The RTÉ Choice Music Prize Classic Irish Album, in association with IMRO & IRMA, has just been announced on RTÉ Gold by Paul Moriarity. The winning album is: Watermark by Enya.
“I am delighted to win the RTÉ Choice Music Classic Album Prize. Watermark has a special place in heart – it was my second album and really launched my career internationally. It is wonderful that people are still discovering it today and it’s an honour to be chosen for this prize recognising Irish music” – Enya, 2025
The panel chose Watermark by Enya as their Classic Irish Album for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize and explain further – “Following a lengthy deliberation and some very stiff competition, we deemed Watermark the most worthy recipient for this year’s Classic Irish Album award. Not only is Enya’s second record a remarkable piece of work for its time, but it has endured across the 37 years since its release and continues to inspire and influence generations of musicians to this day. Alongside her producer and arranger Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma Ryan, Enya essentially pioneered a new genre of music with Watermark, blending her traditional Irish background with elements of ambient, world, choral and pop music and her innovative layered vocal technique that can be heard on songs like Storms in Africa, Cursum Perficio and of course, the iconic Orinoco Flow. It was commercially successful on a global scale, yet the panel agreed that Enya is often underestimated or perhaps misunderstood by many. It felt like an apt opportunity to acknowledge her visionary work as both a vocalist and a musician – and Watermark, in all its strange, evocative beauty, comprehensively fulfils the criteria for a ‘classic album’.”
The judges for the prize are Lauren Murphy, Arts and Culture Journalist; John Connolly, Author and presenter of From ABC to XTC on RTE Gold; Louise Duffy, Music Presenter, RTE Radio 1 and Harry Martin, Director Domino Records – with Paul Russell (Radio producer, formerly RTÉ 2FM) as the chairperson. The album will be played in full tonight on RTÉ Gold after 6pm.
Watermark was released in 1988 on Warner Music UK (Geffen worldwide). Signed by Rob Dickins, who was head of the label at the time, 26-year-old Enya was given full creative control and artistic freedom. The writing and recording of the album continued her long-term collaboration with manager, arranger and producer Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma Ryan. Initially recorded in Dublin it was re-recorded digitally in Orinoco Studios in London. “Orinoco Flow”, the album’s global hit, was the final song written for the album. Selling an estimated 10 million albums, Watermark achieved multi-Platinum-selling status in many countries and is credited with propelling Enya to global fame and acclaim.
“A rich mood piece of broad proportions” and “a glorious aural mosaic” – Rolling Stone
The inaugural winning Classic Irish Album was I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got by the late great Sinéad O’ Connor, followed last year by U2’s Achtung Baby.