Music from Northern Ireland in Austin, Texas
Music from Northern Ireland and it’s capital city of Belfast will be playing a major part in this year’s SXSW 2008 Festival in Austin Texas – Not only will a wealth of exciting new and emerging talent be appearing in the official showcase and party programme, but Belfast’s most famous musical son Van Morrison has now announced that for the first time he will be showcasing at SXSW on March 12th to mark the worldwide launch of his new album ‘Keep it Simple.’
It’s not well known and maybe very fitting that Northern Ireland’s ‘Music City’ of Belfast is the ‘Sister City’ of Nashville – Music City USA. With both Van Morrison and Dolly Parton showcasing at SXSW and with a special Belfast Nashville Sister City Party at this year’s event, this relationship will be celebrated in style. The Sister City party will feature performances from some each city’s finest songwriters.
As Van Morrison’s illustrious career clearly testifies, Northern Ireland has long been producing truly inspiring international music talent. This year’s SXSW will also feature an outstanding crop of emerging Northern Ireland artists who will no doubt also be attracting significant music industry and media attention. (See below for artist profiles)




















