Artists

Van Morrison

Local loreHyndford Street, East Belfast, is the childhood home name-checked in his songs.

East Belfast

Now: Northern Ireland & England

BelfastRockSoulBlues

Kaz Hawkins

Belfast

Now: France

BelfastBluesSoul

Foy Vance

BangorFolkSoulSinger-Songwriter

Bangor

Now: Scotland

Snow Patrol

Local lore'Chasing Cars' was the most-played song on UK radio of the 2000s.

Bangor (Gary Lightbody)

Now: Formed in Dundee, Scotland

BangorIndieRock

Two Door Cinema Club

Bangor & Donaghadee

Now: Touring internationally

BangorIndieElectronic

Ash

Downpatrick

Now: Touring internationally

DownpatrickRockIndie

Joshua Burnside

Comber

ComberFolkExperimental

Stiff Little Fingers

Local lore'Alternative Ulster' became a punk anthem of the Troubles.

Belfast

Now: Touring internationally

Duke Special

BelfastSinger-SongwriterCabaret

Belfast

Gary Moore

Local loreA statue of him stands outside the Strand Arts Centre in East Belfast.

Belfast

Now: England (until 2011)

BelfastBluesRockLegacy

Kneecap

Belfast & Derry

BelfastHip-Hop

The Undertones

Local lore'Teenage Kicks' was John Peel's favourite song, and its words are on his gravestone.

Derry~Londonderry

Derry~LondonderryPunkPop

SOAK

Local loreMercury Prize nominee while still a teenager.

Derry~Londonderry

Derry~LondonderryIndieFolk

Bronagh Gallagher

Derry~LondonderrySoulSinger-Songwriter

Derry~Londonderry

Now: London

Therapy?

Larne & Ballyclare

Now: Touring internationally

LarneRockMetal

Ciaran Lavery

AghagallonFolkSinger-Songwriter

Aghagallon

Hannah Peel

CraigavonElectronicExperimental

Craigavon

Now: England

Brian Kennedy

Belfast

Now: Dublin

BelfastPopFolk

Clive Culbertson

Local loreBass player in Van Morrison's band around the Avalon Sunset era.

Ballymoney

BallymoneyPower PopCountry Rock

Anthony Toner

ColeraineSinger-SongwriterFolk

Coleraine

Now: Belfast

Cara Dillon

Local loreSang with the folk band Equation as a teenager before going solo.

Dungiven

Now: England

DungivenFolkTraditional

Henry McCullough

Local lorePlayed Woodstock with Joe Cocker and the guitar solo on Wings' 'My Love'.

Portstewart

Now: Co. Derry (until 2016)

PortstewartRockBluesLegacy

Phil Coulter

Local loreWrote 'The Town I Loved So Well' about growing up in Derry.

Derry~Londonderry

Now: Ireland

Derry~LondonderryPopTraditional

The Answer

Local loreOpened for AC/DC across the world on the Black Ice tour.

Newcastle & Downpatrick

Now: Touring internationally

NewcastleRock

Tommy Sands

Mayobridge

MayobridgeFolk

Paul Brady

StrabaneFolkSinger-Songwriter

Strabane

Now: Dublin

Tommy Makem

Local loreKnown worldwide as 'The Bard of Armagh'.

Keady

Now: USA & Ireland (until 2007)

KeadyFolkTraditionalLegacy

The Divine Comedy

Enniskillen (Neil Hannon)

Now: Ireland

EnniskillenIndiePop

Briana Corrigan

Local loreSang 'A Little Time' with The Beautiful South — a UK No.1 in 1990.

Portstewart

Now: Northern Ireland

PortstewartPopFolk

Nadine Coyle

Local loreWon a place in Girls Aloud on ITV's Popstars: The Rivals in 2002.

Derry~Londonderry

Now: England

Derry~LondonderryPop

Dana

Local loreWon Eurovision for Ireland in 1970 with 'All Kinds of Everything'.

Derry~Londonderry (Bogside)

Now: Ireland

Derry~LondonderryPop

Ruby Murray

Local loreIn 1955 she had five singles in the UK Top 20 in the same week.

Belfast (Donegall Road)

Now: England (until 1996)

BelfastPopLegacy

Sir James Galway

Local loreKnown worldwide as 'The Man with the Golden Flute'.

Belfast

Now: Switzerland

BelfastClassical

David Holmes

Local loreScored Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven.

Belfast

BelfastElectronic

Bap Kennedy

Local loreRecorded his solo debut with Steve Earle producing.

West Belfast

Now: Co. Down (until 2016)

BelfastSinger-SongwriterCountry RockLegacy

Juliet Turner

DungannonSinger-SongwriterFolk

Dungannon

Now: Northern Ireland

Ricky Warwick

Local loreFronted The Almighty, then Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders.

