Van Morrison drops legal bid to end Northern Ireland's live music ban

Van Morrison has ended his legal challenge against Northern Ireland's live music ban.

Stormont brought in the current measure in order to slow down the rate of COVID-19 infections in the region, but decided to rescind the ban in July.

In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesman for Morrison said that while he's happy restrictions on live music has ended, he "remains concerned by the failure of the NI Executive to share with him at any time the medical evidence that could ever have supported the need to maintain a blanket ban of live music."

The musician's solicitor, Joe Rice, said that his client "sought to engage constructively with government" over how to bring back live music.

"I know that Mr Morrison was disappointed by the failure on the part of the NI Executive to engage with him and that he was ultimately compelled to bring legal proceedings in order to achieve the lifting of the ban on live music for the benefit of fellow musicians, performers, the live music sector as a whole," he said.

'Van The Man' had to cancel two shows at the Ulster Hall back in July because of the restrictions.

He drew controversy for writing anti-lockdown songs at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which Northern Ireland's Health Minister Robin Swann called "dangerous".