Sometimes it’s difficult to quantify just how important the live music industry is on this small island. Then one statistic lays it out plainly for all to see: back in 2016, industry journal Pollstar found that Dublin’s 3Arena ranked 15th in the list of highest attended venues in the world. It’s an astonishing fact, given that the world’s busiest venues were in London and New York – cities with nearly twice the population of Ireland, never mind its capital city.

A lot of factors need to be in play in the right way to make something like that happen – and they are here in Ireland. You need promoters and bookers working behind the scenes to get arena-sized acts to play here; you need media outlets championing and nurturing both home-grown talent and international artists; you need ticket sellers making the gigs accessible; and you need great venues that are kitted out to the highest spec, but which are also versatile and can be reconfigured for different set-ups, as well as scales. 3Arena has all of that and more to offer. All these elements have to function in tandem to ensure that, whether you’re bopping to Post Malone or a long-time Christy Moore listener, you’ll be able to catch them on the live stage or “coming to a venue near you soon”...

Most importantly of all, however, you need music lovers turn up to shows. And this is where Ireland really scores. Irish people love live music. They love good festivals. But they also adore intimate sessions in smaller rooms, that have a participatory feel, or where you get close to the musicians on stage.

So our high attendances aren’t confined to 3Arena, nor are they localised in Dublin. In recent years, there’s been a huge – and hugely encouraging – resurgence in live music right across Ireland, with venues in rural areas proving to be a massive hit. Furthermore, established venues in cities and urban centres like Galway, Limerick, Cork and, of course, Dublin have been busier than ever.

Walking On Cars @ The 2FM Christmas Ball in the 3Arena 14/12/2018

For musicians, this is enormously important. It is by playing live that the majority of musicians earn their livelihood. Sure, if you have a hit record, or a track that goes crazy globally, you can make money from recording and publishing. But at the heart of the whole enterprise – more now than ever – is live music. And Irish artists and bands are rising to the challenge. It is incredible how many great acts are currenty treading the boards here. Long may it continue...

AMAZING PLACES

Mark Downing is director of AMA Music Agency, who are booking agents for the likes of Aslan, The Coronas, Walking On Cars, Rubberbandits and dozens of other Irish acts. He’s been at the frontline of the live music industry for years: the massive resurgence of live gigs is music to his ears.

“The scene has become particularly strong in the last few years,” he says. “Especially in all of the major cities. A lot of nightclubs have changed to music venues, and the culture of live music is definitely back. People want to see something live, something tangible. The culture of Ireland is still very much steeped in live music.”

Mark also points to the number of great new acts that are touring, alongside a growing pool of heritage acts.

“It’s important that Ireland has amazing up-and-coming live bands who’ll get the crowds coming out. If you look at some of my favourites at the moment – State Lights and Vicci for example – there’s lots of wonderful music being made in Ireland.”

As an artist manager, booking agent, tour manager for Lisa Hannigan and event producer for Turning Pirate, Una Molloy is well placed to give an overview of the live scene. She’s well aware of the massive buzz about live music in Ireland right now.

“The scene is more vibrant than ever,” she says. “What’s amazing is that there’s lots of venues popping up outside of the main hub of Dublin. Myself and Lisa [Hannigan] just did a tour of loads of different towns throughout Ireland. That gave us a chance to go to some smaller venues who’d been wanting to book Lisa for a long time.It was brilliant. I just couldn’t believe the amount of amazing places we discovered. We went to a place called Tracton Arts Centre in Minane Bridge in Cork, and it was a beautiful, state-of-the-art venue in a lovely location. We just discovered so many places.”

It is no secret that musicians have been having a tough time of it over the past decade. With the advent of streaming sites and the decline of revenue from album sales, incomes have dropped. As a result, there’s been an increasing reliance on live performance. Another shift, however, has helped. With drink driving laws encouraging people to drink at home, venues, bars and pubs have to be more proactive and imaginative in what they offer. Musically speaking, rural areas have started to benefit, with bars running gigs and artists trying to play as many shows as possible.

