IRELAND'S leading independent festival is back, celebrating with a line-up of the country's finest signed and unsigned acts.

Now in its ninth year, Glasgowbury has become the must-play festival for acts throughout the land.

And this year's festival will very much be giving the power to the artists as well as showcasing some of the biggest success stories of the last few years.

The acts announced for this year's festival reads like a who's who of the best around:

In Case Of Fire, And So I Watch You From Afar, General Fiasco, mojoFURY, Henry McCullough, Jaded Sun, LaFaro, Swanee River, Cashier No 9, Ed Zealous, The Jane Bradfords, Little Hooks, A Plastic Rose, Here Comes The Landed Gentry, Clown parlour, Yes Cadets, Dutch Schultz, The Beat Poets, Furlo, Dirty Stevie, Kowalski, Dutch Schultz, Balkan Alien Sound, Deep Fried Funk, Paddy Nash and The Happy Enchiladas, Grainne O, Interrogate, Keith Harkin, Pocket Promise, Inishowen Gospel Choir, The Stetz, Joe Echo, We Are Resistance, John Gribbin, Junior Johnson, Silhouette, Paul Casey, Oonagh Clarke, Pretty Child Backfire, Skruff, The Q, The Mighty Stef, Colenso Parade, The Kinetiks, The Good Fight, Cutaways and Ten Gallon Hat And The Big Salute.

"Glasgowbury has always been about new and unsigned music and this year's line-up is testament to the power of the music culture in this country," he said.

"The music scene in Northern Ireland, in particular, is thriving and has given so many good acts to the world over the last few years.

"So this year is very much about giving the power back to the people who have made Glasgowbury so successful throughout the last decade.

"In fact some of the acts who began their careers at Glasgowbury, where they got their first lift onto the ladder, will be coming home to roost at this year's festival - at the top of their game.

"Bands like Fighting With Wire, In Case Of Fire, And So I Watch You From Afar and General Fiasco have gone on to sign record deals and become known worldwide and have the capability of doing something monumental. Glasgowbury always knew and supported that.

"So this year's festival will feel like one giant celebration of the best that the music scene here has to offer and I, for one, can't wait."

And with its upcoming tenth anniversary in 2010, plans have already been set in motion for Glasgowbury to reach iconic status.

Glasgowbury 2009 will take place on Saturday 25 July and tickets are currently on sale online from www.wegottickets.com and from independent retailers across the country.

For the full festival line-up and information on how to get your hands on tickets for the big day, go to the brand spanking new www.glasgowbury.com where you will find everything you need to know – and more.

For their support, Glasgowbury thanks its funders, sponsors and friends including the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Arts Council for Northern Ireland, Department of Culture Arts and Leisure and Magherafelt District Council.