Venue Feature: Mike The Pies

Mike The Pies has made Listowel an essential stop–off for touring Irish artists.
“I’d say it’s the intimacy of it and the atmosphere,” says owner Aiden O’Connor. “It’s 100 capacity so you get to see the musicians up close and personal.”
After a chance meeting between O’Connor and Paul Linehan from The Frank & Walters, in 2015 the renowned Cork indie heroes ended up playing a blistering gig in the venue. This, according to Aiden, was the night when “everything changed. The pub has been in my family for over 100 years, but that was the night when a music venue was born.”
Subsequently, Aiden began wooing the likes of Fontaines DC, Wood Burning Savages and Stephanie Rainey to play in Listowel.
“I’m a huge music fan, which has helped massively,” he notes. “But I’ve also been very lucky along the way with the bands that have come here, and said nice things and helped us spread the word. It became easier once we had a bit of a reputation.”
In recent years, that reputation has only grown.
“It’s been about 100 gigs since that first one in 2015,” explains Aiden. “It would’ve went from a dozen gigs in 2016 to 25 the next year. Then we had nearly 40 this year. So we’ve really noticed the growth.”
In 2017, Mike The Pies were adjudged to be one of the country’s top venues at the Hot Press Awards; the accolade meant a great deal to Aiden.
“It was brilliant,” he enthuses. “Receiving the IMRO Award for Best Live Venue the following year was also an incredible honour.”

Recent Gigs:
Fangclub
Fontaines DC
Danny O’Reilly & Friends
Upcoming Gigs:
Cry Monster Cry March 28
Richie Ramone May 23
SON aka Susan O’Neill June 27
Capacity: 100

Mike The Pies
28 Patrick Street, Listowel, Co. Kerry
Tel: (068) 21259
mikethepies.com