{"id":12209,"date":"2026-07-16T11:27:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T10:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siamsa.ie\/how-to-listen-to-radio-siamsa\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T21:52:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T20:52:35","slug":"how-to-listen-to-radio-siamsa","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/siamsa.ie\/pt\/article\/how-to-listen-to-radio-siamsa\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Listen to Radio Siamsa: iPhone, Android, Alexa &#038; In Your Car"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>How to Listen to Radio Siamsa<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Radio Siamsa streams traditional Irish music 24 hours a day, with no ads and no interruptions. You can listen on your iPhone, Android phone, Amazon Alexa, or through our website \u2014 and if you\u2019re driving, it\u2019s easy to get the music playing through your car speakers too.<\/p>\n<p>Our stream runs at 256kbps in high-quality mode \u2014 roughly three times the clarity of a standard FM radio station. Whether you\u2019re at home, at work or on the N17, this is how to get Radio Siamsa into your ears.<\/p>\n<h2>The Quick Version<\/h2>\n<p>In a hurry? Here are your options at a glance:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>iPhone or iPad: Download the free Radio Siamsa app from the App Store.<\/li>\n<li>Android: Download the free Radio Siamsa app from the Google Play Store.<\/li>\n<li>Amazon Alexa: Enable the Radio Siamsa skill, then say \u201cAlexa, open Radio Siamsa.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Web browser: Go to siamsa.ie and hit play.<\/li>\n<li>In the car: Connect your phone to your car via Bluetooth, open the app, and press play.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That\u2019s the short version. Read on for step-by-step instructions for each.<\/p>\n<h2>Listen on iPhone or iPad<\/h2>\n<p>The Radio Siamsa iOS app was built by Brian Drelling, a loyal listener, musician and Apple developer who donated his time to create it. It\u2019s free, lightweight, and does exactly one job: plays traditional Irish music.<\/p>\n<h3>How to set it up<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Open the App Store on your iPhone or iPad.<\/li>\n<li>Search for \u201cRadio Siamsa.\u201d It\u2019s the app with the green harp logo.<\/li>\n<li>Tap \u201cGet\u201d to download. It\u2019s free and takes seconds.<\/li>\n<li>Open the app and tap the play button.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That\u2019s it. The stream starts in high-quality mode (256kbps) by default. The app shows the current track \u2014 the tune title and the artist \u2014 so if you hear something you love, you\u2019ll know what it is.<\/p>\n<h3>Tips for iPhone listeners<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The app plays in the background, so you can use other apps while listening.<\/li>\n<li>It works on the lock screen too \u2014 you\u2019ll see playback controls without unlocking your phone.<\/li>\n<li>If you have AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones, the stream routes to them automatically.<\/li>\n<li>The app also runs on Mac (Apple Silicon) and Apple Vision Pro, though most listeners use it on iPhone.<\/li>\n<li>Requires iOS 16.0 or later.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Listen on Android<\/h2>\n<p>The Android app is rated 4.9 stars on the Play Store and it\u2019s built to be as simple as possible. No ads, no notifications cluttering your phone, no unnecessary permissions. Just tunes.<\/p>\n<h3>How to set it up<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Open the Google Play Store on your Android phone or tablet.<\/li>\n<li>Search for \u201cRadio Siamsa.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Tap \u201cInstall.\u201d It\u2019s free.<\/li>\n<li>Open the app and tap play.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Android app offers a choice between high-quality mode (256kbps) and low-bandwidth mode (128kbps). If you\u2019re on mobile data and watching your usage, the low-bandwidth option still sounds good and uses roughly half the data.<\/p>\n<h3>Tips for Android listeners<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Like the iOS app, it plays in the background and shows on your lock screen.<\/li>\n<li>If the stream doesn\u2019t start on a public Wi-Fi network, try switching to mobile data or using a VPN. Some public networks block streaming traffic.<\/li>\n<li>The app is lightweight \u2014 it won\u2019t slow your phone down or drain your battery the way heavier music apps can.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Listen on Amazon Alexa<\/h2>\n<p>If you have an Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show or any other Alexa-enabled device, you can listen to Radio Siamsa with a voice command. You just need to enable the skill first.<\/p>\n<h3>How to set it up<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Open the Alexa app on your phone (or go to alexa.amazon.com).<\/li>\n<li>Go to Skills &amp; Games and search for \u201cRadio Siamsa.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Tap \u201cEnable Skill.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Now say: \u201cAlexa, open Radio Siamsa.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The music should start playing immediately. However, if you want to make it even simpler, you can set up a routine so that a more natural phrase triggers the station.<\/p>\n<h3>Set up a custom voice command (optional but recommended)<\/h3>\n<p>By default, you need to say \u201cAlexa, open Radio Siamsa\u201d \u2014 which works, but isn\u2019t the most natural thing in the world. Here\u2019s how to set it up so you can just say \u201cAlexa, play Irish music\u201d instead:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In the Alexa app, go to \u201cRoutines.