For a relatively small country, Ireland has a rich musical history which is incredibly diverse and spanning all musical genres. Connolly's of Leap is a venue which promotes all types of music; from traditional Irish folk music, to the most avant-garde electronic music of today. The IRISH MUSIC VENUE architecture competition focuses on breathing new life into an existing and iconic music venue in the heart of rural Ireland.
The IRISH MUSIC VENUE competition at its core is concerned with acknowledging Ireland's place in the music industry and promoting it to an international audience, while also exploring how an existing music venue can be transformed to become an iconic destination in its own right. Ultimately, it is hoped that the competition will provide a strong precedent for other rural venues, both in Ireland and abroad.
The competition has two distinct elements: one is concerned with the music venue itself, and the other encompasses all the other ancillary spaces which would exist outside the music venue. Considering the music venue's rich heritage, care should be taken to preserve the integrity and spirit of the space. However, design interventions within the music venue itself are encouraged as long as they are in keeping with the spirit of the existing venue. The ancillary buildings, now used mainly for storage, can be completely redesigned from the ground up.
