ED Sheeran, who is no stranger to West Cork, confirmed today that his foundation is official expanding its work into Ireland and funding a project called North South Sounds 2026

This is a first-of-its-kind initiative for the Ed Sheeran Foundation because it is a a cross-border collaboration between the Ed Sheeran Foundation (ESF), Music Generation Cork City, and the Oh Yeah Centre.

Running from July to December 2026, the programme will connect children and young people from opposite corners of the island of Ireland through a shared music initiative centred on song-writing, performance, and community engagement.

'I’m so happy to be bringing the Ed Sheeran Foundation to Ireland,' said Ed, who regularly visits his relatives in West Cork.

'I’ve spent loads of time in the country over the years. Having family roots there, it’s a place that’s always been special to me. Every child should have the opportunity to learn and take part in music, and we’re continuing our work to help make that a reality.'

Ed underlined the significance of the first project kicking off at The Fleadh Cheoil on Monday saying: 'I played the festival last year and have such fond memories of it. If you’re there, go and check out some of the incredible young talent.'

North South Sounds 2026 will champion creative curiosity by encouraging young musicians to blend influences and genres, merging elements of traditional Irish and folk music with other genres such as hip-hop, pop, and rock to generate something entirely fresh.

It will connect young people with peers from different areas. It will celebrate local heritage, social inclusion and self-expression, engaging young people who might otherwise lack access to music creation, instrumental tuition and performance opportunities.

Throughout the project, the children and young people’s music making will be facilitated by an impressive team of musical educators from Music Generation Cork City in partnership with Creative Tradition and The Kabin Studio alongside the Oh Yeah Centre.

The project will launch with performances by 50 young people at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann on August 3rd at Belfast City Hall, where they will premiere a series of collaborative musical fusions, developed through workshops in the lead-up to the festival.

Last year, Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance at the festival, performing a mix of his own hits and traditional Irish tunes alongside local artists at The Sky and The Ground pub in Wexford.

Covering four core activities over the following six months, a highlight of North South Sounds 2026 will be youth-led gigs in both Cork City and Belfast.

Other strands of the project include non-residential summer camps in Cork City and Belfast, which will expand reach to an additional 100 young people and provide a safe environment for community building.

Earlier this month, ESF announced its active role in the UK Government’s new ‘Music in Libraries’ programme, which was inspired by Ed Sheeran following his meeting with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, during a visit to one of ESF’s grantees in 2025.

After Ed Sheeran witnessed Scotland’s pioneering ‘We Make Music Instrument Libraries’ model first-hand through Tinderbox (a Scottish music charity supported by the Ed Sheeran Foundation), he recognised the potential of using existing community infrastructure, such as libraries, to expand access to music education.

Off the back of the conversation with Ed and Lisa Nandy, the Ed Sheeran Foundation has been working behind the scenes with UK Government to help bring this vision to life.

The libraries programme, which ESF is helping to co-design, aims to strengthen music education outside of school by creating dedicated spaces in libraries for music-making, workshops, studio equipment and live performances, with the government committing more than £12.5 million in funding to the programme.

The Ed Sheeran Foundation (ESF) is dedicated to supporting music education in state schools and grassroots organisations, particularly in areas where it is less accessible. By promoting inclusivity and fostering high-quality music education, the foundation aims to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to explore their potential through music.

Last year, Ed spent much of his time visiting schools and youth clubs up and down the country to hear directly from young people and teachers and explore ways to bring music education to the forefront.

During the year, Ed Sheeran — and a host of industry names including Harry Styles, Stormzy and Annie Lennox — successfully helped secure the UK Government’s commitment to introduce the first major update to the music curriculum in England in more than ten years following Sheeran's open letter to the Prime Minister.

The curriculum reform included the removal of the EBacc measure, to encourage students to study a greater breadth of GCSE subjects including music and the arts, and the diversifying of music genres taught in schools.

In July 2025, Sheeran put on his first-ever exhibition with HENI Gallery titled Cosmic Carpark Paintings, where he sold his own original artworks, raising over $1.25 million for the foundation.

To date, ESF has supported 22 grassroots organisations and youth clubs in the UK.

Now, through Ireland’s National Music Education Programme he will be helping to empower children and young people to realise their full potential through access to, and participation in, high quality performance music education.

Initiated by Music Network, Music Generation is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Youth and Local Music Education Partnerships (LMEPs) in which Education and Training Board and Local Authorities play a lead role.

Through Local Music Education Partnership structures led by Education and Training Boards, the programme now reaches 130,000 children and young people annually who access a range of performance music education programmes in their local communities. For further information visit: www.musicgeneration.ie

Music Generation Cork City is one of 29 LMEPs now established in Ireland. Its local community partners for ‘North South Sounds 2026’ are The Kabin Studio and Creative Tradition.

Music Generation Cork City is supported locally by lead partner Cork Education and Training Board, Cork City Council, The Health Service Executive, Munster Technological University, and University College Cork.

The Kabin Studio is a creative studio in Knocknaheeny where people of all ages come to write, record and perform their own music and creative work.

It started as a response to a lack of access of space, tools and opportunity. This initiative is made possible through partnerships with Music Generation Cork City and Cork Education and Training Board along with the support of ReThink Ireland, Apple, and Cork City Council.

Creative Tradition was established in 2013 as a non-profit organization to support people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to learn Irish traditional music. Creative Tradition currently teaches over 400 young people in its primary school  programmes and Club Ceoil Knocknaheeny, run in collaboration with Music Generation Cork City.

Founded by Dr Jessica Cawley, Creative Tradition’s programme is based on research conducted at UCC from 2009-2019. The project has been made possible, thanks to Creative Tradition students, schools, and supporters in Music Generation, Cork City Council, and the Arts Council.

Meanwhile, the Oh Yeah Music Centre is a charity and award-winning music hub and venue based in Belfast. It works at the intersection of the music industry and community development, delivering programmes that nurture emerging talent while using music to promote inclusion, opportunity and positive relationships.

Through its youth engagement work, Oh Yeah brings together young people from diverse backgrounds to learn, create and perform together, helping them build confidence, develop transferable skills and explore pathways into the creative industries.

A video of young rappers from The Kabin Club can be viewed on The Southern Star's social media platforms. Already, the song, The Spark has amassed almost 10 million views. Play it and hear the exuberance in hearing them sing: 'I searched for my spark and I found it.'