The meaning of life for Trance in Ireland

Relatively new on the Trance map, Ireland now boasts 2 main Psytrance festivals and quality parties in the North and South of this beautiful island.

The Psytrance scene in Ireland is mainly indoor and concentrated in Dublin in the South and Belfast in the North. The established promoters are pushing up the quality rather than the quantity to make this community, which is currently full of good vibes and powerful energy, not just bigger in terms of members, but in spirit as well.

1999 saw Ireland's first regular Full-on Psytrance club which adopted the Celtic title, 'Druids Circle' and it was pure passion that brought James Monro & Cosmosis to the Emerald Isle. Unfortunately this was followed by a couple of years where it was almost impossible to find any Psy parties, but at the end of 2002, collectives Bloop City in the North and MoonEmotions in the South both started to make a big noise.

Since then, Neutronyx has been the most regular party collective with decorators Atom.glow + Tubal&Co being booked to dress up more than just Psy events. They hold regular weekly clubnights in Dublin city featuring international DJs and live acts alongside national talents. Psytrance can be also found at the bimonthly multi-room gathering called "Planet Underground" where Psy beats share the venue with Techno, Drum& Bass, Chill-out and Reggae.

Other collectives have sprung up since and we now have crews like Belfast based collective, Dream Tunnel, a project dedicated to underground parties and S.P.U.D., who hold club events in Dublin. There are also others putting on raves around Galway or Cork from time to time, expanding the scene away from the main cities.

Big Irish Festivals like Jiggs n Riggs Festival and Planet Love festival have hosted a Psytrance stage in the past, but in 2006, Ireland hosted its first proper Psy festivals: Life Festival, the first ever Psytrance only festival in Ireland, and Tetris Safari, both hosting a blend of cutting edge acts and DJs from around the globe and as well as local DJs.

Local live acts are in the "work in progress" state with Pleadian Renegade, who made tracks with Bushman and Shanti, about to launch his first album.Of course we’re also grateful to have great DJs like Druid, Gav Phrazer, Fungusok and international DJ Zefer (Neutronyx - Yage records). Ireland is also home to the Dark Psy internet radio called "triplag" which broadcasts live mixes and sessions from parties 24/7, which can be very helpful as all public shows and performances have to end by 3am.

For now, the scene is growing very nicely and keeping its magic, so the future is looking very bright for the Irish trancer.