Internationally acclaimed musician Ed Sheeran recently visited the Oh Yeah Music Centre and other music organisations in Belfast. Accompanied by Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, the surprise appearance in Northern Ireland comes as Sheeran launches his latest charity, The Ed Sheeran Foundation.

The Oh Yeah Music Centre provides a range of resources to Belfast's local musicians. The organisation aims to encourage local artists of any level to showcase their ability and improve their craft through collaboration and connection with others. They offer affordable recording space, projects for a range of ages, and more.

A video statement about Sheeran’s visit to Northern Ireland can be viewed below.

The Ed Sheeran Foundation, which launched earlier this month, aims to advocate for music education for all children in the UK, and offer support to those in areas where music education is difficult to access. It will offer grants to youth-focused music initiatives, supporting grassroots organisations which provide them.

According to the foundation, the music industry in 2023 contributed £7.6 billion to the UK economy. However, music teacher recruitment has seen a 56% decrease since 2010, and funding for music hubs has been cut by 36% since 2012.

“Music education has shaped who I am. I love it, it gives me a sense of purpose, a sense of achievement when I’ve done something” Sheeran says, “I launched the foundation because I went out for a cup of tea with my old music teacher and he told me about the state that state school education was in, so I wanted to get involved, just to show the importance of it.”

While in Belfast, Sheeran met with the Education Authority's Head of Music, Darren Canmore, and several post-primary teachers to discuss challenges and opportunities for the young people of Northern Ireland.

Lightbody, who also established his own charity foundation, said in support of Sheeran:

"Music and the arts are badly underfunded in Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland government spends the equivalent of £25 per capita on the arts; Wales spends £10 per capita; Northern Ireland only spends £5 per capita. As a result, access to music education here is miles below where it should be. Furthermore, Northern Ireland is often excluded from British arts initiatives. That’s why it’s so significant that Ed has expanded to include Northern Ireland in his Foundation work."

Sheeran previously established the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation in 2019. Similar to the Ed Sheeran Foundation, it aimed to provide grants to help young people in Suffolk access music education and resources.

Visit the Oh Yeah Music Centre's website here, or view more on the Ed Sheeran Foundation here.