Five Christy Moore concerts at the Vicar Street venue in Dublin have been cancelled due to the illness of the singer, his management announced yesterday. All ticket money will be refunded at the point of purchase.
The concerts were due to take place today, on November 18th and 26th and on December 14th and 15th.
A spokesman said Christy had been very excited about the Vicar Street shows and was looking forward to the run of concerts, having being out of circulation for so long. His shows were sold out, his album was at No 1 and "all was well". However, after two shows he took ill and spent 10 days in hospital. He returned home and performed two further shows.
"After the performance on October 27th he took ill again. As a result of this, Christy has taken the decision that he is unable to play any more shows. Nobody regrets this more than Christy. We all deeply regret that he has been forced to make this decision," the spokesman added.
He said it was with great regret and sadness that they had to make this announcement. They regretted the disappointment and inconvenience to fans and apologised to everyone. "There is no other option, and we want to give Christy time and space to recover his health," he added.
In December 1997 Christy Moore cancelled his Irish tour because of illness. His manager, when asked to elaborate on his illness, said at the time: "It was simply mental exhaustion" rather than the heart trouble which had beset him some years earlier. In April 1998 he announced his retirement "from areas of live performances for at least a year".
He has been touring and playing since 1966 and has become a big part of Irish people's lives. He is one of Ireland's finest solo performers and always played to full houses. In 1991 he became the first solo artist to sell out 10 consecutive nights at the Point Theatre.