Limerick is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 102,287 at the 2022 census, Limerick is the third-most populous urban area in Ireland, and the fourth-most populous city on the island of Ireland. It was founded by Scandinavian settlers in 812, during the Viking Age.
William Michael Joseph Whelan is an Irish composer and musician. He is best known for composing a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The result, "Riverdance", was a seven-minute piece of original music accompanying a new take on traditional Irish stepdance that became a full-length stage production and spawned a worldwide craze for Irish traditional music and dance. The corresponding soundtrack album earned him a Grammy. "Riverdance" was released as a single in 1994, credited to "Bill Whelan and Anúna featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra". It reached number one in Ireland for 18 weeks and number nine in the UK. The album of the same title reached number 31 in the album charts in 1995.
University of Limerick (UL) is a public research university institution in Limerick, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in September 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989. It was the first university established since Irish independence in 1922, followed by the establishment of Dublin City University.
Mary Immaculate College, also known as MIC and Mary I, is a College of Education and Liberal Arts. Founded in 1898, the university level College of Education and the Liberal Arts is academically linked with the University of Limerick. The multi-campus college now has a student population of over 5,000 enrolled in undergraduate programmes and a range of postgraduate programmes at Diploma, MA and PhD level. The college has a student retention rate of 95% - one of the highest in Ireland.
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is London's second-largest indoor arena after The O2 Arena, and the ninth-largest in the United Kingdom.
Pleasure Island was an area of the Downtown Disney shopping, dining and entertainment district at Walt Disney World Resort. It officially opened on May 1, 1989. In September 2008, all of its clubs were closed, but its retail stores and restaurants remained open. The area is now called The Landing and is the central part of Disney Springs.
The Digbeth Institute (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the O2 Institute) is a music venue located in Birmingham, England. The venue opened in 1908 as a mission of Carrs Lane Congregational Church. It has also served as an event centre, civic building and nightclub.
Vicar Street is a concert, performing arts centre and events venue in Dublin, Ireland. Located on Thomas Street, Dublin 8, Vicar Street has capacity for 1,050 people for seated performances and 1,500 people for standing gigs. The venue is owned by Harry Crosbie and operated by Peter Aiken. Since opening in 1998, the venue has become a popular setting for a wide range of acts including stand-up comedy, drama performances and a variety of concerts. The first artist to play on the Vicar Street Stage was local singer/songwriter Shay Cotter. Major international recording artists have performed in Vicar Street, such as Bob Dylan in 2000, Neil Young in 2003, Adele in 2008, Paul Simon and Ed Sheeran in 2011, and Lana Del Rey in 2013.
The Choice Music Prize, known for sponsorship reasons as the RTÉ Choice Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded to the best album from a band or solo musician who is born in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland or holds an Irish passport. For bands, the majority of members must have been born on the island of Ireland or hold an Irish passport.
An Grianán Theatre is the largest theatre in County Donegal. Located in Letterkenny's Port Road district, its current director is Patricia McBride. With a seating capacity of 383, the theatre provides a range of programming including drama, comedy, music, pantomime, and family shows as well as workshops and classes.
The National Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, is a purpose-built boxing stadium built and operated by the Irish Athletic Boxing Association. Major General W. R. E. Murphy, Deputy Commissioner of the Garda Síochána (police) proposed building the stadium in early 1935 and started fundraising with his wife Mary Agnes Murphy. Together they raised about 1/3 of the campaign. Built in 1939, the venue hosts over 55 days of boxing and a number of other events each year.
The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) is a national organisation that administers the performing right in copyright music in Ireland on behalf of its members and on behalf of the songwriters, composers and music publishers of the international overseas societies that are affiliated to it. At present IMRO has approximately 11,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members.
Other Voices is an international music TV series, festival, and tourism event in its own right that celebrates the local on a global scale.
The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 December 2008 and was re-branded on 4 September 2014 due to the takeover of O2 Ireland by Three Ireland. The venue is owned by a Live Nation subsidiary, Apollo Leisure Group Ltd. and is among the top ten busiest music arenas by ticket sales in the world.
The Academy is a music venue located in Dublin, Ireland. It consists of four floors, each for differing music tastes. The Academy was the venue where The Killers performed an intimate show in August 2008, one night before a performance in Marlay Park. Others to have played the venue in 2008 include Black Kids, Sam Sparro, The Futureheads and Stereophonics. Staind, Lily Allen, Maxïmo Park, Gomez, The Cribs, Buzzcocks and Calvin Harris played in 2009.
The Róisín Dubh is a live music and comedy venue located in Galway, Ireland. It has hosted events such as the IMRO Showcase Tour and the 2fm 2moro 2our. The name translates from the Irish language as the "little black rose". According to Una Mullally in the Sunday Tribune, the venue is "the heart of live music in the city".
The IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Awards are annual awards which are presented by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) in conjunction with Hot Press and MUZU TV. The awards were first given in 2008.
glór, formerly glór Irish Music Centre, is a concert and events venue in Ireland, located in the town of Ennis County Clare. Its capacity allows for 485 people for seated performances. glór also has a studio space for smaller events and artist use, an art gallery, café and bar.
Liam O'Brien is an Irish actor, most notable for his three years playing Ethan Blake on ITV's long-running soap Emmerdale.
The Blind Tiger Club was a mixed music, arts and community venue in Brighton, England, which opened in 2010. The venue closed in 2014, and Time Out described the venue as "semi-legendary", in its round-up of Brighton's live music scene that year. In 2015, Gigwise included the club in their list of the UK's Greatest Lost Venues.
