TONY CLAYTON-LEA casts his eye over gigs not to miss if you’re home for Christmas
December 1st
Mary Coughlan, 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin, €41.50
Celebrating 40 years in the music industry as much as surviving a life less ordinary, Galway’s Mary Coughlan knows a thing or two about resilience and how the measure of a good song isn’t necessarily what you say in it but how you sing it. A class act.
NOTE: Mary is also appearing in London, November 11:
Union Chapel, Compton Terrace, London N1 2UN
unionchapel.org.uk
December 1st-December 30th
Gavin James, nationwide tour, €46.20
Gavin James clearly isn’t into playing just a few gigs to celebrate the festive season. Instead, he embarks on a full-blown nationwide tour to mark the 10th anniversary of his emergence as one of Ireland’s best-loved contemporary pop tunesmiths. Visit gavinjamesmusic.com for full details of all tour dates.
December 2nd/3rd
James Vincent McMorrow, Vicar Street, Dublin, €49.20
A much-admired Dublin songwriter and the owner of a divine set of pipes, James Vincent McMorrow spreads the love with a series of shows that will effortlessly showcase his skills as one of the most clued-in musicians we have. (Also, December 4th, Mandela Hall, Belfast; December 5th, Black Box, Galway; December 7th/8th, Set Theatre, Kilkenny.)
George O'Dowd, better known as Boy George (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images).jpgDecember 3rd
Culture Club, 3Arena, Dublin, €70.70
Do you really want to love him? Do you really want to make him cry? The man born George O’Dowd but known for over 40 years as Boy George returns to Ireland with more than a few of his best-known hits. The nostalgia-ahoy special guests include ex-Spandau Ballet singer, Tony Hadley, and electro-pop group, Heaven 17.
Christy Moore (Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images)December 5th/11th/18th/30th
Christy Moore, Vicar Street, Dublin, (sold out)
The man. The legend. The national treasure. With a superb new album out (A Terrible Beauty), Christy Moore may be looking at his 80th year (in 2025) with some caution, but there’s no question as to his status as one of the finest Irish songwriters still delivering the goods.
December 5th/6th/7th
HamsandwicH, Whelan’s, Dublin, €30
With three shows at the venue that started it off for them, Irish band HamsandwicH celebrate their career and back catalogue by playing in their entirety their first three albums (2008’s Carry the Meek, 2010’s White Fox, 2015’s Stories from the Surface) on separate nights. Quality pop/rock from musicians that still have a lot to offer? Don’t doubt it.
Carlos O'Connell of Fontaines D.C. ((hoto by Rick Kern/Getty Images)December 6th/7th
Fontaines D.C., 3Arena, Dublin, €40.20
The release earlier this year of their fourth album, Romance, has consolidated the position of Fontaines D.C. not only as the best Irish band of their generation but (arguably) the best Irish band of the past 30 years. Three words: Do. Not. Miss.
December 7th
The Undertones/Something Happens, 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin, €41.70
Here come the 60-somethings! There remains a spark or four in the old dogs that refuse to pack it in, yet when you have bunches of great songs in your back pockets you have to ask the question: why on earth should they? Two of the best Irish bands from the late-70s and ‘80s/’90s deliver some of the best Irish songs ever released. No arguments!
December 7th/8th
Soda Blonde, Vicar Street, Dublin, €35
Over five years ago, Soda Blonde emerged from the debris of Little Green Cars; the members were, by and large, the same, but the approach to the music was different. Since 2019, Soda Blonde have cut quite a stylish swathe through everything they’ve touched: music, gigs, videos, and merchandise. Their vision continues apace. Good on ‘em.
December 8th/9th
Villagers, 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin, €38.60
One of Ireland’s most delicate and lyrical songwriters, Conor O’Brien has been fronting Villagers since 2008 and has, over the intervening years, presented a sequence of six albums that have won him not just praise but also gongs. These include an Ivor Novello nod (in 2011, his song Becoming a Jackal nabbed the prestigious Best Song Musically and Lyrically Award).
The Coronas' Danny O Reilly (photo: Sam Boal /RollingNews.ie)December 12th-15th/16th
The Coronas, 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin, €41.70
For the best part of 20 years, The Coronas have been embedded in the Irish rock/pop music scene, but something happened to the band’s music from the writing of songs for their 2020 album, True Love Waits: somewhat pedestrian songs morphed into slow-burn pop tunes that dug deep into the human condition. Ditto their new album, Thoughts and Observations, which continues the surge of quality. (Also, December 21st, Vicar Street, Dublin; December 28th, INEC, Killarney, Co Kerry.)
December 13th
The Stunning, INEC, Killarney, Co Kerry, €35.65
Another set of Irish musicians that have lasted the distance, The Stunning (fronted by Steve Wall, who has carved out a moderately successful acting career) may have resisted the urge to record new material on a regular basis, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn't be forgotten for their quality pop/rock. (Also, December 14th, Cyprus Avenue, Cork; December 20th/21st, Set Theatre, Kilkenny.)
December 13th/14th
Picture This, INEC, Killarney, Co Kerry, €49.20
The Co Kildare band continue to gain popularity across Europe with their streamlined pop/rock. Now signed to a major label, and with their most recent album, Parked Car Conversations, yielding hit after hit, next year is starting to look even more promising.
December 14th/15th/27th/28th
The Mary Wallopers, Vicar Street, Dublin, €33.65
This bunch of Dundalk musicians have quickly picked up the gauntlet dropped first by The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers, and subsequently by The Pogues. In other words, if you fancy good-time Irish folk fused with the punchbag impact of punk, prepare to be walloped. (Also, December 21st, INEC, Killarney, Co. Kerry; December 29th, SSE Arena, Belfast.)
December 16th/17th/19th/20th/22nd/23rd
Damien Dempsey, Vicar Street, Dublin, €46
Just look at that run of gigs at one of Dublin’s major venues! With his songs, Damo (as everyone calls him) speaks to his avid fanbase with unbreakable rings of truth. Factor in his demeanour of the ordinary man, and you have something of a saviour for the disenfranchised. Meanwhile, his new album, Hold Your Joy, is regarded as a career highlight. (Also, December 31st, INEC, Killarney, Co Kerry.)
December 17th
The Pogues, 3Arena, Dublin, €65.70
This ultra-special gig features not only the 40th anniversary of the band’s debut album, Red Roses for Me, but also a guestlist that includes former Pogues members James Fearnley, Jem Finer, and Spider Stacey (who has curated the event), members of Fontaines D.C. (Grian Chatten, Tom McColl), Lankum (Daragh and Ian Lynch), and many other Irish musicians. Expect more names to be added in the lead-up to the show.
December 17th/December 18th
Kate Nash, Limelight, Belfast, £28.25/The Academy, Dublin, €28
The daughter of an Irish nurse, Kate Nash has carried on with her pop music career in parallel with acting. Nash has said she loves to visit the homeland of her mother, so prepare for a rake of relatives at the show singing along to her likeable, spiky songs.
December 20th/21st
BellX1, The Helix, Dublin, €46
Another long-established Irish band with a loyal fanbase, BellX1’s quality control through the years has been exacting, while their music has balanced traditional pop/rock values with a keen sense of creative innovation. These shows feature the rather swish Theodora Byrne Ensemble (a mixed-voice contemporary choir) so put a sprig of holly in your lapel before you leave the house.
December 30th
Phil Coulter, INEC, Killarney, Co Kerry, €40.70
Phil Coulter has been part and parcel of Irish music for decades, from co-writing best-selling pop songs for the likes of Sandie Shaw, Cliff Richard, and Bay City Rollers to working with Planxty, The Dubliners, and Joe Dolan. No doubt all areas of his back catalogue – including the folk classic, The Town I Loved So Well - will be represented here.
December 30th/31st/January 1st
New Year Festival, Dublin, Dublin Castle/Meeting House Square, €39.90
Yep, it’s that time of the year again, and Dublin will be hopping with many things, including musicians performing in Dublin Castle and Meeting House Square. These include Cian Ducrot, Aby Coulibaly, Kabin Crew & Lisdoonvarna Crew, Saibh Skelly, The Bonny Men, Hothouse Flowers, and Emma Langford. Visit www.nyfdublin.com for full details.
All tickets from ticketmaster.ie
