Mark Dearey stepped up to collect the IMRO Rest of Leinster Live Music Venue of the Year Award, on behalf of The Spirit Store in Dundalk last night (Thursday January 13th). The presentation was made during the IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Awards 2010, which were held in the headquarters of IMRO in Dublin city centre.

The Olympia Theatre, Dublin scored a triple win at the annual awards. Facing off competition for Irelands top music venues, the legendary Dame Street music hall was presented with both The IMRO National Live Music Venue of the Year Award (as voted by IMRO members and the public) and the IMRO Dublin Live Music Venue of the Year Award. The venue also received the publicly voted Hot Press Live Music Venue of the Year Award. Brian Whitehead from The Olympia Theatre accepted the awards on behalf of the Olympia management and staff. The inaugural IMRO Music Festival of the Year Award was presented to The Electric Picnic Music and Arts Festival. The awards were hosted by comedian Paddy Courtney and featured a suitably irreverent performance by Choice Music Prize nominated band Fight Like Apes.

Of the awards, now in its third year, Victor Finn, CEO of IMRO said: “For IMRO, the IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Awards provides the organisation, which collects royalties on behalf songwriters, composers and music publishers, with an ideal platform to acknowledge and celebrate the immense efforts made by music venues and music festivals across Ireland, through the provision of world class entertainment for their customers, their vital contribution to local economies and the significant role they play in providing a public platform for Irish songwriters and performers”.

Venues recognised for their outstanding contribution to the live music industry in Ireland included The Spirit Store in Dundalk who won the IMRO Rest of Leinster Live Music Venue of the Year Award; The Roisin Dubh in Galway, who were awarded the IMRO Connaught Live Music Venue of the Year Award; The Pavilion in Cork who took home the IMRO Munster Live Music Venue of the Year Award, while the IMRO Ulster Live Music Venue of the Year Award went to the Iontas Theatre in Monaghan. Hot Press readers also awarded Special Commendation Awards to two venues – the newly opened The Workman’s Club in Dublin and the Tommy Leddy Theatre in Drogheda.

Speaking of the Hot Press presentations, Editor Niall Stokes said: "2010 was an amazing year for live music in Ireland. It isn't just that the established venues worked really hard to bring great music to the people, but there were new venues launched too that added hugely to the range of choices open to artists and fans alike. It takes courage to invest in putting on live music, especially in the context of a recession. The Olympia Theatre is a fitting winner of the Hot Press Live Music Venue of the Year award. There were so many memorable gigs there over the 12 months. It is a venue to which artists keep coming back because they love it. Congratulations too to both The Workman's Club, which has been like a breath of fresh air on the Dublin scene since it opened in the Autumn and the TLT in Drogheda, the building of which is a personal tribute to the legendary Tommy Leddy himself. These new venues have been given Special Commendation awards – which they thoroughly deserve."

About IMRO

IMRO is a national organisation that administers the performing right in copyright music in Ireland on behalf of its members - who are songwriters, composers and music publishers - and on behalf of the songwriters, composers and music publishers of the international overseas societies that are affiliated to it. IMRO does not represent the interests of record labels. Their interests in Ireland are administered by Phonographic Performance Ireland (PPI) and their representative trade body is The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). IMRO’s function is to collect and distribute royalties arising from the public performance of copyright works. IMRO is a not-for-profit organisation.

Music users such as broadcasters, venues and businesses must pay for their use of copyright music by way of a blanket licence fee. IMRO collects these monies and distributes them to the songwriters, composers and music publishers who created the songs. The monies earned by copyright owners in this way are known as public performance royalties.

IMRO is also prominently involved in the sponsorship and promotion of music in Ireland. Every year it sponsors a large number of song contests, music festivals, seminars, workshops, research projects and showcase performances. Indeed, IMRO is now synonymous with helping to showcase emerging talent in Ireland.

IMRO’s Mission is

• Protect, promote and develop the collection and distribution of music royalties
• Foster music creation
• Promote the value of music to the creative, cultural and business communities in Ireland