IMRO Chats

IMRO Chats is a monthly podcast series exploring the topics, challenges and opportunities shaping Ireland’s music industry, hosted by Anne Marie Kelly. Our next episode, Music Tourism , looks at the role music plays in shaping how people experience Ireland, from impromptu pub sessions and grassroots venues to festivals, cultural spaces and the hospitality sector. Featuring insights from Other Voic...

IMRO Chats is a monthly podcast series exploring the topics, challenges and opportunities shaping Ireland’s music industry.    As the Ivor Novello Awards take place this month, our next episode, The Ivors Academy, explores what the Academy’s presence in Ireland means for songwriters and composers, and the role it can play in supporting, protecting and empowering music creators.    Featuring insigh...

IMRO Chats is a monthly podcast series exploring the topics, challenges and opportunities shaping Ireland’s music industry. Following the IMRO Live Music Awards this month, our next episode, Music Venues, concentrates on small and medium-sized venues, exploring how these spaces support artists, foster audiences and sustain live performance across Ireland.  Featuring insights from venue operators a...

IMRO Chats is a monthly podcast series exploring the topics, challenges and opportunities shaping Ireland’s music industry. In this month’s episode, IMRO Chats focuses on SXSW, the annual music, film and tech festival in Austin, Texas, revealing how the event provides opportunities and support for Irish artists to perform abroad. Featuring insights from industry professionals, policymakers and art...

IMRO Chats is a monthly podcast series exploring the topics, challenges and opportunities shaping Ireland’s music industry. In this month’s episode of IMRO Chats, we explore the proposed Culture Card for Ireland and what it could mean for increasing access to music and culture.​ Featuring voices from young people, industry professionals and policymakers, we examine how the scheme could work and wh...

On today’s episode we are previewing the Borderline Festival 2026. Now in its third year, the festival showcasing emerging alternative acts from Ireland and beyond, will be taking place from the 19th to the 21st February in The Workman’s Club and the Project Arts Centre in Dublin. Ahead of the festival, Danny Carroll spoke to founder and organiser Simon Merriman, the international booking agent Ju...

In this episode we have a live recording from the inaugural IMRO 360 Series – a new annual event discussing issues and topics of importance to the Irish music industry. The title of the inaugural discussion was ‘AI, Copyright and the future of music’. Hosted by Jess Kelly (technology correspondent with Newstalk), the event featured a panel of industry experts providing insights and opinions on the...

The 2025 IMRO Ireland Music Report, compiled by CORE Research , was launched last week, revealing that Ireland’s music industry is a significant contributor to the national economy, generating €1 billion annually and employing over 13,400 people. The research findings were launched by Alan Kelly TD, Chaiperson of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, and...

On this episode of the podcast we are meeting two Irish composers who contributed to the recent Music Current Festival 2025. Music Current Festival is an annual contemporary music festival produced by Dublin Sound Lab. The festival offers a showcase of contemporary Irish and new international electronic music in an accessible and friendly environment. As well as the main concert programme, the fes...

Irish Music Month has been organised by the IBI and Hotpress since 2021. This year they launched Amhrán na Laoch, to find the best song in Irish. In this edition of the IMRO podcast, Dave Macardle describes Irish Music Month and the role that radio stations play in promoting Irish music, Rónán Ó Domhnaill provides information on the Media Commission's involvement through Fís & Fuaim and w...

In March 2025, IMRO hosted an in-person panel discussion moderated by music journalist Zara Hedderman – featuring Bekah Molony (Celaviedmai, Negro Impacto), Conor Cusack (Morgana, Saint Sister), and Gavin Elsted (Silverbacks). In an ever-changing industry, artist managers continue to provide a vital role in developing emerging artists and helping them sustain their career. This talk shed light on...

Jake Curran & Seán Murray from Echocat Live chat with Zoé Piater to take us behind the scenes and unpack how they bring live performances to life. With years of experience across global stages and genres, they share insights into processes in live production and music direction: creative ideas behind Niall Horan's 'The Show Live On Tour' from intimate acoustic setups that feel l...

On today’s episode Danny Carroll meets Kate Ellis, cellist and artistic director of Crash Ensemble and composer Jonathan Nangle to discuss The Blue Haze Of Deep Time, a composition by Jonathan that will be premiered by Crash Ensemble at the New Music Dublin festival, on Sunday 6th April in The National Concert Hall. The work will be released on CD and digital platforms two days prior via Crash Rec...

