Author: Press Officer

The Irish Music Rights Organisation CLG (IMRO) is delighted to announce that the tenth IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Awards will take place on Tuesday 20^th February 2018 at IMRO HQ in Dublin.

The shortlist (below) was announced this morning via the IMRO building by Victor Finn (IMRO Chief Executive).

The annual awards celebrate the dedication and passion of those who work in Ireland’s live music venues, providing the public with an exceptional live music experience on a weekly basis.

More than 11,500 IMRO members considered hundreds of venues across the country for the shortlist. Venues were judged on their commitment to providing the core elements that make for a great live music venue – atmosphere, sound and lighting, staging, diversity of programming and importantly, the staff and management of each venue. IMRO members also voted on Ireland’s music festivals, delivering a shortlist of their top ten festivals.

Live music venues and festivals play a vital role in the music industry in Ireland, giving international and homegrown artists a platform to engage with fans and build new audiences. They also play a central role in urban and rural communities across the country, providing a social gathering space for varied audiences, and contributing hugely to the domestic economy.

Of the Awards, Victor Finn, IMRO Chief Executive said, ““Over the years these Awards have become a much sought after industry accolade. They clearly highlight the pivotal contribution that venues and festivals make to local economies and the significant role they play in providing a public platform for Irish songwriters and performers”.

At the ceremony in IMRO HQ in Dublin on February 20^th, awards will be presented to the leading live music venue in each of the following regions: Dublin, Leinster (excluding Dublin), Connacht, Munster and Ulster (Donegal, Monaghan, Cavan).  The IMRO Music Festival of the Year, IMRO Small Music Festival of the Year, IMRO Tech Crew of the Year Award and a special Outstanding Contribution to Live Music Award will also be presented on the night. Performances on the night will come from leading emerging acts Le Boom, Chasing Abbey and Wild Youth.

One overall award will be presented to the IMRO National Live Music Venue of the Year. This award is decided upon by the public, who vote for their live music venue of the year from the combined shortlist of all the regions.

Live music fans should simply log on to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/imrovenueawards choose their favourite from the shortlist provided, by February 16th. One lucky voter will win an iPad.

The ceremony will also see the presentation of the award for Hot Press Live Music Venue of the Year via The Readers Poll which is contributed to by Hot Press fans and can be viewed here – http://www.hotpress.com/readerspoll/

Niall Stokes, editor of Hot Press said “Irish people love live music. To be able to go out and sing and play in front of a crowd is at the heart of what it means to be a musician in Ireland. But the ongoing interest and enthusiasm of music lovers cannot be taken for granted. The extraordinary, symbiotic link between musicians and their audiences has to be nurtured – and so it is vital that there should be a constant sense of innovation on the Irish live music scene.

Thankfully that has been the case in recent times, with established venues investing in what are often hugely impressive improvements and new venues coming on the scene that offer an even wider variety of music choices for artists and fans alike. It is an exciting time in the live music industry here, which makes the IMRO Live Music Awards even more vital than ever. 

Hot Press is proud to be associated with the awards – and with the people who are making things happen in venues up and down the country all year long. We owe them, as well as our musicians, a major debt of thanks.”

IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year 2017 Shortlist

IMRO Dublin Live Music Venue of the Year 2017

Vicar Street, Dublin 8
Whelan’s, Dublin 2
The Olympia Theatre, Dublin 2
The Grand Social, Dublin 1
The Workman’s Club, Dublin 2

IMRO Rest of Leinster Live Music Venue of the Year 2017

Wexford Arts Centre
The Set Theatre, Kilkenny
The Spirit Store, Dundalk, Co. Louth
Seven Oaks Hotel, Carlow
TLT Theatre, Drogheda, Co. Louth

IMRO Connacht Live Music Venue of the Year 2017

Róisín Dubh, Galway
Matt Molloy’s, Westport, Co Mayo
Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
The Angler’s Rest, Kinlough, Co. Leitrim
The Dock, Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim

IMRO Munster Live Music Venue of the Year 2017

Connolly’s of Leap, Co. Cork
Coughlan’s, Cork
Kenny’s Bar, Lahinch, Co. Clare
Kazbar, Waterford
Mike The Pies, Listowel, Co. Kerry

IMRO Ulster Live Music Venue of the Year 2017

Mc Kenna’s Bar, Monaghan
Hotel Kilmore, Cavan
The Chasin’ Bull, Bundoran, Co. Donegal
Leo’s Tavern, Donegal
An Grianan Theatre, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

