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SXSW 2016 Interview: Angela Dorgan of First Music Contact / Music From Ireland

Header photo: Angela Dorgan (third from left) and her jovial crew at the Full Irish Breakfast, 18th March 2016

Ireland’s First Music Contact is “a free information and advice resource for musicians and the independent music sector in Ireland”, headed by CEO Angela Dorgan. One of First Music Contact’s many projects is Music From Ireland, which in collaboration with Culture Ireland “funds and presents the Irish showcases at large international music conferences” such as Eurosonic, Canadian Music Week, The Great Escape, and of course SXSW.

At SXSW 2016 as in years past, the Irish showcases once again included the official Music From Ireland showcase on Wednesday night at Maggie Mae’s and the Full Irish Breakfast on Friday at B.D. Riley’s Irish Pub. It was during the Friday afternoon event that I had a chance to catch up with Angela Dorgan, who was kind enough to step outside for a chat with me even in the midst of her own very busy day. In the interview clip below, Dorgan talked about Music From Ireland’s 12-year history with SXSW, particularly the process of creating rapport and fostering the relationships formed along the way, all in the interest of facilitating Irish artists’ travels to Austin each year.

The high quality musicianship on the Full Irish Breakfast has consistently amazed me for the past 3 years running, and this year’s showcase was no different, featuring eight acts across an array of genres, including folk, electronic, and alt-rock. But Dorgan emphasised that even with this level of talent, the showcase wouldn’t be successful without the hard work and cooperation of the staff at B.D. Riley’s, who most graciously host the Irish Breakfast each year, along with, perhaps, a bit of good old-fashioned Irish luck.

Keep an eye on TGTF for our complete coverage of the Full Irish Breakfast in the coming days. We at TGTF look forward to continuing our own cordial relationship with Music From Ireland at SXSW on our own future trips to Austin!