Rua Rí announces first Irish headline tour

Rua Rí (Seán Damery) has announced his first Irish headline tour, beginning on October 2. The tour follows the release of his debut album, Tell Your Mother I Saved Your Life, in May 2026.

The tour will be coming to venues across the country including Derry's Bennigan’s, Galway's Róisín Dubh, and DeBarra's in Clonakilty, Cork. The tour will finish on November 18 in The Workman's Club, Dublin.

The singer is placing renewed emphasis on his song 'Johnny Workman', from his new album.

The song is based on a game Damery played in his family home in Cobh, where he would stand in front of the fireplace and announce, "I’m Johnny Workman looking for some work," before acting out different professions for his family to guess. Years later, during a period of unemployment and while handing out CVs, the phrase resurfaced and became something of a mantra.

Damery describes the track as "a book full of pictures being flicked through really fast – just flashes of memories, all out of order."

Throughout the album, themes of memory and place are prevalent. The album takes inspiration from the singer's life in Cobh and Cork, and examines how seemingly insignificant moments take on a deeper meaning over time.

Rua Rí was a guest for the Hot Press chatroom during Electric Picnic, he has previously supported Amble and Joshua Burnside. He will be supporting Madra Salach for a number of their upcoming UK and Ireland tour dates in Autumn.

Tickets for the shows can be found here.