06/18/2025
Buddy Magazine contributor Ian Saint will interview legendary Grand Ole Opry inductee Crystal Gayle at Your Roots Are Showing folk music conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland in January! ☘️🎶
Musicians can apply to showcase at YRAS through July 7 ⏳ Ticketed entries to select conference performances and programs are also open to the public.
"Now in its fourth year, Your Roots Are Showing is Ireland’s only dedicated folk, roots, and traditional music conference. Held in Belfast in 2026, the conference offers five days of showcases, panel discussions, industry networking, and cultural exchange. The conference attracts artists, professionals, and fans from over 20 countries and continues to grow as one of the world’s most exciting new platforms for folk music and industry development."
🎤✨ ANNOUNCEMENT: CRYSTAL GAYLE IS COMING TO BELFAST ✨🎤
We are honoured to announce that Grammy®-winning songstress Crystal Gayle will take part in Your Roots Are Showing – Ireland’s Folk Conference this January in Belfast!
Crystal will perform at our FOLK iN FUSION opening concert on January 13, 2026 at the Waterfront Hall, and stay on to participate in the conference, including an exclusive “In Conversation” interview with Ian Saint of NPR, offering a rare and intimate look at her extraordinary career and creative legacy.
Known for her timeless smash hit “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” Crystal Gayle is a beloved country music icon whose reign in the music business includes:
22 No. 1 country hits
Four Top 20 pop hits
Six Gold-certified albums and three Platinum-certified albums—including We Must Believe in Magic, the first album by a female country artist to go Platinum
A Grammy® Award for Best Female Vocal Performance
CMA “Female Vocalist of the Year” for two consecutive years
Three Academy of Country Music Awards
Four American Music Awards
Named Most Performed Country Female Artist on radio from 1975–1985
Honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2009)
Received the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award from the Academy of Country Music (2016)
Inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2017 by her sister, Loretta Lynn
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness a living legend—onstage and in conversation—at a world-class gathering of folk, roots, and traditional music leaders.
📍 January 13–18, 2026
🎟️ Conference registration now open: www.showingroots.com
🎟️ Tickets for FOLK iN FUSION on sale soon!
