London, Ontario, CANADA - Home County and the London Music Office have teamed up to bring two musicians from Belfast, Northern Ireland — another UNESCO City of Music — to the 48th edition of the Home County Music & Art Festival.

“We are thrilled to partner with the London Music Office on this initiative,” says Darin J. Addison, Artistic Director for the Festival. “This will be the first time Home County has featured non Canadian performers in over 15 years.”

The musicians are Belfast-based singer-songwriters Niall McDowell and Ciara O’Neill (bios and photos below). Niall will perform a concert set on the Saturday Mainstage at 7:00p.m. and Ciara will be on the Sunday Mainstage at 6:20 p.m. Both musicians will also collaborate with other festival performers on afternoon workshop stages (full schedule to be announced).

The idea for this venture began in December 2022 as the London Music Office and Home County explored ways to embrace London's newfound status as Canada’s first UNESCO City of Music (London received the UNESCO City of Music Designation in November 2021).

“Home County has been a summer staple in London since 1974. As a UNESCO City of Music, we are thrilled to extend this fantastic tradition to welcome artists from Belfast,” says Cory Crossman, Music Industry Development Officer (Tourism London) and UNESCO City of Music Focal Point. “Partners like Home County enable international collaboration and exchanges to take place. We are thrilled to be working with Belfast City of Music and Home County to showcase Canada’s first and only UNESCO City of Music.”

Not only will the Belfast artists be performing in London, they will also participate in co-writing sessions with Home County performers, and will be supported by Fanshawe College Producers and Engineers.

“Niall and Ciara are two absolutely wonderful artists and very kind people,” says Nikki MacRae, Culture Development Officer (Music Lead) and Crossman’s counterpart for the City of Belfast. “I am so delighted that you chose them for this opportunity, they deserve it so much and I am confident that they will be both a joy to host and to witness performing live.”

Belfast Performer Bios

Belfast based folk artist Ciara O’Neill has had quite the musical journey having released two albums; ‘The Ebony Trail’ (2016), ‘Arrow’ (2018) and EP ‘La Lune’ (2022). Her career has taken her to Nashville where she has performed at the Bluebird Cafe, written with Grammy winning songwriters, performed to a US TV audience of 60 million and showcased at Folk Alliance in Kansas City. Most recently Ciara was nominated for Best Emerging Artist at the 2022 RTE Radio1 folk awards in her home country of Ireland. She is currently working on a new EP entitled ‘Woman’ to be released late 2023.

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Niall McDowell is a queer folk and alt-country singer/songwriter from Belfast, Country Antrim. Their music has been described as "somewhere between a choirboy and a cowboy" by BBC Radio 1 with Songs such as 'Brokeback' and 'It Was An Honour To Be Nominated' lauded for their whip-smart writing and vulnerable production. After a stint in Soft Gut Song-writing Camp curated by Ciaran Lavery, an array of sold-out live shows and their involvement in The Oh Yeah Centre in Belfast's 'Scratch My Progress' programme in 2022-23, their newest single 'I Have Given Up' arrived in March, which is the first of a string of releases to come in 2023.

"The voice is beyond category" Stu Bailie, Dig With It

"A new era for their enthralling sound" - Hot Press for Track of the Day. "Making country music cool again." Nameless Faceless Magazine

"We were blown away by Niall's voice" - The Duncairn

"Full of life and charm" - Nialler9

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