The shortlist has been announced for the Hot Press Live Music Venue of the Year Award – which is announced annually at the IMRO Live Music Awards. In all, 30 venues – spread right across the country – are in contention. The winners of the IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Awards will be announced on February 26, at a ceremony in IMRO’s Copyright House HQ, in Dublin.

“There is always huge interest in the Live Music Venue of the Year category in our Reader’s Poll,” Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said. “One of the great things about the award is that venues like Mike The Pies in Listowel, McGinley’s in Letterkenny, The Chasin’ Bull in Bundoran and Thomas House in Dublin can all go head to head with places like 3Arena, The National Concert Hall, Vicar Street and the Olympia Theatre in Dublin.

“Live music is absolutely vital to the health of the scene here at the moment,” Stokes added. “It is really encouraging that a spirit of adventure has come back into the business around the country. New venues have been opening up. And there is fantastic variety – with, for example, Crane Lane, Cork Opera House, Coughlan's and St. Luke’s all representing the southern capital. So it is fascinating to see which ones come through every year.

“The most important this his that musicians need to be able to earn a decent living. And really good live music venues make a huge difference in that regard. So we salute the commitment of the venue owners, the promoters and the dreamers who make all of this stuff happen. Long may it continue to grow."

It is now up to live music fans to get voting, to ensure that their experiences attending gigs are reflected in the results. So, without further ado, the complete list of nominated venues can be seen below: