Dylan Shortt, Joe Lovett, Abbie Courtney and Lillie Foley have been picked out as Radio Kerry's local finalists in the A New Local Hero national talent search - a key part of Irish Music Month which is taking place on 22 stations across Ireland.

As one of the central features of Irish Music Month, A New Local Hero is a major call to arms for Irish musicians and bands – with all 22 participating radio stations having reached out for submissions in recent months. The excitement is rising, with a slew of announcements arriving over the next few days. Each of the acts selected by the stations will perform and be interviewed on their local station, with one act from each station going forward onto the long-list of contenders for the national A New Local Hero award.

Launched in 2021, Irish Music Month is an initiative of Hot Press and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, and is funded by Coimisiún na Meán. Irish Music Month is also supported by IMRO, RAAP and Live Nation, along with Ticketmaster, Rubyworks, Camden Recording Studios and Spéir Mix and Master.

The stations participating in Irish Music Month are: Clare FM, Classic Hits, Cork's 96FM, East Coast FM, FM104, Galway Bay FM, Highland Radio, KCLR, KFM, Limerick Live 95FM, LMFM, Midlands 103, Midwest Radio, Northern Sound, Ocean FM, Radio Kerry, Radio Nova, Shannonside FM, South East Radio, Sunshine FM, Tipp FM, and WLR FM.

What Irish Music Month means, across participating independent stations, is:

– More Irish music song plays

– More Irish music artist mentions

– More Irish music features

– More Irish artist gig pushes

– More Irish artist interviews

And – what's more – we'll be putting over €100,000 into the hands of music makers and their crews across the country too.

Without further ado, let's meet Radio Kerry's shortlisted artists...

Dylan Shortt

Dylan Shortt is a local gigging musician from Killarney. Now 22 years old, Shortt has been playing in Killarney bars for the past couple of years. Recently having graduated with a First Class Honours Degree from IADT where he studied Music Production, Shortt is a passionate songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who sings, as well as plays guitar, bass and drums.

Dylan Shortt

Joe Lovett

Joe Lovett is an 18-year-old singer-songwriter from Kerry. Lovett started making music earlier this year in his bedroom, producing all of his own songs on GarageBand. His sound is influenced by alternative R&B and indie soul. Alongside music, Lovett is also pursuing modelling and has had opportunities to work in Ireland and internationally. He has been playing gigs and busking in recent months as he continues to develop as an artist.

Joe Lovett

Abbie Courtney

Abbie Courtney is a 17-year-old singer-songwriter from South Kerry. She makes indie-pop music and has been releasing her own original songs independently over the past few years. Courtney loves writing honest, personal songs based on her own experiences. With a powerful voice and stories well beyond her years, the young artist has been singing since she could talk and picked up a guitar at just eight years old.

Abbie Courtney

Lillie Foley

Lillie Foley is a 24-year-old folkpop singer-songwriter from Killarney. She started releasing her own music in 2025 and has since released three singles, two Christmas songs and a five-song EP. Blending emotive, personal storytelling with fun riffs and infectious pop melodies, her music balances heartfelt honesty with an uplifting, feel-good energy.

Lillie Foley

• Keep an eye on hotpress.com and listen to your local participating station for more news on Irish Music Month, A New Local Hero and the Irish song competition, Amhrán na Laoch.