Irish Music Month is back for 2023!
Irish Music Month is an initiative, run in partnership with Hot Press, and involving Galway Bay FM and other Independent Radio Stations around the country, who through Hot Press and the IBI have received funding from the BAI Sound & Vision fund to promote and celebrate Irish Music.
In addition to the funding being provided to stations, over €105k will be paid directly to artists during Irish Music Month.
Meet our finalists
Brad Heidi
Galway based singer-songwriter Brad Heidi, is fast becoming the next Irish singer song writer to break through. After quitting school Brad’s been travelling around Ireland busking with just his acoustic guitar and a suitcase full of heartfelt songs.
Brad has now gone from busking on the streets to selling out his first headline tour as well as releasing his debut EP. The self released “EP” qualified for the official Irish Charts, reaching No.2 and No.1 on iTunes. 2021. Brads audience is continuing to grow and he’s consistently reaching No.1 on TikTok live streams.
Follow Brad Heidi:
Aimee Carty
Local singer-songwriter / multi-instrumentalist, Aimee Carty, hailing from Ballygar started playing the violin when she was 4 years old. Writing since the age of 12, Aimee is currently studying in UCD.
Sonny Casey
At seventeen Sonny found her voice whilst busking and playing open mics around Ireland. After a brief stint at art college, she left to follow her dream of busking and gigging her way around Europe.
Raised in wild Connemara, on the west coast of Ireland, her music is influenced heavily by nature, poetry and storytelling. Sonny writes in both English and Irish. Her low, raspy voice, gentle guitar picking and narrative lyricism reveals a depth and intimacy to her songs that goes well beyond her years. In the space and silence between her words, she takes her audience on a gentle journey where they can calmly escape this world and reach a place where it’s safe to feel things.
In 2020, after ten countries and years of wandering, Sonny moved to Berlin. Supported by those who'd fallen for her music along her travels, she ran a successful crowdfunding campaign, to record her first professional EP live with a full band.
In 2021, Sonny released her EP ‘Phoebe’ and in celebration of this release she played and sold out her first ever headline show.
In 2022 Sonny Casey toured Ireland playing venues such as Monroes and the Róisín Dubh and festivals such as the Galway Folk Festival and Secret Song. She has shared the stages with the likes of Liam Ó Maonlaí, Susan O’Neill and supported Mick Flannery.
Having fled Berlin to be by the Ocean again, Sonny currently resides in Connemara, planning the release of new music.
Follow Sonny Casey:
The Rosecaps
The Rosecaps are a three-piece independent rock band from Loughrea, Co. Galway and have been writing music together since 2019.
Some of the group’s most noteworthy live performances include opening for Hudson Taylor, Chasing Abbey and Wild Youth in Shannonbridge at various stages in 2022. The band has also played the Róisín Dubh on numerous occasions as well as Whelan’s and Mike the Pies. They recently supported The Clockworks throughout their tour of Ireland in Kerry, Belfast and Galway.
The band released their debut EP “Before You Grab Your Cigar” in early 2021 which amassed over 45,000 Spotify streams and featured their first single “1800 Hours.” They later released their second single “The Wall” in mid 2022, and their third single “Empty Wrappers” in early November.
Follow The Rosecaps:
The month comprises several elements
- Promotion of Irish Music Month and highlighting commitment of radio to Irish music
- The ‘A New Local Hero’ Talent Search, leading to the ‘A New Local Hero’ Award
- Promotion of importance and cultural value of Irish music and performance
- Specifically “a significant increase” over the course of the month in the amount of Irish Music being played by all 25 participating stations
- Increased airplay for Irish artists
Entries are open to acts of all genres across Galway City and County. Submissions will close on 31st January. We’ll be announcing our four chosen finalists in February, before we start meeting and greeting acts live on air and choosing Galway’s representative to go forward to the national finals in March with the potential of winning a whopping €5k in prize money and €5k in musical equipment, as well as having a single released by the Rubyworks label.
Each of the four station finalists will receive a once off payment from the project. This will be €875 for each of your four station finalists administered by Hot Press.
Entries are closed and our finalists have been selected!
For more keep up to date HERE.
