culture ireland

Hard Working Class Heroes is changing it’s name to Ireland Music Week after 16 years. The festival will also expand from 3 to 5 days.

Ireland’s leading music industry conference and showcase festival Hard Working Class Heroes is rebranding itself after 16 successful years of elevating Irish music and exporting it abroad. The festival will now be known as Ireland Music Week and is expanding from three days to five, it takes place in various venues across Dublin city centre from October 1st to 5th. 

The core of the festival ethos will remain, showcasing 50 of the most export-ready emerging Irish talent today to the best of the national and international music industry. The conference  gives artists the chance to learn and develop their craft and create new opportunities with agents, labels, bookers, music supervisors and services from all over the world.

Speaking about the name change, FMC Director Angela Dorgan said:

“The new name will more accurately represent the strategic role of the festival in launching export-ready Irish artists to global prominence at our export-supported events such as Eurosonic, SXSW, The Great Escape, and more. Ireland Music Week will also expand to develop the infrastructure of the Irish music industry as a whole”.

Some of last year’s big successes to progress from Hard Working Class Heroes include Just Mustard, The Wood Burning Savages, Wild Youth, True Tides, Æ Mak, Flynn, Pillow Queens, ROE, Bad Bones, A. Smyth, Kitt Philippa, Laoise, THUMPER, Maria Kelly, Molly Sterling, Joshua Burnside and more.

Since its inception in 2003, HWCH has showcased many of Ireland’s best-known acts including Fontaines DC, David Keenan, Soulé, Daithí, whenyoung, Bitch Falcon, Jafaris, Chasing Abbey, Saint Sister, Wyvern Lingo, Jealous of the Birds, Fangclub, Touts, The Academic, Choice Music Prize winners Rusangano Family, Villagers, 2013’s breakthrough act Hozier, along with Girl Band, Jape, The Coronas, Soak, Talos, Le Boom, Loah, Ham Sandwich, Otherkin and many more.

Applications for Ireland Music Week will open in May. Details on how to apply will be posted on irelandmusicweek.com in the coming weeks. 

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TMFTML Presents #003 this Friday with Leila Jane & The Healers, Mike Paterson and Eoin Martin

Continuing our series of curated shows, we’re back with an evening acoustic leaning acts to ease you in to the Autumn dusk.

Headlining on the night are Leila Jane & The Healers. Leila Jane’s voice is as unmistakable as it is unique. Drawing influence from the Delta Blues and the sweet sounding tones of 50’s Rock and Roll and Country, their music is blissful and serene but not afraid to bite. Raw, heartfelt lyrics reveal an old soul hiding inside a youthful visage. Think Janis Joplin singing the songs of Joni Mitchell.

“Donegal native Leila Jane evokes the best of classic blues while adding a fresh native twist. Her vocals and guitar playing call to mind the sultry folk of Karen Dalton, but she never runs the risk of losing her Irish twang.” Hot Press Magazine

Support on the night comes from Mike Paterson and Eoin Martin.

Cavan singer-songwriter Mike Paterson cut his teeth as the lead singer of blues-rockers Travis Oaks, touring at home and abroad extensively. The band came to an end in 2016, after which Mike hid out in his native county, contemplating the next steps in his musical journey. What followed was a series of stripped back acoustic tracks, featuring simple but unforgettable vocal melodies laid over finger style guitar. Mike is creating songs to paint pictures of nostalgia. His first live single, Outside Lines was released on May 30th 2017. Think Neil Young indulging his more reflective side.

Tullamore native Eoin Martin has spent the last number of years honing his craft and finding his own voice in the crowded singer-songwriter scene. And what a voice! Eoin mixes percussive acoustic guitar with complex finger picked melodies and rounds things off with a truly captivating vocal style, full of harmony and punctuated rhythms. Think Bon Iver and Newton Faulkner meeting up for a few sneaky pints.

” As far as guitars go, nothing beats the acoustic guitar when it’s played expertly. Eoin Martin, from Offaly, is such an expert. He plays so beautifully that he cannot fail to impress. His riffs would rival Metallica and his use of harmonics is exquisite but restrained.” Pure M

Entry is FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE and doors are at 8:30pm. See you in the front row!

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Video

Video: Dott release new video for ‘Talk to you’ and embark on a US Tour

Galway band Dott have just released a new video for ‘Talk to you’ from their début album Swoon. It’s release coincides with the start of the bands US tour which sees them travel coast to coast visiting 6 states and includes 4 dates at SXSW (Two with Ireland’s own FMC and two with the bands US label Graveface Records)


The video was directed and shot by Nigel Gilhooly, Derek Donlon and Darragh O’Connor at Bu Shoe Productions.
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