IMRO Music Festival of the Year 2017

Electric Picnic
Body & Soul
St. Patrick’s Festival
Indiependence
Galway International Arts Festival
Forbidden Fruit
Life Festival
Live at Iveagh Gardens
Sea Sessions
Longitude

IMRO Small Music Festival of the Year 2017

Other Voices
Daytripper
Canalaphonic
West Cork Chamber Music Festival
BD Festival
Sligo Live
Sounds From A Safe Harbour
Another Love Story
Hard Working Class Heroes
Kilkenny Trad Fest
Vantastival

IMRO Tech Crew of the Year Award 2017

Vicar Street
National Concert Hall
The Grand Social
The Olympia Theatre
Electric Picnic
Other Voices
Body & Soul
Coughlan’s, Cork
The Set Theatre
Longitude

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obrotherbrewing.com

Date: Saturday, January 27, 2018
Time: 12:30 to 15:00
Location: Science Gallery (Paccar Theatre), Trinity College Dublin 2.
Register: FREE Event: https://dublin.sciencegallery.com/events/2017/12/signalcareers

Considering pursuing a career in music, or interested in finding out what’s on offer for the musically-minded at third-level institutions across the country? Join us for SIGNAL: CAREERS, a unique event taking place at Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin on 27 January.

We will hear from Ireland’s leading third-level music and technology colleges as they present their current and upcoming educational programmes, and this event will be of particular interest to those applying for higher education through this year’s CAO or considering masters courses. Following the presentations and discussion, there will be one-to-one networking opportunities with college representatives and current students.

With the CAO’s February deadline fast approaching, the kick-off event SIGNAL: CAREERS is aimed at those considering pursuing a career in music or wishing to gain a deeper insight into further education in music and music technology.

SIGNAL is a new IMRO sponsored dedicated series of discussions and interactive demonstrations focused on cutting-edge technology, creativity and music, featuring artists, educators and creative thinkers. The series is run as a collaboration between Science Gallery Dublin and Martin Clancy, a music researcher at the Trinity College Dublin Long Room Hub. Martin is a certified Ableton Live trainer with over 30 years’ professional experience as both a music producer and an industry professional.

Rusangano Family, Delorentos, Adrian Crowley, Ailbhe Reddy and A Smyth are among a number of well-known music acts set to challenge mental health stigma this January as part of the 2018 First Fortnight mental health arts festival.

The Big Gig also features Choice Music Prize winners Rusangano Family, up and coming Dubliner Ailbhe Reddy and former Vann Music frontman A. Smyth. The show will take place in Tramline on January 13. Tickets from €12.

Now in its ninth year, First Fortnight 2018 will see live music, film, theatre, discussion, sport and arts events staged in 17 counties across Ireland to create open discussion and understanding of mental health problems, and challenge prejudice and discrimination.

This year, The Therapy Sessions Dublin are being curated by Delorentos and All Tvvins.  All Tvvins curated the January 5^th Therapy Session which featured True Tides and Rushes, as well as spoken word performers Poetic Pilgrimage and Stephen James Smyth.

Delorentos will curate the January 12^th Therapy Session which will feature Limerick’s Bleeding Heart Pigeons and Pillow Queens, as well as Manchester poet Tony Walsh.

The Therapy Sessions will also take place in Co. Cork this year. On January 6^th, Cork’s undisputed queen of soul Karen Underwood lead the line up at The White Horse in Ballincollig, with former Fred frontman Joe O’Leary and Poetic Pilgrimage also on the bill.

The Therapy Sessions move to De Barras in Clonakilty on this Saturday, January 13^th and will feature Cork electro three-piece Wiggle and local hero Míde Houlihan, as well as Manchester poet Tony Walsh.

On Friday January 12 in The Hawkswell Theatre, Sligo and on Saturday January 13 at The Glens Theatre, Manorhamilton, First Fortnight and Bluestack Records will present Choice Music Prize winner Adrian Crowley, once dubbed “the best songwriter that no one has heard of” by Ryan Adams, and the brilliant Nocturnes live. Tickets from €7.50.

Other events taking place as part of First Fortnight 2018 include: The Arts and Minds, a series of events within the National Gallery of Ireland discussing art and mental health, a special screening of the movie Loving Vincent and a post show discussion in the stunning NGI courtyard; screenings of acclaimed films Loving Vincent, 32 Pills and The Departure from Emmy award-winning Lana Wilson; and OutStraight – a concept-based show combining spoken word/ hip-hop theatre with visual art graffiti; and much, much more. The full line-up can be viewed at http://www.firstfortnight.ie.

This year’s festival presenting partners include; Mental Health Reform; St Patrick’s Mental Health Services; Mental Health Ireland and See Change, the National Mental Health Stigma Reduction Partnership.

