Ireland is renowned for its long list of musical greats, and three of the best – The Boomtown Rats, The Stunning and Mundy – are to perform on the same bill in New York and Boston next month.

The Big Session, presented by Smithwick’s® Irish Ale, will take place at Terminal 5 in New York on September 26th and The Royale in Boston on September 28th.

The shows are the culmination of a month-long pub rock tour presented by Smithwick’s featuring a series of gigs along the East Coast this September. Acts performing on the tour will include some legendary names from the Celtic Rock scene in the US as well as a host of much talked about bands from Ireland.

The Boomtown Rats became one of the biggest bands of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s with a string of top ten hits and platinum albums, earning them Brit Awards and Ivor Novellos. Making history as the first Irish band to have a UK #1 hit with ‘Rat Trap’, they went on to top the charts in 32 countries with ‘I Don't Like Mondays’ and racked up six era-defining albums.

After last year’s storming of the Isle of Wight Festival stage an exhilarated Bob Geldof said, "It's weird. I'd forgotten how powerful a band The Rats are!" Others hadn't. This will be the bands’ first live shows in the US since the late 80’s.

The Stunning’s first two albums, Paradise in the Picturehouse and Once Around the World both went to #1 in the Irish Album Charts. Hit songs Brewing Up A Storm, Half Past Two and Everything That Rises helped the band to multi-platinum selling albums and numerous awards. Their live shows continue to draw huge crowds in Ireland.

Mundy completed a successful US tour earlier this year that included a performance at The White House on St. Patrick’s Day. From Birr, County Offaly, his 2008 version of Galway Girl spent five weeks at #1 on the Irish singles chart. He has shared a stage with Oasis and The White Stripes amongst others and his hits include July, Mexico and Gin & Tonic Sky.

The shows will be hosted by Irish comedy legend Joe Rooney whose TV appearances include Father Ted.

The Big Session tickets, priced at $48, can be purchased here for the New York show at Terminal 5 or here for the show at The Royale in Boston.

The Big Session and Smithwick’s remind you to drink responsibly.

ARTIST PHOTOS


 The Boomtown Rats


The Stunning


 Mundy