Songlines Music Development Project
Derry~Londonderry & Leitrim
Admission: Free
Equipping musicians with essential industry skills.
Songlines is a cross-border music development and performance project supporting both emerging and established singer-songwriters and bands from Leitrim and Derry~Londonderry that have yet to reach a mass audience.
Through expert-led training, creative collaboration, and showcasing, Songlines equips artists with skills and support to build sustainable careers while engaging diverse public audiences in a celebration of music's power to transcend borders and generations.
Through an open call, approximately 16 acts (bands and/or individual musicians) will be selected to take part.
What's Involved?
- Music Production: Arranging, recording, editing, mixing and mastering.
- Marketing and Publicity: Writing about your work, website development, streaming and digital promotion, getting played.
- Performance: Stage management, gigs, festivals and touring.
- Career Planning: Developing a portfolio, managing a band and finances.
Why Apply?
- New work created and disseminated under professional conditions.
- Public performance opportunities and enhanced exposure to wider audiences.
- New creative and professional networks across regional and national boundaries.
- A stronger platform for funding, media, or performance opportunities.
- Increased skills and confidence in self-managing artistic careers.
Where and When?
- Applications will be accepted though the link below until Sunday 16 November 2025.
- The programme of workshops and music development will take place at weekends in Derry and Manorhamilton from January to May 2026. (Approximately one weekend day every two weeks.)
- The public showcases will take place at the Glens Centre in Manorhamilton in June 2026 and on the Nerve Centre Stage at Stendhal Festival in July 2026.
How are Artists Selected?
Musicians are selected by an external panel based on the following criteria:
- Track record of applicant (or potential for emerging musicians) and proven commitment to high quality work.
- Likely benefit of participation to the applicants' practice.
- Likely future impact on audiences.
Individual musicians must either live or base their practice in Leitrim or Derry. Bands or groups of musicians may include those living or working elsewhere as well as from Leitrim/Derry. Where applications are assessed in terms of benefit to artists, it is the benefit of those artists ordinarily basing their practice in Leitrim or Derry that is relevant.
Please note that all musicians must be 18 years of age or older at the time of application.
How to Apply
Applications open from Monday 1 September 2025.
Closing date for expressions of interest is Sunday 16 November 2025.
Songlines was developed as part of Leitrim County Council’s Creative Ireland Programme with The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton and Nerve Centre with funding from the Creativity on a Shared Island Programme.
Funders and Partners
