Pearse McGloughlin is an artist and songwriter from Ireland.

Pearse makes atmospheric folk-noir that meets life’s shadows with defiant optimism, giving dreamers and doers a poetic refuge to reclaim hope, trust themselves, and find beauty in the everyday.

In my work, I hOpe that the stillness of rural Sligo and the pulse of Dublin intertwine in intimate, atmospheric folk-noir. I hope that this music offers searching listeners a poetic refuge from distraction and doubt — to reclaim hope, to trust one’s instinct, and to feel life’s beauty again…….. Pearse McGloughlin

Pearse has released six albums: Busy Whisper (2009), In Movement (2012) and Idiot Songs (2013) in collaboration with composer Justin Grounds. 2016 saw the release of an ambient-folk collection 'The Soft Animal'. The Rest, Pearse’s fifth collection was released in 2020. ‘Keg’ his sixth album was released on Urchin Music and Bluestack Records in June 2023.

Pearse has provided soundtracks and music for film (‘Shine’ and ‘Around Here’), art projects (his music has featured in the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo in conjunction with his brothers Kevin and Páraic McGloughlin) and in commercial advertising. March 2025 saw the release of a new EP of soundscapes called “The Falls” which shows Pearse’s interest in this domain.

Pearse’s music has been described as captivating, elegant and nuanced and has appeared in The Irish Times, on the BBC, BBC6 Music, TG4, RTE, Sirius XM, KEXP as well as at festivals such as Electric Picnic. Pearse's work often deals in literary and philosophical themes, for example, Idiot Songs drew largely from Fyodor Dostoevsky's ‘The Idiot’. His songs have also been covered and released by his contemporaries, including Fia Rua and Robin James Hurt.

Pitching up somewhere between camps Mercury Rev and Sufjan Stevens, McGloughlin consistently creates big beautiful music which deserves big beautiful audiences…. The Goo Dublin

Led by Sligo native Pearse McGloughlin, Nocturnes weave a blend of meditative folk-noir with lyrics that are both emotionally resonant and spiritually uplifting….RTE Culture

a musical artist and wordsmith who crafts songs of exquisite beauty and depth (for Keg)… Nenesbutler

this is pop-folk goldsmithery of the highest order ... Between strings as precise as they are loose and vocals as inhabited as they are celestial, the journey is overwhelming... This songwriting is both deeply rooted and profoundly singular, giving it that long-lasting breadth that is so precious (for Keg)…. Le Village Pop

Softly embellished folk songs, often with a softly sweeping cinematic bent, the faint burble of electronics and a sense of the avant-garde - The Irish Times

Songs of autumnal ambience, bringing shades of a serene Sigur Ros or Beach House - The Sunday Times

Our favourite Irish record of the year (for The Soft Animal) - RTÉ Culture