Supporting Irish Musicians and Artists

For the 2024 edition of the A New Local Hero talent search, we once again called on you, the readers, to pick your favourite of the 20 regional finalists, and honour one worthy artist with the Wildcard Award. You responded in your droves – and now, after a highly competitive public vote, we can reveal that Chris Cresham, representing Galway Bay FM, is our overall Wildcard Award winner!

The news was announced as part of tonight's live A New Local Hero finale event at The Academy in Dublin – which featured performances from the six national finalists, as well as special guest Tolü Makay.

As the Wildcard Award winner, Chris Cresham will receive a €2,500 bursary.

Straight outta Castlebar, this pop-folkster started 2024 the right way by selling out a headline gig at Garbo's in his hometown. Further afield, the rising star finds inspiration from his travels, including a stint in Cyprus during which he honed his skills as a songwriter and performer. He's opened for prominent artists like Chasing Abbey and Hudson Taylor, and Hot Press reckon it's not long until he's in the same league of Irish talent as the likes Cian Ducrot, Moncrieff, and Dermot Kennedy.

As one of the central features of Irish Music Month, A New Local Hero is a major call to arms for Irish musicians and bands – with all 21 participating radio stations having reached out for submissions as part of the talent search.

Every participating radio station selected four finalists each – giving them the chance to play live on air, and paying them for their performance, thanks to the support of Coimisiún na Meán, under its Sound & Vision scheme.

From there, the station's four finalists were whittled down to one 'Local Hero' from each – a major honour in itself, which will serve as a huge milestone in the career of the selected 20 artists.

A New Local Hero is a key part of Irish Music Month – an initiative of Hot Press and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, which is funded by Coimisiún na Meán. All-in, the value of Irish Music Month for Irish artists is in excess of €100,000.