Launch of 5th Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival & Song Writing Convention 18th-22nd February 2009 
More than one hundred songwriters take to the stage in February’s Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival and annual Song Writing Convention. Now in its fifth year, the festival celebrates the art of song writing and the Sister Cities link between Belfast and Nashville. Festival Director Colin Magee said: “We set out to create something special to give recognition to the writer behind the song. The festival will feature talented songwriters such as Foy Vance, Ken Haddock and Declan O’Rourke alongside other international artists such as Nanci Griffith, Steve Harley (of Cockney Rebel), Josh Rouse, Raul Malo (of The Mavericks) and Tift Merritt”
Grammy Award winning songwriters Tia Sillers (‘I Hope You Dance’) and Mark Selby (‘There’s Your Trouble’) travel over from Nashville to perform and Thea Gilmore, Catie Curtis, Dana Cooper and Buddy Mondlock have all agreed to take part. The festival also provides a platform for many local songwriters including Ben Glover & The Earls, Eilidh Patterson, Paul Casey and John McGurgan at this internationally acclaimed event. Songwriter Benny Gallagher performed at last year’s event: “the festival is as good as it gets. As a young man, with all my hopes and dreams of becoming a songwriter, I would have given the world to get this close to such a wealth of song writing talent”
Benny Gallagher (of Gallagher & Lyle fame)
Over five days in February from 18th – 22nd, thirty concerts and twenty workshops have been organised involving more than one hundred songwriters and attracting hundreds of tourists to Belfast. The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Tom Hartley has given his support to the international event: “Belfast City Council is delighted to be associated with the 5th Belfast Nashville Songwriters’ Festival. The celebration of the art of song writing enables us to discover more about our shared musical heritage. It sends out a positive message of our cities internationally and enhances our tourism potential; broadening the cultural tourism package aimed at the US market has clear economic benefits for Belfast. I would like to wish Panarts every success with their festival and look forward to the many events across Belfast and its profile being raised at home and abroad”
Once again, several organisations have agreed to lend support and advice to the songwriters’ festival including Belfast City Council, Department for Social Development, Madison’s Hotel Botannic Inns, The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Performing Rights Society, Broadcast Media Inc and Castlereagh Borough Council. Tickets can be bought online at www.belfastnashville.com or at The Belfast Welcome Centre 47 Donegall Place, in front of Belfast City Hall, telephone 02890 246609 for more details.
Sister cities with a shared musical heritage
Festival Director
Colin Magee 07968798732
Festival Manager
Anne Coulter Panarts Trustees
Joe Duffy, Ruth Dilly, Alan Grattan |
Visitors
