Nucleus of Irish Culture

We recently took a look at what the Irish music scene sounds like. Irish artists are making their impact all over the world, and the industry is rapidly growing. Nurturing the up and coming talent is the 'Oh Yeah' music centre in Belfast. Located in the Cathedral Quarter of the city, the centre supports Irish talents by providing a performance space, recording studios and specific areas for artists to write music.

As a place to exhibit one of Ireland's growing exports, Oh Yeah is a not-for-profit organisation conceived in 2005 when Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol fame met with influencers in the music industry. The foundation of the centre has been to 'Open Doors To Music Potential' and has released albums which showcase a selection of the talent it has encouraged. A tour was arranged following the release of the 2010 album 'Oh Yeah Contenders' - giving new artists a solid foundation to continuing making music.

One review, from Music Link said 'the gig itself didn't really feel like a bog-standard local gig, it definitely had an air of something different about it'.

Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody performs at the opening of the Oh Yeah Music Centre

The Oh Yeah Music Centre is not just an inspirational programme, but it gives young artists a space to channel their passions and communicate new ideas. In an industry that is all too often saturated with big budget music labels, the Oh Yeah programme works hard to dilute what's on offer.

Here's one of the bands that the Oh Yeah centre has worked with - The Wonder Villains - performing at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in 2010.

Clearly the Oh Yeah centre is doing a very good job at helping to export Irish culture throughout the world - a key characteristic of The Wild Geese, who integrated their passionate ideas into communities throughout the world.