Cohen to build tower of song in Sligo

Legendary Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen has been confirmed for a one-off concert at Lissadell House in Co Sligo this summer.

Cohen (75) will play the venue, which is closely associated with WB Yeats, on July 31st.

The outdoor concert was first announced prematurely on Cohen’s website yesterday, but it was taken down.

It was finally confirmed this afternoon by Pod concerts, owned by promoter John Reynolds, and by Cohen’s agents AEG.

Reynolds was responsible for Cohen’s first concerts in Ireland for 22 years when he played three sell-out shows at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham in 2008. These were followed by five shows in Dublin and Belfast last year.

A poet and novelist himself, Cohen has long been a fan of WB Yeats, who often visited Lissadell from his nearby home in Drumcliffe.

The house, which is the former home of Countess Markievicz, is now owned by barrister Edward Walsh and his wife Constance Cassidy.

They spent €12 million restoring it, but closed it to the public last year because of a dispute with Sligo County Council over a public right of way.

The venue is likely to seat 10,000 fans. Tickets go on sale on Monday priced from €80.