THE NEXT GENERATION of Irish music talent is gathering in Croke Park later this month as the Irish Youth Music Awards (ITMAs) take over GAA headquarters for a day.

The awards, which take place on Saturday April 21, are the culmination of countless hours of diligent practice for teen musicians from youth clubs around Ireland.

The overall winner of the awards will secure recording time in a professional studio, a recording session in RTÉ and a full backline provided by Music Maker Dublin.

They will also release an album of their own original tracks.

Last years IYMAs album stormed the Irish compilation charts entering at number three. As well as the physical CD the album will be digitally distributed on all major outlets including iTunes and Spotify.

Education Hub

Budding musicians can also attend workshops and masterclasses throughout the day. Little Green Cars will host a songwriting class and discuss their processes.

Director Bob Gallagher, who has made music videos for Girl Band, James Vincent McMorrow and Lisa Hannigan, will give a masterclass on the do’s and don’ts of video making.

Youtube star Orla Gartland, whose channel has over 11.5 million views, will discuss how young musicians can effectively use social media to communicate their message online.

RTÉ 2FM will host a scratch workshop with DJ Mo-K and DJ Tando and BIMM Institute Dublin will work with attendees to create a band to perform together at the end of the workshop.

Youth Work Ireland Week

The event will also mark the launch of Youth Work Ireland week which will see events take place around Ireland. Sexual health is the focus of the week this year so Youth Work Ireland will create a space for teens to have their voices heard on sexual health.

Irish Youth Music Awards National Day takes place on Saturday 21 April in Croke Park. General admission tickets  cost €20 and group tickets are available here. Find out more on Instagram, Facebook  and Twitter.