Supporting Irish Musicians and Artists

Celebrating the best of Ireland's rising talent, A New Local Hero is back for a hugely anticipated second year – with Galway Bay FM having just announced their four finalists.

As one of the central features of Irish Music Month, A New Local Hero acts as a major call to arms for Irish musicians and bands – with all 25 participating radio stations having reached out for submissions as part of the talent search.

Without further ado, let's see Galway Bay FM's shortlist...

Brad Heidi:

This Galway-based singer-songwriter initially built up a following on the busking circuit – but successful singles, and a lauded performance at Dublin’s New Year’s Eve festival, have helped him garner a reputation as a serious star-on-the-rise.

Brad Heidi at 3City Stages on February 11th, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Aimee Carty:

In addition to sharing her covers online, the 20-year-old Ballygar singer-songwriter is about to start gaining a lot of recognition for her original material, following the release of ‘One Day You Will Fly Too’ last month.

Sonny Casey:

Raised in Connemara, this folk singer-songwriter has put in the hard graft – busking and gigging her way around Europe for years. Following the release of her captivating Phoebe EP in 2021, she’s currently gearing up to release her debut album.

The Rosecaps:

Initially joining forces in 2019, the Galway-based indie rockers quickly found an enthusiastic audience with the release of their debut EP, Before You Grab Your Cigar – and were recently tipped as ‘Hot For 2023’ by Hot Press.

Each of the selected artists at this stage in the campaign will get a chance to play live on their station, and all of those artists – thanks to the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, under its Sound & Vision scheme – will be paid for their performance.

From there, the four finalists representing the station will be whittled down to one ‘Local Hero’ from each  – a major honour in itself, which will serve as a huge milestone in the careers of the selected 25 artists.

All of this leads to the national stage of the journey. From the 25 artists selected locally, an industry judging panel will choose just five acts to go forward to play at a special showcase event in Dublin.

The A New Local Hero campaign will ultimately see over  €100,000 paid directly to Irish artists – and one worthy winning act selected, who will get to record a single at the prestigious Camden Recording Studios in Dublin, and release the single on the famed Irish independent record label Rubyworks.

As announced by Hot Press and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI), Irish Music Month will run from Monday, March 12, to Friday, April 13 – and will see significantly increased radio play for Irish music across 25 independent radio stations.

Irish Music Month is supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, under its Sound & Vision scheme.

The event is also supported by IMRO, RAAP, MCD Productions, Live Nation, Ticketmaster, Camden Recording Studios and the Rubyworks label.

Read more about Irish Music Month here.