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Create a new routine.<\/li>\n<li>For the trigger, choose \u201cVoice\u201d and type the phrase \u201cPlay Irish music\u201d (or whatever feels natural to you).<\/li>\n<li>For the action, choose \u201cCustom\u201d and type \u201cOpen Radio Siamsa.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Set the device to \u201cThe device you speak to.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Save the routine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now just say \u201cAlexa, play Irish music\u201d and the trad will start flowing. You can also say \u201cAlexa, stop\u201d to pause it.<\/p>\n<h3>A note for UK listeners<\/h3>\n<p>Alexa in the UK sometimes has trouble finding stations through its default TuneIn player. If \u201cAlexa, open Radio Siamsa\u201d doesn\u2019t work, try enabling the \u201cMy Tuner Radio Player\u201d skill on Alexa first (you only need to do this once). Then say: \u201cAlexa, ask My Tuner Radio Player to play Radio Siamsa from Ireland.\u201d It\u2019s a bit of a mouthful, which is why we\u2019d recommend setting up the routine described above.<\/p>\n<h2>Listen on the Website<\/h2>\n<p>No app needed. Just visit siamsa.ie in any web browser \u2014 on your phone, tablet, laptop or desktop \u2014 and hit the play button. The stream runs at 256kbps and shows the current track info (tune title and artist).<\/p>\n<p>This is the simplest option if you\u2019re sitting at a computer and want to listen while you work. It works on Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge and every other modern browser.<\/p>\n<h2>Listen in Your Car<\/h2>\n<p>Some of the best listening happens on the road. There\u2019s something about Irish trad and a long drive \u2014 particularly if you\u2019re winding through the west of Ireland \u2014 that just works. Here\u2019s how to get Radio Siamsa playing through your car speakers.<\/p>\n<h3>Using Bluetooth (most common)<\/h3>\n<p>Almost every car made in the last ten years has Bluetooth. If you can make a phone call through your car, you can play Radio Siamsa through it.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pair your phone with your car. If you haven\u2019t already, go to Settings &gt; Bluetooth on your phone and select your car from the list of available devices. You only need to do this once \u2014 your phone will reconnect automatically after that.<\/li>\n<li>Open the Radio Siamsa app on your phone.<\/li>\n<li>Tap play. The audio will route through your car speakers automatically.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If the audio is still coming through your phone speaker instead of the car, check that your car\u2019s stereo is set to Bluetooth as the input source (sometimes labelled \u201cBT Audio\u201d or \u201cPhone Audio\u201d on older systems). On some cars you may need to press a \u201cMedia\u201d or \u201cSource\u201d button on the dashboard to switch to Bluetooth.<\/p>\n<h3>Using a USB cable<\/h3>\n<p>If your car has Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, you can connect your phone via USB cable. Open the Radio Siamsa app on your phone, hit play, and the audio will come through the car\u2019s speakers. The track info (tune title and artist) usually appears on the car\u2019s display as well.<\/p>\n<p>Even without CarPlay or Android Auto, a simple USB connection or aux cable will route the audio from your phone to the car stereo on most vehicles.<\/p>\n<h3>Using an aux cable<\/h3>\n<p>For older cars without Bluetooth, a 3.5mm aux cable is your friend. Plug one end into the headphone jack on your phone (or use a Lightning\/USB-C to 3.5mm adapter) and the other end into the aux input on your car stereo. Open the app, press play, and you\u2019re away.<\/p>\n<h3>Data usage on the road<\/h3>\n<p>Streaming Radio Siamsa over mobile data uses roughly 115MB per hour in high-quality mode (256kbps) or about 58MB per hour in low-bandwidth mode (128kbps on Android). For a two-hour drive, that\u2019s around 230MB at full quality. If you\u2019re on a limited data plan, the low-bandwidth mode on the Android app halves the usage while still sounding well.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re driving through areas with patchy mobile coverage (hello, rural Ireland), the stream may buffer or drop out. It\u2019ll reconnect automatically when the signal comes back. The app is designed to handle this gracefully.<\/p>\n<h2>About the Audio Quality<\/h2>\n<p>Radio Siamsa streams at 256kbps, which is high for an internet radio station. Most online stations stream at 64\u2013128kbps. The difference is especially noticeable with traditional Irish music, where the subtleties matter \u2014 the breath in a flute note, the ring of a concertina reed, the bite of a fiddle bow. At 256kbps, you hear the detail.<\/p>\n<p>For context, Spotify\u2019s \u201chigh quality\u201d setting streams at 160kbps on mobile, and their \u201cvery high\u201d setting is 320kbps. Radio Siamsa\u2019s 256kbps sits comfortably in that range, and for a live radio stream it\u2019s exceptionally clear.<\/p>\n<p>The Android app additionally offers a 128kbps low-bandwidth option for listeners on slower connections or limited mobile data.<\/p>\n<h2>What You\u2019ll Hear<\/h2>\n<p>Radio Siamsa plays traditional Irish music and nothing else. No pop, no rock, no ads, no chat shows. The playlist draws from an archive that spans nearly a century of recordings: rare 1930s 78rpm sessions from New York, classic albums from the 1970s revival, and the best contemporary trad releases.