The Frames – announce intimate tour in collaboration with grassroots venues

One of Ireland’s most beloved bands, The Frames, have announced a special run of intimate Irish shows for February 2026, returning to the grassroots venues that played a vital role in shaping their early career. The band will play Spirit Store, Dundalk (4 Feb), Dolan’s Warehouse, Limerick (8 Feb), DeBarras, Clonakilty (9 Feb), and Cleeres, Kilkenny (11 Feb).

At a time when Irish artists continue to excel on the world stage, these shows shine a spotlight on the small and medium-sized venues that form the foundation of Ireland’s live music ecosystem, and which are now under increasing threat.

These grassroots venues are the training grounds for artists, technicians, promoters, and crews. They are cultural hubs, employers, tourism drivers, and community spaces. Yet across Ireland – as across the UK, Europe and the US – many are operating on unsustainable margins, facing rising costs, reduced touring circuits, and mounting financial pressure.

This Frames tour has been organised by the venues and band to act as a wake-up call.  It aims to be part of a wider ongoing conversation about the real hurdles these venues face to keep delivering quality shows. Without sustained support for these rooms, the artists of tomorrow may never get the chance to take their first steps. For The Frames, these shows are an opportunity to give something back to the venues that helped shape their journey.

Glen Hansard shared: “These are the rooms… where we learn to tell stories and learn the magic of the intimate spaces. Only from there can we take it to a bigger stage with any confidence.”

Those running Ireland’s grassroots venues say the tour arrives at a critical moment.

Co-organiser, Ray Blackwell, DeBarras, Clonakilty:
“Small and mid-sized venues have played a crucial role in nurturing Irish talent for decades, often without the recognition they deserve. Today, many of these venues are struggling to survive. If they close their doors, they won’t reopen, taking with them the vital pathways for future artists, crews, and entire communities. We are thrilled to welcome back The Frames to DeBarra’s, almost 30 years since their first performance here. The return of an established artist is profoundly meaningful for a small venue, as it reciprocates the belief and support that independent spaces provide to emerging talent at the beginning of their careers.”

Co-organiser, Edel Curtin, Coughlan’s Live:
“Grassroots venues are more than stages. They’re social spaces, employers, training grounds and cultural anchors not just to be celebrated but to be protected. We’re still here, but the pressures are immense and we’re hanging on by a thread. Tours like this help shine a light on how vital our venues are, and how fragile they’ve become. We need an urgent and meaningful response to our cry for help before our stages are permanently silenced.

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan:

“I understand the vital role that grassroots venues play in Ireland’s cultural, creative and music ecosystem. In recognition of their importance, I launched the Grassroots Music Venue Support Scheme last year to help protect and sustain these venues. I am committed to supporting this important network and a second scheme is due to operate in 2026 which again will be open to independent venues nationwide to support their vital cultural activity.”

THE FRAMES ANNOUNCE INTIMATE FEBRUARY 2026 IRISH TOUR
HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF GRASSROOTS MUSIC VENUES

TOUR DATES
4 February – Spirit Store, Dundalk
8 February – Dolan’s Warehouse, Limerick
9 February – DeBarras, Clonakilty
11 February – Cleeres, Kilkenny

Tickets will go on sale 11am Friday 16th January via the individual venues.

This tour also aims to spark a wider national conversation about how Ireland protects and sustains its most vulnerable creative spaces. Organisers hope it will help build momentum around practical solutions, including:

Cultural status protection for our established Grassroots Venues
A levy on large-scale and stadium tickets to support Grassroots Venues: Following the Music Venue Trust (UK) example, the venues propose that from all ticket sales on every large-scale and stadium ticket in Ireland (e.g. Oasis,Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen etc) a €1 levy should be donated towards a grassroots venue fund, ring-fenced to support grassroots venues.
VAT Abolition: removing VAT on tickets for small independent grassroots venues, in line with existing exemptions for many arts venues in Ireland
Business Rates Reform: revising business rates to better reflect the cultural, economic and community value grassroots venues provide.

The Frames’ live line-up includes Glen Hansard (vocals, guitar), Colm Mac Con Iomaire (violin), Joseph Doyle (bass), Robert Bochnik (guitar) and Graham Hopkins (drums). In the spirit of the tour, a different local upcoming artist will be offered to support The Frames on each of the nights in each respective venue. Artists to be announced.

With strictly limited capacity, these shows offer fans a rare opportunity to see The Frames up close, while underscoring the essential and increasingly precarious role small to medium sized venues play in Ireland’s rich cultural life.

Photo credit – Piper Ferguson