Among the highlights of this year’s festival will be:

• Lunatic, There I Go – a powerful new play based on the memoir ‘Bird’s Nest Soup’ by Hanna Greally. At the age of 19, Hanna was wrongfully incarcerated in an Irish lunatic asylum for more than 20 years. ‘Bird’s Nest Soup’ shocked the nation and in 1971 Hanna made a memorable appearance on the Late Late Show with Gay Byrne. This will be performed exclusively at the Civic Theatre.
• Don’t Worry Be APPY – Is technology reshaping how we respond to mental health issues? For the first time First Fortnight will examine technology and mental health as part of a panel discussion.
• #InOurHourOfNeed – What is the state of Ireland’s mental health services? How can you help? Mental health advocate, author and DJ Nikki Hayes chairs a panel debate on Ireland’s current mental health policy held in association with Mental Health Reform and A Lust For Life.
• Banter: An Evening With Barry Hyde of The Futureheads will see the frontman perform tracks from his debut solo album and discuss his battles with mental health difficulties.

The shortlist for this year’s RTÉ Choice Music Prize, Irish Album of the Year 2017, in association with IMRO & IRMA, was announced today on RTÉ 2FM’s Tracy Clifford Show by Tony Clayton Lea, chairman of the judging panel. The shortlist is as follows:

Come On Live Long – In The Still (self released)
Marlene Enright – Placemats and Second Cuts (self released)
Fangclub – Fangclub (Universal)
Lankum – Beneath the Earth and the Sky (Rough Trade)
James Vincent McMorrow – True Care (Faction Records)
New Jackson – From Night to Night (All City)
Otherkin – OK (Rubyworks)
Fionn Regan – The Meetings of the Waters (Abbey Records)
Ships – Precession (Ships Music)
Talos – Wild Alee (Feel Good Lost)

As part of RTÉ’s continued commitment to promoting Irish music, RTÉ 2FM celebrates the announcement of the shortlist across its schedule throughout the day with All Irish Music All Day from 6am to midnight. As part of this Louise McSharry will present a two-hour special programme on this year’s RTÉ Choice Music Prize, Irish Album of the Year 2017 shortlist from 8-10pm this evening. RTÉ 2FM will continue to mark the announcement of the shortlist this week and beyond through a mix of airplay of tracks from the shortlisted albums, interviews with this year’s shortlisted artists and live performances.

The shortlisted albums can be enjoyed in full on the RTÉ Choice Music Prize website www.choicemusicprize.ie and on  www.2fm.ie/rtechoicemusic. The winning album will be announced at the RTÉ Choice Music Prize live event, held in Vicar Street, Dublin on Thursday 8^th March 2018. As part of the partnership with RTÉ, the event will be broadcast live on RTÉ 2FM in a special four-hour extended programme from 7-11pm and on RTÉ2 as part of a special RTÉ Choice Music Prize TV programme, approximately one week later.

The 13th annual RTÉ Choice Music Prize will once again celebrate and acknowledge the best in Irish recorded music.  The prize has become one of the highlights of the Irish musical calendar since its inception in 2005 and is awarded to the Irish Album of the Year, as chosen from a shortlist of ten releases by a panel of twelve Irish music media professionals and industry experts.

The winning act will receive €10,000, a prize fund which has been provided by The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). All of the shortlisted acts will receive a specially commissioned award.

RAAP, Culture Ireland & Golden Discs are also official project partners.

Culture Ireland will fund the attendance of influential overseas Industry executives to attend the RTE Choice Music Prize Live Event on March 8^th while Golden Discs will feature special stands showcasing the RTE Choice Music Prize nominees across their stores nationwide.

RTÉ Choice Music Prize – Irish Song of The Year 2017

The shortlist for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize – Irish Song of The Year 2017 will be announced on Wednesday 31^st January 2018. A special event featuring exclusive performances from both Album of the Year and Song of the Year nominees will be held in Dublin’s Tramline venue that evening.

Tickets for the Choice Music Prize live event are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and at http://www.ticketmaster.ie priced €28.00 including booking fee.

The RTÉ Choice Music Prize is organised by David Reid. Irish Times music writer/critic Tony Clayton-Lea is the chairman of the judging panel. It is unique in that it focuses simply and solely on the music in judging the releases, as opposed to sales or airplay. The full list of judges is on the RTÉ Choice Music Prize website.  http://www.choicemusicprize.ie.

