March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day, one of the biggest going-out days of the year in Ireland, where there’s parties, parades, events and craic agus ceol. Where will I be? I’m going to the Meteors in the RDS. I expect it to look very green. This year, our own Rick O’Shea is nominated in the Best National DJ category and will undoubtedly be Tweeting (@rickoshea) his way through the show. Personally, I’m looking forward to catching performances by Sharon Shannon, Imelda May, The Blizzards and James Morrison. Sharon Shannon is actually being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. Odd, seeing as she’s only 40, but who am I to argue? Delighted to see Duke Special, Camille O’Sullivan, Nick Cave and Choice Music Prize winners Jape nominated for awards. And though they’re up against Take That, The Killers, Kings of Leon and Coldplay, I’d love to see Fleet Foxes get Best International Album. … There’s more →