The Spirit Store celebrates 10 years of live gigs this month with a special show next Thursday. The Dundalk venue has played host to a multitude of big names since opening as a 63-capacity room in 1999. In 2001, the venue was enlarged, and soon became a stop-off on the touring schedule of many celebrated acts.

High-profile musicians who have passed through its doors in recent years include The Dirty Three, Christy Moore, Josh Ritter, The Handsome Family and Bad Seeds pianist Conway Savage.

The venue has also cultivated itself as a harvesting ground for local trad and singer-songwriter acts with the establishment of the Tall Poppy Club on Monday nights, and recently hosted the inaugural Dundalk Music Award, which was won by local band Sanzkrit for their Ticket-approved debut After the Wedding.

As for who’ll be playing the 10th birthday celebrations, keep an eye on www.spiritstore.ie for updates.