<\/p>\n<p>The mix is mostly instrumental \u2014 jigs, reels, hornpipes, polkas, slow airs \u2014 with the occasional song if it\u2019s a classic. You\u2019ll hear fiddles, pipes, flutes, whistles, concertinas, accordions, bodhr\u00e1ns, bouzoukis and more. The app displays the tune title and artist for every track, so when something catches your ear, you know exactly what it is and who\u2019s playing it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/siamsa.ie\/pt\/irish-traditional-music\/\">New to trad? Read our complete guide to Irish traditional music<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Troubleshooting<\/h2>\n<p>Radio Siamsa works reliably for thousands of listeners worldwide, but occasionally things go sideways. Here are the most common issues and how to fix them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>No sound on the app? <\/strong>Check that your phone isn\u2019t on silent mode and that the volume is up. It sounds obvious, but it catches everyone at least once.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stream won\u2019t start on public Wi-Fi? <\/strong>Some public networks (hotels, airports, caf\u00e9s) block streaming traffic. Switch to mobile data or try a VPN.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Alexa can\u2019t find Radio Siamsa? <\/strong>Make sure the skill is enabled in the Alexa app. UK listeners may need to use the My Tuner Radio Player skill as described above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Audio dropping out in the car? <\/strong>This is almost always a mobile coverage issue, particularly in rural areas. The stream reconnects automatically when the signal returns. Switching to the low-bandwidth mode on Android can help on weaker connections.<\/p>\n<p><strong>App not working after an update? <\/strong>Try closing the app completely and reopening it. If that doesn\u2019t work, uninstall and reinstall. Your settings are minimal, so you won\u2019t lose anything.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re still stuck, contact us at station@siamsa.ie with your device type, operating system version, and a description of the problem. We\u2019ll help you get the music playing.<\/p>\n<h2>Supporting Radio Siamsa<\/h2>\n<p>Radio Siamsa is entirely funded by listener donations. There are no ads on the station, no ads on the website, and no ads in the apps. No grants, no government funding, no corporate sponsors. Just listeners who value the music enough to chip in.<\/p>\n<p>If the music enriches your day \u2014 whether you\u2019re listening at your desk in Dublin, in the kitchen in Chicago, or driving through Kerry \u2014 you can support the station at siamsa.ie\/support. Every donation goes directly to keeping the station on air.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/siamsa.ie\/pt\/support\/\">Support Radio Siamsa \u2014 siamsa.ie\/support<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Is Radio Siamsa free?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, completely free. The apps are free, there are no ads, and you don\u2019t need to create an account. Just download and play. The station is funded by voluntary listener donations.<\/p>\n<h3>What devices can I listen on?<\/h3>\n<p>iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, Amazon Alexa devices, and any device with a web browser (laptop, desktop, tablet). You can also listen through your car speakers by connecting your phone via Bluetooth, USB or aux cable.<\/p>\n<h3>How much mobile data does Radio Siamsa use?<\/h3>\n<p>In high-quality mode (256kbps), roughly 115MB per hour. The Android app also offers a low-bandwidth mode (128kbps) that uses about 58MB per hour. For comparison, an hour of Spotify at normal quality uses about 70MB.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I listen on Google Home or Sonos?<\/h3>\n<p>Radio Siamsa isn\u2019t currently available as a native skill on Google Home or as a direct Sonos integration. However, you can cast from the website or app to these devices using your phone \u2014 use Google Cast or AirPlay to send the audio to your speaker.<\/p>\n<h3>What quality does Radio Siamsa stream at?<\/h3>\n<p>256kbps in high-quality mode, which is roughly three times the clarity of a standard FM radio broadcast. The Android app also offers 128kbps for listeners on slower connections or limited data plans.<\/p>\n<h3>Does the app show what\u2019s playing?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Both the iOS and Android apps display the tune title and artist for the current track. The website player shows this information too.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I listen outside Ireland?<\/h3>\n<p>Absolutely. Radio Siamsa has listeners in over 100 countries. The stream works anywhere you have an internet connection.<\/p>\n<h3>I\u2019m having trouble with Alexa in the UK. What should I do?<\/h3>\n<p>Enable the \u201cMy Tuner Radio Player\u201d skill in the Alexa app, then say: \u201cAlexa, ask My Tuner Radio Player to play Radio Siamsa from Ireland.\u201d Alternatively, set up a custom routine as described in the Alexa section above to simplify the voice command.<\/p>\n<h2>Further Reading<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/siamsa.ie\/pt\/best-irish-radio-stations\/\">Best Irish Radio Stations for Traditional Music (2026)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/siamsa.ie\/pt\/irish-trad-podcasts\/\">Best Irish Traditional Music Podcasts (2026)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/siamsa.ie\/pt\/history-of-irish-radio\/\">From 2RN to Online: The History of Irish Radio<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/siamsa.ie\/pt\/irish-music-streaming\/\">Irish Music Streaming: Radio vs Spotify vs Apple Music<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"How to Listen to Radio Siamsa: iPhone, Android, Alexa & In Your Car | Radio Siamsa","_seopress_titles_desc":"Listen to Radio Siamsa on your iPhone, Android phone, Amazon Alexa or in your car. 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