A unique opportunity to receive insights and opinions from three producers working in Ireland. This event took place at the IMRO Office last month, moderated by music journalist Zara Hedderman. Three music producers share their experiences and development of their craft – featuring Daniel Fox ( Gilla Band, Silverbacks, Lambrini Girls ), Elaine Mai (Loah, Soulé, MayKay), and Adam Shanahan (Cable Bo...

On today’s episode we are turning our attention to the Singular Artists festival, Borderline. Taking place across three rooms in the Workman’s Club in Dublin, the two day event showcases an eclectic mix of international and local acts. Borderline returns to the Workman’s this weekend, Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd of February and ahead of these festivities, Danny Carroll spoke to Steve Taylor (Boo...

On today’s episode, we’re learning more about the world of music publishing and supervision with Aideen O’Brien Originally from Cork, Aideen has been based in Canada for over three decades, working for major organisations including BMG Publishing and Entertainment One. A founding member of the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame, in recent years she’s gone on to form her own company Mighty Craic Mus...

Today's episode of the IMRO Podcast comes from the Lowden Guitar Factory in Downpatrick. Endorsed by everyone from Ed Sheeran to Richard Thompson, Lowden has become synonymous with the top acoustic players in the world. Celebrating 50 years since making his first professional guitar, company founder George Lowden met Danny Carroll to talk about the history of the company, provide a tour of th...

On today’s episode, we are focusing on Ireland’s folk music conference, Your Roots Are Showing. Now in its third year, Your Roots Are Showing is dedicated to preserving and promoting folk music in Ireland. The annual conference features professional development sessions, interactive workshops and live performances attracting a mix of local and international artists and industry figures. To find ou...

On today's episode we have an in-depth interview with the award-winning composer and musician Linda Buckley. Linda creates electronic and acoustic music across many disciplines. As a film composer, she's worked with her sister Irene on features such as Nothing Compares (The documentary of Sinéad O'Connor), and earlier this year on the stunning Pat Collins film 'That They May Fa...

Today’s episode is a recording of a live panel discussion titled ‘Funding in Ireland’. This event took place at the IMRO office in September and was aimed at helping musicians based in Ireland learn more about the funding opportunities and supports available to them. On the night we received insights and advice from Tara Bolger (Support Manager of the Music and Opera Department at Arts Council Of...

On today’s episode we have an in-depth interview with the godfather of electronic music in Ireland, Roger Doyle. A composer, keyboardist and producer, he’s been writing music for over 50 years. Starting in the Royal Irish Academy Of Music, he went on to develop his craft at the Dutch Institute Of Sonology and later the Finnish Radio Experimental Music Studio. His curiousity around new technology a...

Today's episode of the IMRO Podcast is focused on We’ve Only Just Begun, the annual three night music festival, taking place in Whelan’s in Dublin, on the 8th, 9th and 10th of August. The festival started in 2018, aims to platform female and non-binary musicians and over the years, its featured acts such as Pillow Queens, Soda Blonde, Sorcha Richardson to name but a few. This year’s lineup fe...

On today’s episode we’re focused on the provision of Artists Workspaces in Ireland. Specifically, this episode was made in response to the recent Government initiative, providing €6 million euro in funding towards artist spaces nationwide. The Pilot Scheme, in collaboration with Local Authorities intends to increase the stock of artist workspaces in cities and towns across the country. Launching t...

On this episode of the IMRO Podcast, we have an interview with the ambient lo-fi artist Hevi. Hevi, is a Turkish musician and producer based in Istanbul. Since 2018, he’s been producing lo-fi hip hop inspired by themes of nighttime and nostalgia. Currently he has over 519,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and in this episode of the IMRO Podcast, he spoke to Danny Carroll about his musical journey....

Today have the third and penultimate conversation from our Label Focus mini-series presented by Zara Hedderman. So far we’ve heard from Willie Stewart of Nyahh Records and Joey Edwards from Pizza Pizza Records and in this episode, you’ll hear Zara speaking with Michael Roe, label and artist manager with Faction Records.  Faction Records is coming close to reaching a massive milestone of 20 years i...