by Emily Crowley

As mentioned in Shirley Donlon’s article published previously this week, festivals and concerts are a must-do on your summer bucket list. With such a wide variety of musical genres hitting Ireland’s main stages and biggest venues, I took a look at the top five acts to watch out for this summer. Ideal for those who want to take a trip within Ireland, why not plan a stay around this beautiful isle during one of these five dates?

1. Foo Fighters – Slane Castle, May 30^th

This year, Foo Fighters have the honour of being Slane Castle’s only announced headline act this year. The multi-Grammy award winning rock band has returned to Ireland for the first time since performing at Oxegen music festival in 2008. Supporting acts include Kaiser Chiefs and Hozier, making this a concert not to be missed. Tickets are still available, as far as I know, and can be bought on ticketmaster.ie for €79.50.

2. Ed Sheeran – Croke Park, July 24^th

With four sell-out nights in Dublin’s Three Arena last October, Ed Sheeran is back, and this time he’s taking to the main stage in Croker to perform what can be predicted as an incredible performance. With a distinctive live music style, Ed performed alone in his October concerts, only being accompanied by his guitar on stage. This summer, he is to be supported by Irish indie rock band Bell X1 and English singer-songwriter Jamie Lawson. Ticket price began at €69.45 – seize them while you can folks!

3. Florence and the Machine – Electric Picnic, Stradbally, Co. Laois, September 4^th – 6^th

Florence and the Machine were announced as Electric Picnic’s headline act of 2015. When last performing in Ireland, the famous soul and indie rock band played alongside our own Snow Patrol in Phoenix Park in the summer of 2012. With other major names in the industry also listed in the line-up including Blur, Sam Smith, Jessie Ware and MK, as well as the growing popularity of the festival, could this be one of the greatest years Electric Picnic has seen?

4. Avicii – Marlay Park, July 3^rd

For house music fanatics much like myself, we know that Ireland has a lacks seriously in major DJs playing in Ireland’s main venues. With only Hardwell performing in the Three Arena (then the O2) in February 2014 and Swedish House Mafia playing in Phoenix Park in 2012, it was literally music to our ears to hear that Avicii would headline a Marlay Park concert this year. Also playing the same day, Rudimental will be making an appearance as support for the “Levels” DJ. A sold-out arena of 38,000 – this shall be a concert that will definitely go down in Marlay Park history. Much like Ed’s concert, if you source tickets, go for them, they will be like gold dust come July.

5. Example and DJ Wire – Sea Sessions, Bundoran, Co. Donegal, June 19^th – 21^st

Another year, and another fantastic line-up for Sea Sessions. Example is taking a quick break from fatherhood and will be accompanied by DJ Wire to make a stellar performance on one of the most picturesque music venues in the country. However, Example is not the only act to be followed in this festival, also performing are Maverick Sabre, Klingande, Sigma and The Riptide Movement. So for all you who want the festival experience with a bit more chillaxed vibes, head on up to Bundoran where you definitely will not be disappointed.