GIGS: Hermitage Green will be part of the line-up of concerts planned by the Gleneagle INEC Arena who have received €400,000 as part of the Government’s Live Performance Support Scheme.

By Michelle Crean

€400,000 has been granted to the Gleneagle INEC Arena to use in the employment of performers, artists, technicians, creatives and performance support staff for gigs next month.

Funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the gigs - which will provide a total of 893 days of employment for 205 people - will take place in December under the Live Performance Support Scheme.

The line-up of concerts includes well known acts - Picture This, Gavin James, Aslan, The Academic and Hermitage Green. Rising stars Junior Brother, Brad Heidi, Moncrieff and Bird on the Wire are also in the mix. Irish traditional music features strongly with performances by Celtic Steps and The O’Neill Sisters and also The Sibin Orchestra featuring Seamus Begley, Méabh Ní Bheaglaoich, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Éilís Kennedy, Pauline Scanlon, Laura Kerr, Donogh Hennessy, Jeremy Spencer and Gerry O’Beirne.

While live audiences will not be permitted under the Plan for Living with COVID-19, the performances will be recorded for either streaming or promotional purposes.

“Behind the scenes of every gig is a hardworking team of technical and support personnel," Mark Egan, Director of the Gleneagle INEC Arena said.

"The Live Performance Support Scheme allows us to provide employment for performers but also for the vital cog of technicians and performance support staff that make live music gigs possible. It also will provide us with live music content that can be streamed online or used to promote Ireland’s live music industry both at home and overseas. We would like to thank the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for their support. We would also like to thank the various artists that have reduced their performance costs in order to make these gigs happen. These are unprecedented times for the live performance industry and support schemes such as this are vital to ensure the industry remains intact post COVID.”