“Dublin is obviously still the big one for all bands,” says Downing. “But beyond that, there’s a huge spike in activity in loads of other places. You can see it in Cork and in West Cork – places like De Barra’s out in Clonakilty are doing a great job. Then you’ve got the INEC in Killarney, which is a great venue, and Dolan’s in Limerick – artists now want to play in all these places. Donegal has also gotten very lively for music in the last 24 months, which is brilliant: there’s a lot happening in the likes of Letterkenny and Bundoran, and there’s a huge Buncrana street festival.”

OUTSTANDING TALENT

Going hand-in-hand with this, there are enthusiastic, music loving venue owners are prepared to really put the work into making gigs happen – and into ensuring that the crowds turn out.

“You take someone like Aiden O’Connor in Mike The Pies,” says Mark. “He runs gigs every Thursday and most of them would sell out. And he’s got all the best of Irish talent down there as well. If you’ve got someone who believes in the music, in the way that Aiden does, that makes a huge difference.”

Una agrees with this sentiment.

“You really do need a music fan or someone who understands the business a little bit in a small town,” she says. “It’s reassuring when you have that. If I have acts that I’m passing over to other tour managers, that I’m just the agent for, I find that the main thing I want to know is that the act is going to be looked after – that they’re going to go down and have a really good show. What I’ve found is that all of these places are really listening to me, and they are listening to artists. That is brilliant to see.”

Una also notes another trend that’s developed in recent years. Due to the rising cost of living in Dublin, many people who cut their teeth in the live business in the capital are starting to take their expertise to smaller areas.

“I’m thinking of people like Peter Doran, who helped set up the Old Town Music Company,” she says. “He’s moved back to Mullingar, so he’s bringing good music to the Irish midlands. Then there’s Conor Wilson out in Westport. A lot of people are going home, going back to their hometowns. Conor worked in Dublin with Mother for years, and now he’s started Westival out in Westport and I can tell you that it’s been a huge success. You find a lot of people like that, people who’ve gone back and made all of these towns more vibrant.”

So, more than ever it seems, the music is in good hands. And that is an encouragement in itself to artists and bands to have a real, determined, go at it. Whether it is breakthrough international acts like Picture This and Gavin James; fresh folk heroes like Lankum and Ailbhe Reddy; powerful solo artists like David Keenan, Talos and Erica Cody; or the new wave of guitar bands like Murder Capital, Thumper and Just Mustard, there is a phenomenal wave of outstanding talent in Ireland right now.

LET’S CELEBRATE

There were more startling statistics back in 2017, when a report titled Let’s Celebrate – overseen by well-known industry expert Justin Green – highlighted the value of the music industry to the Irish economy. A comprehensive analysis of the live sector over a 12-month period, the report indicated that for every €1 spent on a ticket in Ireland, an additional €6.06 was generated within the wider economy. On the basis of this, it’s become apparent that, although it’s sometimes difficult to quantify, the live music industry is an essential component of Ireland’s economy.

“The benefit for the wider economy that comes with just one gig is so important,” Mark stresses. “I see it around the country when I’m dealing with all these venues. It drives activity. It gets people out and spending. You can’t overstate the importance of it over a year.”

“The benefit of live music to the economy is overlooked officially,” Una concurs. “There’s so many artists that are being pushed to the boundaries because of the financial pressures that come from being an artist, and yet you have all these people who want to see them, as well as tourists who travel from all over the world to Ireland for the music.”

There’s been a lot of talk about setting up a music board here – similar to the Irish Film Board – in order to help support the live music industry – as well as the industry in general. Would Una be in favour of that?

“Absolutely,” she says. “There should be a scenario whereby people are given bursaries or rent allowance or ways that they can apply for residencies to use studio spaces, so that they can work and have a space to be creative.”

People in power – take note! Live music is brighter and more diverse than ever in Ireland, so now’s the time to offer it long-term support. And for all those keen to see some great live music, well, there’s loads of fantastic venues where you can enjoy the action. Over the coming days, we’ll be selecting a few of the best music venues in the country…