Ms Lisa Ní Choisdealbha:

We do not have a policy on it but the reason so many country and Irish artists are promoted on local radio stations is that the stations reflect the interests of the people who are listening. The Senator mentioned Nathan Carter. I assume Midwest Radio was probably the first station in Ireland to broadcast Nathan Carter, long before the stations in Dublin ever heard of him. That is because the listeners of the area are interested in that. In addition, we do a great deal of work with the Irish Music Rights Organisation, IMRO, and the Irish Association of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, IASCA, on the promotion of Irish music. The biggest problem we found with them is exactly as the Senator mentioned, that they tend to focus on musicians and Irish artists that are more mainstream as opposed to the country and Irish artists.