Drogheda's first Songwriting Festival kicks off next month!

A panel of critically acclaimed songwriters will be on hand to mentor up and coming talent at Drogheda's first Songwriting Festival next month.

The event that takes place on Sunday 29th September in The Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda from 11am - 9pm promises to be a day full of inspiration, collaboration and creation for songwriters of all levels.

The afternoon will have two Q&As, with guests Brendan Murphy (the 4 of Us) and folk singer Emma Langford, both hosted by Eurovision-winning songwriter Charlie McGettigan.

These will be preceded by a morning full of workshops on themes such as Thinking Outside the Box, Story Songs and Improv Songwriting Games.

Throughout the day there will be spaces provided for songwriters to network and co-write with fellow participants, and then perform the fruits of their days' labour at the gala concert which will close the festival.

The mentors hosting the workshops are themselves also songwriters of critical acclaim – Suzanne Savage, SJ McArdle and Keith Burke – and they will be on hand at times throughout the day to lend a listening ear to anyone seeking outside perspectives on their work-in- progress.

Darren Flynn, festival co-organiser, explained the vision for the festival:

“We want to provide a space to the songwriting community in Ireland, to help more songwrit- ers feel a part of it, and to provide them with a few new tools to get the most out of their raw talent and inspiration. Think of it as an in-service training day for songwriters”.

This initiative is presented with the support of Droichead Arts Centre, Create Louth and the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO).

Early bird tickets are on sale now for €35 at https://bit.ly/drogsingersongwriter or on www.- droichead.com

Songwriters contributing to the festival:

Brendan Murphy:

Brendan Murphy is a singer and songwriter, best known for his work with the band THE 4 OF US. Their debut album, *Songs for the Tempted*, co-written by Brendan, achieved critical and commercial success. One of the standout tracks from the album, "Mary," remains a staple on Irish radio to this day.

Emma Langford:

Globe-trotting and award-winning songwriter Emma Langford calls Limerick City in the West of Ireland home. Storytelling and wit sit at the heart of all she does, with intricate narrative in- terweaving her live performance, and humour shining through her work. Hers is an inimitable, ethereal voice in a new age of Irish folk.

Charlie McGettigan

Charlie has worked with artists like Maura O’Connell and Eleanor Shanley, who both recorded many of his songs. He joined forces with Paul Harrington and Brendan Graham to win the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland with “Rock n Roll Kids”.

Suzanne Savage

Suzanne has over twenty years of professional vocal experience, from live stage to studio as both session singer, professional chorister and soloist, alongside a career as a singing teacher and coach with students of all ages and abilities. She has written and co-written several al- bums, including the German Record Critic Prize nominated 2016 album “Sleepwalking” with cellist/arranger Hugo Smit (for their string quartet and voice project The Savage Five).

SJ McArdle

SJ McArdle is a songwriter, musician and curator, critically-acclaimed at home and abroad. He is known for his PORT project and its accompanying RTE Radio 1 Album Of The Week Old Ghosts In The Water, his previous work in award-winning folk band Kern and his career as a singer-songwriter in Nashville and Germany, which produced 2014’s critically-acclaimed Blood and Bones album.

Keith Burke

Dublin Songwriter and Skerries native Keith Burke has released three original albums. "The Dancer who Stole your Shoes" in 2004, "No One Wants to Move" in 2008 and “These Boys” in 2016. He has played concerts in Pittsburgh USA, Cairo Egypt and Beirut Lebanon, has played televised concerts in Italy, dates in the 2005 Guinness Cork Jazz festival and received the Hot- press "Pick of the fortnight”.