Name: Behind The Beat
Start: 2026-06-19T19:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-06-19T20:00:00+01:00
Location: AMAVI

As part of Banbridge BUSKFEST 2026, we are delighted to introduce ‘In Conversation With’ featuring special guests Ralph McLean, Andrea Begley and Caitlin Henning. They will discuss their background and experience in the music industry offering useful insights to buskers and emerging musicians who are interested in breaking through to the next level in their own way!It promises to be an interesting evening as you meet the music panel to hear their stories and gain valuable knowledge from their combined experience.
Ralph McLean is a multi-award-winning radio presenter and TV host who has presented his own show on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds for more than 20 years now interviewing everyone from Dolly Parton to Tom Cruise along the way. Alongside his weekly hosting duties he has produced and presented shows for BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 2, BBC Four and Six Music. He is a respected music and arts columnist for several local newspapers, has MC'd some of Ireland's biggest outdoor concerts and events (including the annual Buskfest celebrations in Banbridge) and has hosted popular podcasts on everything from NI Tourism to Sir Van Morrison.
Ralph runs his own media company, McLean Media who provide production facilities for all kinds of live events and recordings and presents and produces his Ralph McLean Country radio show every Wednesday between 8pm and 10pm on BBC Radio Ulster and Sounds from his music room on the North Coast. The show has a global audience of loyal fans and has won numerous Gold Awards at the annual IMRO celebrations, often called the Irish Radio Oscars, in Kilkenny.
In 2025, his show in honour of Sinead O'Connor was acknowledged at the Celtic Media Awards in Cardiff. He recently won the prestigious Grass Roots Trophy for Services to Roots Music at the Americana UK Awards in the Hackney Empire in London where he shared a stage with Robert Plant and Judy Collins.
Ralph still collects vinyl records like they're going out of fashion. His long-suffering wife Kerry dreams of the day he stops and she can get the garage back!
Andrea Begley hails from Pomeroy, Co Tyrone. She first shot to fame in 2013, as the winner of the Voice UK, where she was coached to the finals by Script front-man Danny O’Donoghue. Since then, Andrea has released two critically acclaimed albums - The Message (2013) and Soul of a Songbird (2019). She has performed in prestigious venues like the Albert Hall, Winsor Castle and the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, as well as supporting her aunt the ‘Queen of Country’, Philomena Begley, on tour in recent years.
Andrea also happens to be registered blind and has used her platform from The Voice to help advocate for the needs of blind and partially sighted people, including volunteering with the RNIB locally.
Speaking about the Banbridge Buskfest event, Andrea said:-
“I think events like this are so important. Bringing live music into our towns and cities sets the tone for a wonderful atmosphere for visitors and it also presents opportunities for musicians to get their voices and their songs out there.I am thrilled to be participating in the discussion panel on 19 June, and I am looking forward to talking all things local music with the rest of the fantastic panel line up”.
Doveyy (Caitlin Henning) is a Belfast-based pop singer/songwriter quickly emerging as one of NI’s most exciting new artists. Blending the playful energy of Remi Wolf with the storytelling of Olivia Rodrigo and Kate Bush, her music combines infectious pop hooks with emotionally sharp lyricism and a distinctive edge.
Winner of Buskfest 2022 and a graduate of QUB’S Music & Audio Production programme, Doveyy has built a strong reputation through both her recorded releases and captivating live performances. Following the release of her debut single Love Me To Death, she was selected for Chordblossom’s Gifted showcase lineup, performing at Belfast’s Empire Music Hall. She has also performed at Stendhal Festival and iconic Belfast venues including Mandela Hall, Oh Yeah Music Centre, and Limelight Belfast.Her growing momentum has been recognised by BBC Introducing’s Taylor Johnston, who welcomed her to the “girly pop mafia,” while Chordblossom’s Michael Wilkinson praised her sound as “reminiscent of modern acts like Sabrina Carpenter fused with a welcome degree of additional edge.”Doveyy is set to release her new single Light on 12 June, alongside a live performance supporting Ellie Brétéché at Zool Records with Aqua Tofana.
BuskFest comprises an outdoor daytime busking competition followed by a prize giving ceremony in Banbridge town centre. The busking competition takes place each year throughout the streets of Banbridge town centre, with hundreds of musicians, singers, bands, solo artists and street performers entertaining large family crowds from 2pm - 5pm.