Guinness has announced Guinness Live & Rising, a new initiative celebrating Irish pubs across the country, showcasing the role that they play as homes and hosts of experiences in music, food, sport, and the arts.
Details
Guinness Live & Rising launches with an initial 12-month programme of pop-up music, food and sporting events in pubs across the country. The programme has been designed to showcase the creativity, culture and craic that can be found in an Irish pub.
Guinness Live & Rising was launched by Dermot Kennedy, who became the first person to perform on the roof of the Guinness Storehouse.
Kennedy commented, “I’m delighted to support the launch of Guinness Live & Rising, which spotlights the incredible talent surging in Ireland, as well as celebrating Irish pubs, who have always been a champion of emerging talent. There’s a contagious energy in the pubs of Ireland – there’s nothing like it anywhere in the world – and the pub is somewhere I still love to play when I’m home. It’s a place where I get together with friends and family over a pint of Guinness to share stories and connect through music, sports and food. It was an honour to share the stage with Gemma Dunleavy and JyellowL last night in the Guinness Storehouse – two amazing artists.”
Later, Kennedy continued the show in the Gravity Bar, after Gemma Dunleavy and JyellowL had taken to the same stage earlier in the night to perform.
Dunleavy remarked, “I’m delighted to hear that Guinness Live & Rising will celebrate the special relationship pubs have long enjoyed with live music. The scene right now is as vibrant as ever. I don’t know about yours, but the talent that comes out in my local pub is something else. The smallest group of people would have the place on wheels, rallying around whoever is on the mic. I’ve seen some of the best renditions of songs and performances from the people around me in those settings, and I’ve been lucky to be in the centre of the contagious joy and buzz when it’s my go. It’s hard to describe, but it’s a celebratory feeling that I chase and try to replicate in my performances. No matter how many shows or crowds you play to, there’s a magic in the intimate ones that you’ll always want to go back to.”
JyellowL added, “Pubs have always been a proving ground for young performers and a great place to hone their skills. When you are coming up as an artist, it’s so important to learn how to win over a crowd in an intimate setting like the pub. There were so many occasions I walked onto a stage to a crowd paying me no mind, but there’s no feeling like putting on a show and turning that nonchalance into applause. A lot of fellow musicians I’ve met in the pub have become lifelong friends, and the creativity that springs from these friendships are invaluable. I can’t say enough how much of an honour it was to have performed alongside Dermot Kennedy at the launch of Guinness Live & Rising, and to be celebrating the place it all starts for so many of us.”
Guinness marketing director Alan McAleenan said, “We are thrilled to be launching this celebration of the creativity and culture we find in pubs. It’s amazing that we have an incredible network of culture hubs across the country. Right now, Irish creativity around the world is thriving, and with Guinness Live & Rising, we want to shine a light on the pub as the heart of emerging talent. We know that people love to discover something new and would encourage people across the island to soak up the incredible experiences that can only be found in an Irish pub over a lovely pint of Guinness.”
Together with well-known figures from the worlds of music, food, sport, and the arts, Guinness Live & Rising also invites a new generation of culture-makers and innovators to bring their energy into Irish pubs.
Alison Kealy, chair of the Licensed Vintners’ Association (LVA), commented, “Irish pubs are vital community assets. Across the country, they act as cultural hubs, where grassroots talent have the opportunity to hone their craft and shine. We welcome the launch of Guinness Live & Rising, which ultimately promotes and protects the important role pubs play in shaping Irish creativity and culture, still to this day.”
Further Information
Further information about Guinness Live & Rising can be found on Guinness’s social-media pages.
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