Fir Bolg, Indigos Ego, NoVendors and Sophie Whelan have been picked out as Shannonside & Northern Sound'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 Shannonside & Northern Sound's shortlisted artists..

Fir Bolg

Three-piece Longford band Fir Bolg weave together the raw spirit of Irish trad, the soul of folk, the drive of bluegrass, and the grit of the blues. They are currently working hard on originals for their first album. They first debuted their original song 'House of Rogues' in August 2026.

Fir Bolg

Indigos Ego

Indigos Ego are a female-led alternative rock group from Cavan Town. Their music explores a big dynamic sound built around driven guitar riffs and raw melodic vocals. They released their debut album Dark Waters last year and are currently trying to get their music on radios across the country.

Indigos Ego

NoVendors

NoVendors are a four-piece original indie rock band from Cavan, known for their energetic live performances, anthemic guitars, and memorable songwriting. Since forming, NoVendors have been working hard to establish themselves on the Irish music scene, performing at festivals, showcases, and headline gigs while continuing to grow their catalogue of original music.

No Vendors

Sophie Whelan

Sophie Whelan is a 19 year old singer-songwriter from Mullingar. She recently performed 'Already Gone' - an original song that she wrote, recorded and produced at Shannonside Northern Sound studios. Currently a student at BIMM Music Institute Dublin, the singer-songwriter performs melodic, acoustic-driven indie pop and folk.

Sophie Whelan

• 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.