Ed Sheeran is extending his music foundation to Ireland with the launch of North South Sounds 2026, a cross-border project bringing together young people from Cork and Belfast. Fifty participants will present their first original works on 3 August in front of Belfast City Hall, as part of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026.
After supporting state schools and local music organisations in England, the Ed Sheeran Foundation is crossing the Irish Sea. The British singer has chosen Belfast and the world’s largest festival of Irish traditional music to launch his first programme on the island.
Called North South Sounds 2026, the project aims to bring together young musicians from Cork, in the Republic of Ireland, and Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It is a cultural and human initiative that uses music-making to break down borders and encourage people to connect.
Ed Sheeran’s foundation arrives in Ireland
A first project between Cork and Belfast
The Ed Sheeran Foundation is funding an Irish and cross-border programme for the first time. The initiative is being organised in partnership with Music Generation Cork City and Belfast’s Oh Yeah Music Centre, two organisations committed to giving young people access to music-making.
Between July and December 2026, North South Sounds will work with 150 children and teenagers from the two cities. They will explore songwriting, composition, performance and collaborative creation.
The project is not solely about identifying future professionals. Its main aim is to make music-making more accessible, build participants’ confidence and create connections between young people living at opposite ends of the island.
Fifty young musicians expected at Fleadh Cheoil
A first performance outside Belfast City Hall
The public launch of North South Sounds 2026 will take place on Monday, 3 August, as part of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Fifty young participants from Cork and Belfast will perform outside Belfast City Hall.
They will present several collaborative pieces prepared during workshops held before the festival. The performance will be the first public stage of a programme that will continue until the end of the year.
The choice of Fleadh Cheoil is particularly symbolic. From 2 to 9 August 2026, Belfast will host this major celebration of Irish traditional music and dance for the first time. More than 180 competitions, concerts, street performances and numerous impromptu sessions are planned across the city.
The festival also aims to showcase Belfast’s cultural diversity. In this context, bringing together young artists from the north and south of the island fits fully with the spirit of this year’s event.
From Irish traditional music to hip-hop
A programme open to the new generation’s influences
North South Sounds will not be limited to the traditional repertoire. Young artists will be invited to blend Irish and folk sounds with contemporary genres such as pop, rock and hip-hop.
The workshops will be led by professionals from Music Generation Cork City, the Oh Yeah Music Centre, Creative Tradition and The Kabin Studio. Based in Cork, the latter organisation supports young artists with songwriting, recording and music production.
After the Belfast launch, the programme will continue with new collaborations and performances devised by participants in Cork and Belfast. Summer programmes without residential accommodation will also allow around 100 additional young people to join the initiative.
The project will therefore involve 150 participants in total: fifty young people taking part in the first creation presented at Fleadh Cheoil and a further 100 attending the associated summer programmes.
Why Ed Sheeran chose Ireland
Family roots and a long-standing relationship with the island
Ed Sheeran has had a close relationship with Ireland for many years. The singer has Irish family roots and has often spoken about his attachment to the country, where he has performed on numerous occasions.
“I’ve spent a huge amount of time in the country over the years. With my family roots, it’s always been a special place for me,” the artist explained when announcing the project.
Fleadh Cheoil is not unfamiliar to him. In 2025, while the festival was being held in Wexford, Ed Sheeran surprised people by joining musicians at The Sky and The Ground pub. He performed several songs, combining his own repertoire with traditional Irish tunes.
By launching his first Irish programme during the Belfast edition, the singer is deepening this relationship with a festival built around passing on traditions, communal music-making and bringing generations together.
A foundation dedicated to music education
Championing access to music for every child
Established in 2025, the Ed Sheeran Foundation supports music education in state schools and community organisations. It funds instruments, training, extracurricular projects and local organisations that support young musicians.
Since its launch in England, the foundation has supported 22 community organisations and youth clubs. It also works to raise awareness among policymakers so that music retains an important place in education.
Ed Sheeran sees music-making as a means of expression and empowerment. “Every child should have the opportunity to learn and take part in music,” he said when announcing the arrival of his foundation in Ireland.
This ambition aligns with that of Music Generation, Ireland’s national music education programme. Operating in 29 areas, the network gives children and young people local access to singing, instrumental and group music lessons. In 2024, it said it had worked with 132,500 participants across Ireland.
A music project linking the north and south of Ireland
Artistic creation as a space for connection
The cross-border dimension is one of the defining features of North South Sounds 2026. By bringing together young people from Cork and Belfast, the programme creates a shared space that goes beyond administrative borders and differences in experience.
Music serves here as a shared language. Participants will be able to exchange influences, discover other traditions and create original pieces together. The focus is therefore not only on the 3 August performance, but also on the collective process that leads up to it.
The launch at Belfast City Hall will give these young artists a particularly prominent stage. Among established musicians, dancers and the thousands of visitors attending Fleadh Cheoil, they will represent a new generation capable of bringing Irish tradition into dialogue with contemporary sounds.
