Fatboy Slim is set to return to Ireland next year – with major shows at the 3Arena, Dublin (March 16) and The SSE Arena, Belfast (March 18) announced today.

The internationally renowned artist, also known as Norman Cook, began DJing over forty years ago, and has since carved out a remarkable career driven by what he describes as "the power of the collective unity and community that a shared musical experience can have."

"The Hawaiian shirt and the bare feet is a good way of demarcating which one I am," he says of the distinction between Fatboy and Norman. "If I’m slightly confused, I look down to my shirt and say, ‘No, you’re not Norman’. It may be a superstition, but it’s a reminder to myself: when I’ve got my shirt on, I have to give it my all as a performer and a showman and, you know, as a professional idiot. And when I haven’t got the shirt on, I have to concentrate on being a functional father and a human being."

In a statement, the acclaimed DJ goes on to note that his central mission as Fatboy Slim is to simply "share music" and watching people "lose themselves in the moment."

Then sharing that with everyone, watching them all lose themselves in the moment

"Watching that, and being in control of that – that’s the biggest kick," he continues. "And I think that’s why, at an age where I really shouldn’t be trolling around the world playing records to other people, I still am, and I’m still enjoying it more than ever.”

Tickets for Fatboy Slim's upcoming Dublin and Belfast gigs go on sale this Friday, September 24, at 9am from Ticketmaster.