Newtownards

Now: USA

NewtownardsRock

That Petrol Emotion

Local loreJohn O'Neill and Raymond Gorman started out DJing together at Derry's Left Bank club.

Derry~Londonderry

Now: London; indefinite hiatus

Derry~LondonderryIndiePost-PunkDanceLegacy

The Moondogs

Local loreThey had their own Ulster Television programme, Moondogs Matinee.

Derry~Londonderry

Now: Northern Ireland

Derry~LondonderryPower PopPunk

Bam Bam and the Calling

Local loreEarly member Raymond Gorman left to form That Petrol Emotion.

Derry~Londonderry

Now: Split; later reunion shows

Derry~LondonderryAlternativePost-PunkLegacy

ROE

Local loreShe supported Snow Patrol on their UK arena tour.

Derry~Londonderry

Derry~LondonderryIndieElectronicPop

Reevah

Derry~LondonderryAlternativeIndieFolk

Derry~Londonderry

Lavengro

Local loreThey named their debut national headline tour Straight Outta Derry.

Derry~Londonderry

Derry~LondonderryIndiePopRock

PORTS

Derry~LondonderryIndieFolk

Derry~Londonderry

Ryan Vail

Local loreHis album Sea Legs with Ciaran Lavery was nominated for the NI Music Prize.

Derry~Londonderry

Derry~LondonderryElectronicAmbientClassical

Paul Tully

Local loreHis debut EP's reception took him to Nashville's Bluebird Café.

Strabane

Now: Dublin

StrabaneFolkRockSinger-Songwriter

Arty McGlynn

Local loreHis 1979 album McGlynn's Fancy helped make guitar a lead instrument in Irish traditional music.

Omagh area, Co. Tyrone

Now: Co. Tyrone (until 2019)

OmaghTraditionalFolkJazzLegacy

Joan Trimble

Local loreAlongside her music career, she became managing director of her family's newspaper, the Impartial Reporter.

Enniskillen

Now: Enniskillen (until 2000)

EnniskillenClassicalLegacy

Niall Vallely

Local loreHis parents founded the Armagh Pipers' Club, where he began learning concertina at seven.

Armagh

Now: Cork

ArmaghTraditionalClassical

Brian Finnegan

Local loreHe has performed and recorded with Russian rock group Aquarium.

Armagh

Now: Touring internationally

ArmaghTraditionalFolk

Ríoghnach Connolly

Local loreHer vocals feature on Peter Gabriel's album i/o.

Armagh

Now: Manchester

ArmaghFolkTraditionalWorld

Hugo Duncan

Local loreHe began as a drummer in a céilí band before becoming a singer.

Strabane

Now: Northern Ireland

StrabaneCountry

Them

Local loreTheir recording of 'Gloria' entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

Belfast

Now: Ended 1970s

BelfastBluesRockLegacy

Vivian Campbell

Local loreHis first show with Def Leppard was the Freddie Mercury tribute concert at Wembley.

Belfast

Now: California, USA

BelfastRockMetal

Eric Bell

Local loreThat's his guitar on Thin Lizzy's 'Whiskey in the Jar'.

East Belfast

Now: Touring internationally

BelfastBluesRock

Iain Archer

Local loreHe co-wrote Snow Patrol's 'Run' and James Bay's 'Hold Back the River' — two Ivor Novello Awards.

Bangor

BangorIndieFolkSinger-Songwriter

Oppenheimer

Local loreAsh's Tim Wheeler guested on their song 'Orchid'.

Belfast

Now: Split 2009

BelfastIndieElectronicPopLegacy

Cashier No.9

BelfastIndiePsychedelicLegacy

Belfast

Now: Split; members now exmagician

The Adventures

Local lore'Broken Land' was the most-played song on BBC Radio 1 in 1988.

Belfast

BelfastPopRock

The Four of Us

Local lore'Mary' was one of the biggest Irish hits of 1989.

Newry

NewryFolkRockPop

Rudi

Local loreTheir 'Big Time' was the first-ever release on Good Vibrations Records.

Belfast

Now: Ended 1982

BelfastPunkPower PopLegacy

The Outcasts

Local loreGreg Cowan says the name came from being banned from five clubs in one week.

Belfast

Now: Touring internationally

Protex

Local loreThey shortened their original name, Protex Blue, so nobody would mistake them for a blues band.

Belfast

BelfastPunkPower Pop

The Defects

Belfast

Bicep

Local loreAndy and Matt met when they were eight years old.

Belfast

Now: London

BelfastElectronicHouseTechno

Phil Kieran

BelfastElectronicTechnoAmbient

Belfast

Owen Denvir

Local loreHis three-EP project Sticks, Stones and Bones drew on Freud's theory of personality.

