Matt Benson has announced shows across Ireland beginning in April.

He will visit Dongegal’s The Social on April 12, Dublin’s Little Whelan’s on April 30 and Belfast’s The American Bar on June 1 and July 6. Tickets are on sale now.

The artist dropped his first solo single ‘Sit Back Down Again’ back in March, speaking to the death of his sister Catherine. His debut album will drop this summer.

“On the surface, the song is about someone you love leaving to chase a dream or go on an adventure,” he said. “It’s about knowing that person has to go and wishing them well, but at the same time wanting them to just sit back down again and stay a little longer. And on a deeper level it’s about my sister leaving me and me wishing she could have stayed longer before she passed away.”

Benson earned acclaim for his career playing the trombone. Since his first gig in 2010, he's played with Bad Manners, The Pogues and Neil Hannon, and has performed at Glastonbury, The Tonight Show, The Royal Albert Hall and The Brit Awards. Benson picked up the trombone after his father’s music shop was destroyed during The Troubles in Belfast.

“No one was hurt, but the shop was completely trashed, all except for a little student model trombone that was found under a pile of smoking rubble on the top floor,” he said. “It was still in working order, and between you and me I think the fire gave it something a bit special. My Da brought it home for me and we spent that evening cleaning it up in the kitchen sink. He taught me how to play ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ in C major that night."

Tickets for Benson’s Irish shows are available here.