Nine music festivals cancelled this year, more affected next year without State intervention, Dáil hears

Events like this weekend’s Taylor Swift concerts in Dublin, and associated “Swiftmania” and “Swifties”, give the false impression that Ireland’s music scene is booming, but nine festivals this year have been cancelled, the Dáil has heard.

Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty warned that many more festivals could be cancelled next year without Government intervention, as he appealed for a working group to be established to intervene and support music festivals and the musicians who rely on them.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said he had no difficulty “engaging and ensuring that we can provide necessary baseline supports to enable such a rich vein in our musical life to continue and to be sustainable”.

Mr Doherty, a founder, director and chair of the not-for-profit Sult Music Festival in Gweedore, Co Donegal, which takes place in mid-July, said that while many Irish musical acts “may only dream of opening for the likes of a Taylor Swift or Pink, it is not on their horizon”.

He named the nine events that will not go ahead this year including Indiependence and the Bandon Music Festival, both in Co Cork; Body and Soul and the Life festivals in Co Westmeath; Wild Roots in Sligo; Forever Young and the Playing Fields festivals in Co Kildare, the Far West Fest in Co Mayo; and the Bann Festival in Co Antrim.

Mr Doherty said that without Government intervention more music festivals will close down next year. While it was not unique to Ireland, the pandemic had had a serious impact on festivals.

He appealed to the Tánaiste for the Government to “convene a round-table working group with an intervention and support for these festivals to continue, and to support the acts that depend on them”.

Mr Martin, in whose native county of Cork two festivals have been cancelled, pledged to speak to Minister for Culture and Arts Catherine Martin about convening such a round-table working group.

“To be fair to the Minister, she has taken a range of initiatives to support native artists more generally, and particularly with the basic income scheme she introduced.”

Mr Martin added that “I would support anything we can do to support the Irish music festivals and to try to create opportunities for Irish musicians and acts.”