Past recipients: 

Album of the Year

2005 Julie Feeney – 13 Songs (Julie Feeney)
2006 The Divine Comedy – Victory for the Comic Muse (Parlophone)
2007 Super Extra Bonus Party – Super Extra Bonus Party (Alphabet Set)
2008 Jape – Ritual (Co-op Records)
2009 Adrian Crowley – Season of the Sparks (Chemikal Underground)
2010 Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History (Kitsune)
2011 Jape – Ocean of Frequency (Music Is For Losers)
2012 Delorentos – Little Sparks (Delo Records)
2013 Villagers – {Awayland} (Domino)
2014 The Gloaming  – The Gloaming (Real World)
2015 Soak – Before We Forgot How To Dream (Rough Trade)
2016 Rusangano Family – Let The Dead Bury The Dead (Self Released)

The hunt for Ireland’s greatest cover version begins afresh this January as the Le Crunch Apple of My Eye returns for another nationwide search. Having established itself as one of Ireland’s most popular song contests, thousands of promising Irish musicians have entered the competition since its inception in 2013, many of whom have continued on to aspiring careers in the music industry, such as Stephanie Rainey, Hvmmingbird and Brave Giant.

Running in partnership with Ireland’s leading digital platform, JOE, the Le Crunch Apple of My Eye contest asks musicians from all over Ireland to choose and record their favourite cover version and send it to JOE.ie, where a panel of industry judges will select a Top Ten from all entrants. This will be whittled down to a Top 5, who will be asked to perform their track live at Dublin’s iconic venue Whelan’s at a National Final in March.

The judges for this year’s competition include one of this country’s finest frontwomen, Jess Kavanagh from BARQ, rising singer songwriter Jack O’Rourke and JOEshow presenter, Paddy McKenna. Not only will the winner walk away with a cash prize of €1500, they will also be guaranteed a slot at one of Ireland’s best music events next summer – Indiependence Music & Arts Festival.

“Each year that we have run this competition, we have been consistently amazed by the rising standard and the quality of the entrants,” says Sandrine Gaborieau, Marketing Director of Le Crunch from France. “It makes us extremely happy to see the competition as a stepping stone for many of these artists, and once again we are looking forward to listening to a whole new batch of songs in the Le Crunch Apple of My Eye 2018.”

During the competition, JOE will host a live audition for a number of artists that will be filmed by its production team. “I’m very excited to judge another year of this competition,” said Paddy McKenna.  I’m really looking forward to discovering new talent and showcasing it to a much wider Irish audience. We can’t wait to hear what is out there and during the competition we’ll be hosting some of the best songs and videos on JOE and Her”.

Musicians are asked to record their favourite cover version (on video or MP3) and to enter the competition through JOE.ie. For more information go to www.ouitolecrunchmusic.com

Music Network today welcomed the announcement by Josepha Madigan TD, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, confirming funding of €245,500 for the Music Capital Scheme 2018.

The Music Capital Scheme, supported by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and managed by Music Network, comprises two distinct awards that provide funding for the purchase of musical instruments to both non-professional performing groups and to professional musicians.

Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan TD said:

“The Music Capital Scheme is a wonderful initiative which has benefitted thousands of people since the scheme was set up in 2008. The Music Capital Scheme is a key music resource through which musical groups and talented individuals may be awarded funding towards the purchase of musical instruments. I am very pleased that my Department is once again in a position to support the scheme and I wish all of the musicians involved every success with their future musical endeavours”.

Commenting on the announcement, Music Network CEO Sharon Rollston said:

“This year’s announcement will add to the 301 awards granted to musicians and organisations under the scheme to date, supporting Music Network’s mission to make live music happen throughout Ireland. As well as individual musicians, among others the scheme supports youth bands, ensembles, orchestras, community initiatives and resource organisations working in a diverse range of genres. The instruments provided through the Music Capital Scheme continue to make a significant impact on the quality of, and access to, music making and live music performance throughout Ireland. We greatly appreciate the continued support of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in this respect.”

The Music Capital Scheme was established by The Arts Council, The IRMA Trust and Music Network in 2008 as an action-research initiative designed to provide support for the purchase of musical instruments. In response to the success of the initial pilot scheme, funding has been made available since 2011 by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The Music Capital Scheme has funded 301 musicians, groups and organisations, benefitting up to 31,000 people throughout Ireland since its inception in 2008.

The Music Capital Scheme will open for applications on Thursday 11^th January 2018 with a deadline of 12 pm on Tuesday 20^th February 2018. Further information is available at www.musicnetwork.ie.

For further details, please contact Music Network’s Programmes Administrator Sarah Cunningham at Tel 01 475 0224 / programmesadmin@nullmusicnetwork.ie.