Minister Catherine Martin on the return of live music: "We have to make this happen, it has to work!"

Out today with Ireland’s new Fab Four, Inhaler, on the cover, the latest issue of Hot Press asks whether Ireland is open for rock ‘n’ business again.

Helping us answer that question is the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, who sits down with our man Stuart Clark in her Kildare Street office for a major interview.

A former busker who’s shared a stage with Glen Hansard, she stresses that, “We must value the arts in terms of what they contribute on an everyday basis to our economy and to our well-being. It’s not just the singers but those who make the events work backstage.”

Asked whether indoor and outdoor gigs can resume in tandem with each other, the Minister continues, “I’m conscious that we need to test the two. We talk about the outdoors and that's fine with Irish weather in the summer, but inevitably in the autumn and winter outdoors will not really be an option. So that’s why I’m piloting both. We’ll do more and more pilot gigs until we get to the stage where we can reopen – and reopen for good.”

Elsewhere, there’s some long overdue good news for Ireland’s dance music community; word on whether there will be further Live Performance Support Scheme payments; a ministerial pledge to help boost the nighttime economy; what we can expect from the guaranteed basic income pilot scheme for artists and arts workers; news of two proposed major post-pandemic concerts; and copious praise for Denise Chaila!

It’s the interview that everybody working in the music industry, and fans as well, will want to read!