Belfast Music Exhibition - Opens 22 April

A new exhibition, telling the story of Northern Ireland’s rich musical heritage, has opened in Belfast city centre.

The Belfast Music Exhibition, at the Oh Yeah music centre, in Gordon Street, takes visitors on a unique journey - from Ruby Murray to Snow Patrol, by way of Stiff Little Fingers, Dana and Clodagh Rogers, via The Undertones, The Divine Comedy, Nadine Coyle and Henry McCullough.

The exhibition tells the story of the glorious achievements and diverse musical talents that Northern Ireland has produced over the years, and have helped heap international acclaim on the province.

A series of story boards plot the history of the Northern Ireland music scene from folk music to Snow Patrol, while audio-visual displays showcases performances by the likes of Them, The Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers and Ruby Murray, and a ‘Legends’ wall hails the great achievers in local music.

The exhibition also features a wide range of diverse and unique memorabilia from the local music business and the personalities involved in it – including platinum discs, badges, vintage stage gear, lyric sheets, film footage, ticket stubs and backstage passes.

Among the highlights are rare articles from The Undertones and Stiff Little Fingers, the Fender guitar on which Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol wrote ‘Run’ and ‘Chasing Cars’, artefacts from the historic Maritime Hotel – and the dress worn by Dana when she won the Eurovision Song Contest in March 1970.

Other exhibits include:

the sequined jacket that Henry McCullough wore on tour with Paul McCartney and Wings;
a guitar belonging to Andy Cairns from Therapy?, that was smashed on stage at the Mandela Hall, Belfast, in 1992;
gold, silver and platinum discs celebrating the achievements of Snow Patrol, Ash and David Holmes;
punk jackets and boots, as work by The Outcasts;
autographs of Ruby Murray, The Undertones, Horslips and Them;
a vintage street sign of Cyprus Avenue, made famous in a Van Morrison song;
rare records from Phil Coulter, Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones and more;
David McWilliams’ first guitar;
Sam Mahood’s old stage silks from the days of the Maritime Hotel, and membership cards from the club.

Following an appeal back in February for memorabilia, new material continues to arrive at the Oh Yeah centre on a daily basis, which will help to ensure that the content of the exhibition continually changes.

This is one of a series of new music tourism initiatives to celebrate Belfast’s rich musical heritage. Internationally, cultural tourism is developing into one of the fastest-growing and most sustainable aspects of the tourism industry, and recent research shows that 21 per cent of potential visitors are inspired to choose a destination because of the music of that country.

We are aiming to capitalize on this by promoting Belfast’s reputation as the birthplace of great music and making our music scene more accessible to visitors.

Based on leading case studies, from Nashville to Liverpool’s music tourism strategies, these new music tourism initiatives also include the weekly Belfast Music Tour, the new website belfastmusic.org, an MP3 tour, and showcasing our music talent in the international marketplace. Belfast’s music receives high international praise and our latest generation of musicians are playing a crucial role in revitalising the city.

If nurtured in the right way, they have the ability to make Belfast truly competitive on the global stage.

The Belfast Music Exhibition is at the Oh Yeah music centre, which is located in a former bonded whiskey warehouse in Gordon Street, in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter. It covers 14,500 square feet over three floors, and features a performance space, a drop-in area, office units, a privately-run recording studio and exhibition space.

For more information on the exhibition, the Belfast Music Tour, extensive gig listings, mp3 downloads, podcasts, exclusive interviews and much more, visit www.belfastmusic.org