Belfast

BelfastIndieFolkSinger-Songwriter

Sasha Samara

Belfast

Now: London

BelfastIndiePop

Neil Martin

Local loreHis music has been played on the International Space Station.

Belfast

BelfastTraditionalClassical

Michael McHale

Local loreOscar winner Mahershala Ali narrated his trio's album Portraits.

Belfast

Now: Touring internationally

BelfastClassical

Scott Flanigan

Belfast

BelfastJazz

Jordan Adetunji

Local loreKehlani herself jumped on the remix of his song named after her.

Belfast (raised)

Now: Touring internationally

BelfastHip-HopR&B

Problem Patterns

Local loreNo fixed front person — they swap instruments between songs.

Belfast

Chalk

Local loreThey recorded their Conditions III EP in remote northern Iceland.

Belfast

BelfastPost-PunkElectronic

Enola Gay

Local loreIggy Pop is a fan.

Belfast

BelfastPunkElectronicHip-Hop

Wynona Bleach

Local loreThey recorded their debut with Bill Ryder-Jones in an abandoned warehouse in Portugal.

Belfast

BelfastAlternativeShoegaze

Arborist

Local loreKim Deal of the Pixies sang on his debut single 'Twisted Arrow'.

Ballymena

Now: Belfast

BallymenaIndieFolkAlternative

The Florentinas

Bangor

BangorIndieRock

Conor Marcus

Local loreHe reached the semi-finals of The Voice Kids UK singing his own song.

Ballynahinch

BallynahinchPop

JC Stewart

Local loreHe co-wrote 'Hollywood' on Lewis Capaldi's debut album in a midnight-to-4am session.

Magherafelt

Now: Touring internationally

MagherafeltPop

Cherym

Derry~LondonderryPop PunkAlternative

Derry~Londonderry

Conleth McGeary

DungannonFolkSinger-Songwriter

Dungannon

Now: Dubai

Sean Magee

Local loreHe's a former Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann champion.

Enniskillen

EnniskillenFolkTraditional

Jealous of the Birds

Local loreNaomi Hamilton wrote poetry before she ever wrote songs.

Portadown

Now: Whitehead, Co. Antrim

PortadownIndieFolkAlternative

Malojian

Local loreHe has recorded with Steve Albini and members of Teenage Fanclub's circle.

Lurgan

LurganFolkIndieAlternative

Robyn G Shiels

KilreaFolkSinger-Songwriter

Kilrea

Now: Unknown

Gregory Gray

PortrushPopIndieElectronicLegacy

Portrush

Now: Not applicable — died 2019

Jackie McAuley

ColeraineFolk RockRockBlues

Coleraine

Now: Unknown

Jack Warnock

Maghera

Now: Unknown

MagheraTraditionalFolk

James Bradley

Maghera

Now: Unknown

MagheraSinger-Songwriter

Gemma Bradley

Draperstown

Now: Unknown

DraperstownPopR&BSoul

General Fiasco

Bellaghy

Now: Unknown

BellaghyIndieRock

David McWilliams

BallymenaFolk RockSinger-SongwriterLegacy

Ballymena (raised; born Belfast)

Now: Not applicable — died 2002

Joe Rocks

BallymenaSinger-Songwriter

Ballymena

Now: Unknown

Rachael O’Connor

Drumsurn, near Limavady

Now: London (reported 2024)

DrumsurnPop

VerseChorusVerse

PortstewartRockSinger-Songwriter

Portstewart

Now: Belfast

Brian Coll

Omagh

Now: Omagh (until 2020)

OmaghCountryLegacy

Frankie McBride

Omagh

Now: Unknown

OmaghCountryPop

Eileen Donaghy

CoalislandTraditionalFolkLegacy

Brackaville, Coalisland

Now: Not applicable — died 2008

Philomena Begley

Pomeroy

Now: Unknown

PomeroyCountry

Cathal Hayden

The Rock, near Pomeroy

Now: Unknown

The RockTraditional

Cathal McConnell

BellanaleckTraditionalFolk

Bellanaleck

Now: Unknown

Laytha

Enniskillen

Now: Unknown

EnniskillenIndieFolk

Paddy Treacy

LisnaskeaCountryTraditional

Lisnaskea

Now: Unknown

The Armagh Rhymers

Armagh

ArmaghTraditionalFolk

Conchúr White

PortadownIndieFolkSinger-Songwriter

Portadown

Now: Unknown

Brigid O’Neill

DownpatrickFolkCountryJazz

Downpatrick

Now: Unknown

Matt McGinn

HilltownFolkAmericanaSinger-Songwriter

Hilltown

Now: Unknown

Allison McGrath