2026 Music for Schools Competition Finalists Concert Adjudicators
Waltons New School of Music
We are delighted to announce our 2026 Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition Finalists Concert Guest Adjudicators, Aedín Gormley and Paul Noonan.
The Finalists Concert will take place in the National Concert Hall on Monday, 18 May. See the Competition web page for more information about the Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition.
Aedín Gormley
Aedín has been working in radio for most of her life. She has a huge love of music and studied piano and theory at the College of Music in Dublin (now the TU Dublin Conservatoire). She first worked in Irish language broadcasting and then at RTÉ Radio 1, initially as a member of the Presentation Department and then as presenter of The Weekend on One. Aedín joined RTÉ lyric fm when the station was founded in 1999, and Movies and Musicals, her hugely popular show, has been there from the start. The show features a broad range of soundtracks from early classics, as well as contemporary scores. Aedín has interviewed a number of renowned actors and performers for it, including Julie Andrews, Angela Lansbury, Mark Hamill, Colin Farrell, Colin Firth, Lin-Manuechatted with John Barry, Lalo Schifrin, Hans Zimmer, Alan Menken, Michael Giacchino, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. During her til Miranda, Emily Blunt, Renée Zellweger, Elaine Stritch, Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley. She also loves talking to composers, and over the years she has me on RTE lyric fm, she has also presented the award-winning arts programmes Artszone, My Tunes and Sunday Matinée. And she now presents Aedín in the Afternoon on Fridays, featuring an eclectic range of music and entertainment news. Aedín also loves collaborating with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, most recently, presenting two sold out Movies and Musicals Live concerts at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre.
Paul Noonan
Paul is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist whose career has spanned more than three decades. Best known as the frontman of the celebrated Irish band Bell X1, Paul’s musical evolution reflects his restless creativity, collaborative spirit and continual reinvention across genres and projects. Raised in Lucan, he developed an early love of music through his father’s extensive vinyl record collection, and he began writing songs as a teenager, inspired by such acts as Hothouse Flowers and U2. At Salesian College, he met Damien Rice, Dominic Phillips and Brian Crosby, forming an early group that evolved into the band Juniper in 1991. After Rice’s departure, the remaining members became Bell X1, with Paul as lead singer and songwriter. With his charismatic presence and lyrical sensitivity at the helm, Bell X1 explored everything from vibrant indie rock to tender, introspective balladry. Albums such as Neither Am I, Music in Mouth, Flock, and Arms helped define the band’s rich, experimental catalogue. Although his core work remained with Bell X1, Paul has long embraced collaboration and exploration outside the band. He has contributed percussion, vocals and songwriting to projects by Gemma Hayes, the Frames and others, and in 2006 he appeared on the popular charity album The Cake Sale. In 2011, he launched his first major solo endeavour, Printer Clips, a project built around duets with a range of acclaimed singers. Released in 2014, the Printer Clips album featured collaborations with artists such as Joan as Policewoman, Martha Wainwright and Lisa Hannigan, showcasing Paul’s versatility and his ability to create intimate, emotionally resonant music outside Bell X1’s framework. His creative curiosity has also led him to work in music therapy, where he applies his craft in deeply human contexts – supporting older adults living with dementia, people with disorders of consciousness and children in areas of social disadvantage. He has also curated large-scale cultural projects, including Starboard Home and Imagining Ireland, presenting new and original Irish music with collaborators reflecting Ireland’s diverse creative landscape. In 2025, Paul returned to collaborate with his old friend Brian Crosby under a new name – Pilgrims. This project presents a reflective, intimate musical world anchored in piano, voice and atmospheric songcraft.
Aedín and Paul will be joined as adjudicators by Aideen Walton, Co-Director of the Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition.
Produced by Waltons New School of Music and generously supported by RTÉ lyric fm, the Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition is a non-profit annual national event celebrating and supporting music in Irish schools.