Local councillors renew efforts to bring Fontaines DC to Mayo
Renewed calls have been made by Mayo County councillors to invite award-winning rock band Fontaines DC to perform in Castlebar.
The issue was raised again by Castlebar councillor Harry Barrett at the latest meeting of the municipal district council.
Two members of the GRAMMY-nominated band, bass guitarist Conor Deegan and drummer Tom Coll, hail from the Castlebar area.
Cllr Barrett asked whether the council could contact the County Board or Connacht Council for an update on efforts to bring the band home for a performance.
He has previously highlighted that Fontaines DC would need a suitable venue capable of hosting a show of their scale, and has suggested that MacHale Park could be opened up for major concerts.
Cllr Barrett said this would not only accommodate a homecoming performance by the Irish band, but could also help bring other large events to the area and open up the county town.
He stressed the need to progress the motion, highlighting the significant financial and community boost a concert could bring to local businesses, hospitality, and the wider area.
Cllr Barrett has repeatedly spoken of the pride Castlebar feels in the band’s global success and has previously floated the idea of a civic reception should a homecoming performance take place.
Head of the Castlebar Municipal District, David Mellett, responded to the request and said he would certainly write to the board again. He noted that the band are scheduled to perform in Ireland next year and joked, “We might see if we can piggyback off that.”
Fontaines DC were recently announced as the Sunday headline act for Electric Picnic 2026, joining fellow headliners CMAT, also known as Dunboyne Diana, and British band Gorillaz.
Since forming in 2014, Fontaines DC have grown into an internationally acclaimed act, performing to audiences around the world at festivals such as Glastonbury, Primavera Sound, and Reading and Leeds.
Their fourth studio album, Romance, went Platinum in Ireland and won multiple accolades, including the RTÉ Choice Music Award for Album of the Year and the Rolling Stone UK Best Album Award.
The band also earned two GRAMMY nominations at the 2025 awards, for Best Alternative Music Performance for their hit single Starbuster, and Best Rock Album for Romance. In 2023, they were awarded International Group of the Year at the BRIT Awards.
Fontaines DC are not only known for their critically acclaimed music but also for using their platform and lyrics to engage with social and political issues.
Earlier this year, the band, along with more than 600 other artists, signed an open letter circulated by Leitrim and Roscommon Against Fascism (LARAF), urging an Irish venue to cancel an event called Mise Éire at the Mayflower Community Centre in Drumshanbo, warning that it would provide a platform for the “far-right.”
They have also been vocal in their solidarity with Palestine, often performing with the Palestinian flag on stage and displaying messages such as “Free Palestine” and “Israel is committing a genocide, use your voice.”
Recently, the band, along with fellow Irish artists Kneecap and more than 50 organisations, launched the new ‘Together Against the Far Right’ alliance. The group is set to organise a demonstration in London on March 28, 2026.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.