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The Irish Music Rights Organisation has announced the second annual IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Awards. The awards recognise Irish venues which provide the very highest standards in live music entertainment. Over 400 venues across Ireland qualify for the awards and these include pubs, hotels, arts centres, theatres, purpose built music venues and many more. Solo artist and multi instrumentalist Julie Feeney and lead singer of The Coronas, Danny O’Reilly, joined with IMRO Chairman Keith Donald and IMRO CEO Victor Finn to launch the awards, at IMRO headquarters in Copyright House, Dublin today.

The awards will acknowledge the central role that live music venues play in developing and supporting the music community in Ireland. Live music venues provide quality entertainment to the public and provide a platform for Irish artists across all genres of music. Last year’s National Live Music Venue of the Year was awarded to the Vicar Street venue in Dublin.

Over 6,000 members of IMRO are currently nominating their top three Irish venues through an on-line poll on the IMRO website. The venues with the most nominations in each region will be short-listed for an IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Award. Venues are being judged on a number of criteria including venue ambience, staging, sound and lighting facilities, diversity of programming, venue staff and management and promotional activities of the venue.

Along with one overall award for National Live Music Venue of the Year, awards will be presented to the leading live music venues in the following regions: Dublin, Leinster (excluding Dublin) Connaught, Munster and Ulster (covering Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan).

There will also be a special Hot Press Readers Award for Best Venue, as voted by Hot Press magazine readers. This will give music fans the opportunity to support their favourite live music venues across Ireland.

The shortlist of nominated venues will be announced at the end of October and the awards will take place at the beginning of December at a special event at IMRO Headquarters.