One of Europe's biggest music festivals is set to showcase Ireland's musical talent with Ireland confirmed as the 'spotlight country' at EuroSonic 2012 - and RTÉ 2fm will be there to capture it all.

DJs Dave Fanning, Jenny Huston and Dan Hegarty will broadcast live from the heart of EuroSonic 2012, which takes place in the Dutch city of Groningen between Wednesday 11 January and Saturday 14 January 2012.

Broadcasting on Thursday 12 January and Friday 13 January, between 10pm and 1am, RTÉ 2fm will bring listeners the best live sets, interviews and sessions from the cream of Irish musical talent such as Fionn Regan, Lisa Hannigan, James Vincent McMorrow, Funeral Suits, Toby Karr, Thread Pulls and We Cut Corners amongst others. 

2fm will also be hosting live studio sessions from EuroSonic-bound bands in the run-up to the festival from Monday 9 January.

RTÉ 2fm DJ Dave Fanning says: "I'm delighted to be going to EuroSonic with 2fm; particularly during a year when the festival has chosen to put Irish music in the spotlight. 2fm and EuroSonic have always made a great team and now, with help from Culture Ireland and First Music Contact, the ears of the world will be tuned in to the very best music that our country has to offer."

Each year, EuroSonic highlights one European country with a flourishing musical climate, and 2012 is Ireland's year to shine. The acts selected to play this year are: Bitches With Wolves, Cashier no9, Fionn Regan, We Cut Corners, Emmet Tinley, Foy Vance, Funeral Suits, God Is An Astronaut, Hello Moon, James Vincent McMorrow, Jape, LaFaro, Lisa Hannigan, Mojo Fury, Rams Pocket Radio, Squarehead, The Cast of Cheers, The Minutes, Thread Pulls, Toby Karr and Wallis Bird.

Ireland at EuroSonic 2012 is an initiative of Culture Ireland and First Music Contact (Music From Ireland) in partnership with RTÉ 2fm; a partnership which has been helping Irish acts to reach a national and international audience since the inception of EuroSonic.

 

As part of this initiative, Culture Ireland will be providing funding for 21 of Ireland's freshest and most promising musical acts to travel to Groningen to perform at EuroSonic 2012. With help and guidance from First Music Contact, EuroSonic 2012 really is a rare opportunity for Irish acts to flaunt their talents to an international audience.

Speaking at the launch of Ireland at EuroSonic 2012, Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, said: "For many people, the deep sense of connection they feel to Ireland is borne out of love for Irish music, in all its forms.  Singers, musicians and composers have always been our greatest ambassadors and they are the foundation upon which Ireland's reputation as a creative nation is built.  We are delighted that Ireland is the spotlight country at EuroSonic and our warmest thanks to First Music Contact through their Music From Ireland initiative, RTÉ 2fm and the wonderful selection of Irish bands and musicians who will perform at the festival this year."

In addition to being one of the largest European festivals, EuroSonic's links with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) also sees the event act as a major conference for the music industry's movers and shakers to congregate in order to make serious decisions about the future of the industry; the festival is a well-known hunting ground for international festival bookers and record label bosses.

To highlight further Ireland's importance to the European music industry, on Thursday 12 January the Irish Ambassador to the Netherlands, Mary Whelan, will formally launch Ireland at EuroSonic 2012 at an event hosted by First Music Contact and Music From Ireland CEO, Angela Dorgan. The event, entitled The Soapbox Sessions, will see Irish music industry heavyweights such as 2fm's Dave Fanning, The Irish Times' Jim Carroll, blogger and music aficionado Nialler9, a variety of management and label bosses and many more take part in an unique networking event which will introduce Irish delegates to their European counterparts. 

Image: Jimmy Deenihan TD (Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht) with RTÉ 2fm DJs Dave Fanning, Jenny Huston and Dan Hegarty, Eugene Downes (CEO of Culture Ireland), Angela Dorgan (CEO of First Music Contact) and EuroSonic-bound acts Fionn Regan, James Vincent McMorrow, Funeral Suits, Hello Moon and Squarehead




Image: Eurosonic-bound acts and delegates from RTÉ 2fm, Culture Ireland and First Music Contact


Image: Eugene Downes (CEO of Culture Ireland), Jimmy Deenihan TD (Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht), Angela Dorgan (CEO of First Music Contact and Music From Ireland) and Dave Fanning (RTÉ 2fm) discuss the Irish acts bound for EuroSonic this January


Image: Eugene Downes (CEO of Culture Ireland), Dave Fanning (RTÉ 2fm), Ian Wilson (RTÉ 2fm) and Dan Hegarty (RTÉ 2fm) discuss the Irish acts bound for EuroSonic this January