Singer to expand his foundation's work to island of Ireland
Musician Ed Sheeran is expanding his foundation's support for young musicians to the island of Ireland. The initiative, North South Sounds 2026, aims to foster collaboration between youth music organizations in Belfast and Cork.
Why it matters
Philanthropic efforts by high-profile artists can significantly impact grassroots arts education and cross-border cultural cooperation.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Robbie Meredith Education and arts correspondent, BBC News NI Getty Images The Ed Sheeran Foundation is initially funding North South Sounds 2026 The musician Ed Sheeran is to expand his foundation's work into the island of Ireland.
The Ed Sheeran Foundation is initially funding North South Sounds 2026, which is bringing 50 young musicians from Belfast and Cork together.
Young people aged 13-17 from the Oh Yeah Centre in Belfast have worked alongside young people from Music Generation in Cork.
They are due to perform gigs at the Oh Yeah Centre and City Hall during Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann on Monday . The youth engagement manager at Oh Yeah, Chelsea Andrews said it was "amazing" that Sheeran was backing grassroots music in the cities.
Sheeran has previously spoken about the importance of support from his school music teacher when he was starting out.
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