Country Profile: Ireland

The Irish live business is experiencing phenomenal growth at the moment.

PwC reported that live music in the country generated €243m in 2023 – up a staggering 23.5% from 2022. The growth curve is expected to keep trending north, with the company forecasting that revenues will reach €279m in 2028.

This is in part down to many mega-acts including Irish dates on their European tours, but also due to an explosion in local talent, from alternative rock acts like Fontaines D.C. and Sprints to those breathing new life into Irish traditional music, such as Lankum and Kingfishr. It has always been a strong market for singer-songwriters and a heartland market for country music, a genre that has only really taken off in the past decade on the other side of the Irish Sea.

The heavyweight local promoters are MCD (now…