Eight Dublin City Council Luke Kelly Bursary recipients announced

Eight recipients of the inaugural Dublin City Council Luke Kelly Bursary have been announced.

As a new initiative designed to support emerging voices in Irish folk music, each recipient has been awarded a €1,000 bursary.

They also received a mentorship with musician George Murphy at Troubadour Studios in Fairview, to prepare them for their performance in the Luke Kelly Festival in Smithfield on May 23-24.

The youngest recipients include 10 year old Johnny Joyce, 13 year old Julia McCarthy Dillon, and 19 year old Daniel Doherty.

The remaining recipients include Finglas musician Jack Nico, Jacqui Ní Fhaoláin who studied Modern Irish and Music at Trinity College Dublin and holds an MA in Traditional Music Performance from the University of Limerick. Christina Collins from Leap, West Cork, primary school teacher Aoife Maguire, and David Harris from Blessington, Wicklow.

"I warmly congratulate each of the eight inaugural Dublin City Council Luke Kelly Bursary recipients", said Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Ray McAdam. "They should be very proud of what they have achieved. To be selected from such a strong field is a real mark of their talent, their promise and their commitment to the great Irish folk tradition".

The first Dublin City Council Luke Kelly Festival was held in August, 2023. The festival will return to Smithfield Square for its fourth year, on May 23-24.