the group should pursue music professionally.
Amble released their debut single, "Mariner Boy," in 2023, followed by a Live EP on 10 March 2023.
Building Momentum: Signing to Warner Records (2024)
In 2024, Amble signed a recording contract with Warner Records, at which point all three members left their day jobs to focus on the band full-time. That year they released the EP Of Land and Sea (16 February 2024) and the EP The Commons (1 November 2024), which reached number 30 on the Irish charts. Also in 2024, RTÉ 2FM named Amble among its rising stars. A phrase from Cunningham's father, "throw the trout out to catch the salmon," became meaningful to the band during this period and has since appeared on their merchandise.
Reverie and Breakthrough Success (2025)
Amble's debut studio album, Reverie, was released on 23 May 2025 and entered the Official Irish Albums Chart at number 1, becoming the biggest Week 1-selling album in Ireland up to that point in 2025 and the country's biggest Irish debut album since Dermot Kennedy in 2019. Reverie also reached number 48 on the UK Albums Chart, was named Hot Press magazine's Album of the Month, and received an eight-star review from the publication.
The band followed the album with the live release Live from Dublin (4 July 2025) and the EP Hand Me Downs (26 September 2025), which reached number 94 in the UK. The single "The Rarest Hour" followed in November 2025.
2025 also brought a run of major live milestones: a month-long headline tour of the United States, an afternoon slot in front of an estimated 12,000 people at Electric Picnic, sold-out headline shows at Dublin's Olympia Theatre and Cork Opera House, and dates supporting Hozier on his Unreal Unearth Tour in Boston, Casper, and Toronto. By the end of 2025, Amble had surpassed 100 million streams and sold more than 100,000 tickets worldwide, capping the year with three sold-out headline shows at Dublin's 3Arena in December.
A Historic Number One and a Second Album (2026–2027)
In 2026, Amble continued touring internationally, supporting Dermot Kennedy across Europe and joining Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour as a support act in North America. The band's single "The Swell" debuted at number 1 on the Official Irish Singles Chart, ending an eleven-week run at the top by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean's "Rein Me In" and giving Amble their first Irish number-one single. "The Swell" was later certified platinum following a live performance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on 11 June 2026.
Amble also announced their second studio album, Love and All Its Wares, recorded during a three-week session in April 2026 at Grouse Lodge Recording Studios in County Westmeath with producer Philip Weinrobe. The 12-track album, which includes "The Swell" and lead single "Last Rites," is set for release on 29 January 2027. "Last Rites" explores themes of touring exhaustion, self-discovery, and finding peace amid chaos.
To support the new album, Amble announced a run of large-scale outdoor headline shows for summer 2027, including Belsonic Festival in Belfast (23 June), Malahide Castle in Dublin (24 June), Thomond Park Stadium in Limerick (3 July), Castlefield Bowl in Manchester (8 July), and Alexandra Palace Park in London (9 July), with tickets going on pre-sale on 18 August 2026 and general sale on 21 August 2026.
Quick Facts
- Genre: Irish folk
- Formed: 2022
- Members: Robbie Cunningham (lead vocals, guitar; County Leitrim), Oisín McCaffrey (guitar, vocals; County Sligo), Ross McNerney (mandolin, bouzouki, banjo; County Longford)
- Label: Warner Records
- Official website: ambleofficial.com
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