x

The latest industry news to your inbox.


I'd like to hear about marketing opportunities

    

I accept IQ Magazine's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Publication

Country Profile: Republic of Ireland

The world’s leading promoters & the 55 top markets they operate in.
Click the interactive map below to explore the top 55 global markets.

The Irish music promotions market is dominated by two players, MCD and Aiken Promotions. MCD Productions brought in box-office revenues of $165 million on 2.4m tickets for gigs across Ireland last year, according to Pollstar data.

MCD managing director Denis Desmond told the Irish Times the the company’s ticket sales were “a great result”, adding that it was “great to see demand is bigger than ever for live shows”. The results put MCD number 11 promoter in the world, according to the figures.

However, there is a bitter irony in the fact that Ireland is currently massively over-delivering in its export of domestic acts, yet the live market is at risk because of a lack of suitable venues to properly build touring acts’ careers.

“That’s another problem with the Dublin market – the lack of venues.”

Brian Hand of Singular Artists feels the market is currently oversaturated, with promoters struggling to find venues for shows later in 2023. “Everything seems to be quite busy,” he says. “That’s another problem with the Dublin market – the lack of venues.”

There are numerous small venues in Dublin, but the closure in recent years of venues like the Pod and Andrews Lane Theatre have been keenly felt. Sadly, Dublin property developers view hotels and car parks as better investments than venues. “Land is so expensive over here that there’s no incentive for anyone to come and open a theatre,” sighs Hand.

That said, there is a new government-backed seated venue planned (although it has been dragging on for years) in Dublin, as is a new 6,000-cap events centre in Cork. Even so, there is growing pressure to get government assistance to open more venues in the country.

A lack of “bridging venues” in Dublin means acts can build up through 300-500 cap venues and progress to 1,000-1,500 cap ones, but then face an often unbridgeable chasm.

“Land is so expensive over here that there’s no incentive for anyone to come and open a theatre.”

Leagues O’Toole of Foggy Notions says, “After that, you’ve got nothing in terms of 2,000-5,000 cap venues, unless the acts are capable of doing a scaled-down 3Arena. It works from roughly a 5,000-6,000 configuration and goes up to full capacity of 13,000. There are no 2,000-, 3,000-, or 4,000-cap venues in the capital. Which is insane.”

Outside Dublin, the Gleneagle INEC Arena in Killarney is an entertainment complex with three venues with capacities ranging from 350 to 4,142 and hosts between 130-150 shows a year, and has recently seen performances from The Waterboys, Hozier, George Ezra, and The Coronas.

This situation is exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis in Ireland, especially its housing problem where rents are skyrocketing due to a dearth of properties.

Hand says the live market needs to factor in just how much financial pressure consumers are currently under. “Don’t try and fleece the customer and try and make things more attractive,” he proposes. “Saying that, if you have a good show and a good ticket price, it’s going to sell tickets.”

Ireland remains an incredibly strong live music market. “Music is like oxygen here,” says O’Toole. “It’s a very, very social country.” Acts, however, need to be aware of the hard economic reality of touring Ireland.

“It’s expensive to tour here,” says Hand. “Hotels are expensive, and advertising is expensive. But Ireland is one of those countries that, if you can build up an audience, like we did with The 502s, [it will pay off].”

“It’s expensive to tour here. Hotels are expensive, and advertising is expensive. But Ireland is one of those countries that, if you can build up an audience, like we did with The 502s, [it will pay off].”

Acts that tour beyond Dublin and go into the other key cities – namely Cork, Galway, and Limerick – can build a hugely loyal fanbase.

“There is a traditional fear of going outside of Dublin when some of the big international acts come over, but we have shown that the market definitely is there,” says Eoin Aher of Cyprus Avenue in Cork. “The approach we’ve taken is that we can compete with larger venues in terms of fees in Dublin, knowing that we can sell out.”

He points to acts playing Cyprus Avenue this year like The Pretenders, KT Tunstall, Teenage Fanclub, and Paul Oakenfold as proof of that.

Beyond music, however, podcasts and comedy are where many promoters are diversifying.

Alongside rock, folk/trad, and dance, country music has long been a strong genre in Ireland.

Family shows are, says Hand, “all venue-specific,” making it difficult to get venues, as the Olympia, the Gaiety, the Helix, and the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre are really the only workable ones.

Alongside rock, folk/trad, and dance, country music has long been a strong genre in Ireland.

Both Singular Artists and Foggy Notions were set up by former staffers at Aiken who were let go at the start of the pandemic. Alongside them are a wave of independent promoters, including Selective Memory, as well as a healthy network of regional players such as Seoda Shows in Limerick and Live At St. Luke’s in Cork.

Our other publications