Supporting Irish Musicians and Artists

Cork's The Cliffords have been crowned the overall winners of Ireland's Classic Hits' A New Local Hero talent search.

Quickly becoming one of the most exciting emerging acts in Cork, this four-piece erupted onto the scene as the winners of UCC Battle of the Bands. They’ve since kicked off 2023 with the release of double single, ‘Lycaphobia’/’Crawlspace’.

"We have been picked as finalist for a new local hero competition!" the band wrote on Instagram in response to the news. "We are so over the moon for the opportunity and everyone’s support... We love ye keep barking!"

The other talented finalists selected by Ireland's Classic Hits included singer-songwriter Eva Campbell, multi-instrumentalist Rawney, and indie-pop group No Photos.

Each finalist got the chance to play live on Ireland's Classic Hits, with all of the artists – thanks to the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, under its Sound & Vision scheme – being paid for their performance.

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 25 participating radio stations having reached out for submissions as part of the talent search.

Listen to The Cliffords' 'Lycaphobia' below:

25 acts, including The Cliffords, have been selected as their radio station's A New Local Hero. Now, an industry judging panel will choose just five of those 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.