Ballyshannon Folk & Traditional Music Festival is proud to announce the lineup of its new and exciting Showcase competition for 2011.

The showcase began last year and provided a launch pad for young musicians to appear on stage in the Abbey Theater and open the night’s entertainment for the headline act.

The event will take place in Dorrians Imperial Hotel on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st of July starting at 1pm on both days. The competition will be judged by four independent experts.

There are a total of twelve acts taking the stage including last years winners (Bullriver Meejiums) over the two days from individuals to four, five and a ten piece. They will be battling it out in fifteen minute sets for the title of Showcase Winners 2011.

We are offering the winner a unique prize package. Firstly the opportunity to open the show in the Abbey Centre for the headline act Four Men and A Dog on 31st July 2010 where they will be presented with a unique commemorative award and €500.

Also one days recording time and one days editing and mixing time in the local Edenvella Studios. This gives the winner two days where they will be coached to produce a professional engineered and mixed demo suitable for radio play.

Sean Walsh
Sean Walsh is Director of Ballina Arts Centre in Co. Mayo, where he oversees a wide-ranging interdisciplinary programme of arts events and activities, which includes a wide-ranging music programme covering all styles and genres. For the past ten years, he has been writing for Irish Music Magazine, as well as contributing to a number of other publications including Hot Press, Magpie, artswest and Ceide Review.

Niel Johnston
Niel is a former journalist and contributor to the Belfast Telegraph specializing in the folk and traditional music scene. He has also been an annual visitor to the Ballyshannon Festival for his summer hideaway for the past thirty years and has built up a great friendship with the different festival committee’s over the years.

Bob Copeland
Bob who hails from Belfast has been making the pilgrimage to the Folk Festival for over fifteen years. Bob can be found at most folk and traditional gigs in Belfast. He is credited with having recommended several new and relatively unknown bands in the Donegal area to the festival committee over the years that proved to be great successes.

Jim Lilly
Jim has been a judge of the Ballyshannon Folk Festivals previous busking competition for many years and was one of last years judges of the first showcase competition. Jim has also been involved in organizing many folk and traditional events in Belfast and has been a great ambassador for the Ballyshannon festival at these events.