Founding member of Dire Straits John Illsley announces Irish tour

Dire Straits founder John Illsley will be touring across Ireland this October.

The tour celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Brothers In Arms record, released in 1985 and remastered in 1986.

Alongside tracks from the album, Illsley will be performing the most popular songs by the British band, including ‘Sultans Of Swing’.

Illsley will be performing at Mullingar's Arts Centre on October 16, Dublin's The Helix on October 17, Drogheda's The TLT Theatre on October 18, and Galway's Black Box Theatre on October 19.

The English musician's tour also includes a performance at Cork's The Everyman Theatre on October 20, Carlow's Visual on October 21, Gorey's Little Theatre on October 22, as well as at Limerick's University Concert Hall on October 23.

Brothers in Arms is Dire Straits' fifth studio album, and it has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. It was also the first album in history to sell over one million copies in CD format alone.

Dire Straits were formed in London in 1977 by lead guitarist and lead vocalist Mark Knopfler, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist David Knopfler, bassist and backing vocalist John Illsley, and drummer and percussionist Pick Withers.

Illsley and Mark Knopfler were the only members of the group to play on every one of the band's records.

Elsewhere, Illsley has released eight solo albums, and in 2018, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Five years ago, away from music, he released a memoir, My life in Dire Straits, about his life in the rock band.

Tickets for each show are available at the respective venue's website.

Listen to Brothers In Arms below:

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