cuba, galway www.cuba.ie saying that i havent been to many venues outside of dublin so i wouldnt be sure personally though i much preffered it to whelans

for quality of sound and intimacy of venue i would say that connollys of leap is one of the best in the country, too small though

there's a variety and they're mostly in cork. the blackbird in ballycotton for that living room kind of intimacy, debarra's in clonakilty, connolly's of leap, the pine lodge in myrtleville and the most renowned venue in cork and in my opinion the best, the lobby.

Whelans for intimacy,,, & The Olympia

I suppose this really depends on the type of gig. I have always found Vicar Street to be an outstanding venue for acoustic gigs but absolute pants for anything electric. The Olympia is pretty good all round - perhaps it is the slightly decrepid charm of the place. Sound is always passable and it is reasonably comfortable. The Ambassador has really good sound quality upstairs but terrible bar service. Downstairs the sound is bad but the bars are huge. A bit of a mixed bag. Whelan's is a perfectly fine spot provided the act are not that well known. It is a fantastically uncomfortable place to be when they stuff it. As for the Point, it sucks like an open chest wound. Some of the best gigs I have seen over the years have been in the Olympia & Whelans, with the Olympia getting the nod, purely because any bad gigs I have seen there have been the result of petulant or substandard performances. However, I am checking out Spirit tomorrow for Roddy Frame (astec Camera) so maybe this will change

Forgive me for saying this, but I think a lot of people's love for the Olympia is due to nostalgia more than anything else. By all means, disagree on that one but I personally don't feel it's that great except for low-key acoustic gigs, Natalie Merchant earlier on this year being a good example. I reckon The Ambassador is easily Dublin's best venue. I went to a David Kitt gig there last year and the sound was great, beer was good, and the atmosphere was deadly making it one of the most enjoyable gigs I've ever been to. This carries for pretty much any gig in there. Anybody going to see Teenage Fanclub there next month? Peace and Love to you all Q2

Hands down the best venue in Ireland is Vicar St. When Vic Chesnutt played there he didn't even have to use the mic for some songs and his voice still made it clearly around the entire venue. Whelans has something alright but too often the crowd can be heard over the performer.

I'm going to go with Cuba in Galway aswell because it's the one I frequent most often. Wilt will be playing there on December 16th.

I saw Mark Eitzel in Spirit last week, first time I'd been there since HQ died. Not sure I like the change, booths have been ripped out and replaced with cafe style tables and chairs. Though the sparse attendance also didn't help. No problem getting to the bar though...;-). Eitzel was class as usual.

I have seen a number of Gigs in Cork. The best location being The Lobby (www.lobby.ie). One of the most intimate venues ever. And you never know who may turn up there :o)

What about outdoor venues folks? They can be good fun because what they lack in intimacy can be made up for in atmosphere. I've always liked Slane 'cos there's always a good buzz there, it's just a shame that they sparsley headline it with good artists. I've found Dublin Castle to be good too, the White Stripes gig earlier this year was fantastic. Lansdowne Road sucks though, the sound in there is always brutal. Q2 P.S. I'm going to the Point to see the Manics next week but I've never been there before. What can I expect from this venue?