A number of Irish music festivals planned for this summer have now been cancelled as a result of coronavirus restrictions which will remain in place through August.
Organisers of the National Ploughing Championships, meanwhile, say they're 'closely monitoring' the situation and 'will act in the best interest of the country' when making any decision about this year's event.
Yesterday, the Government confirmed that no mass gatherings of 5,000 people or more will be considered until at least the end of August.
It has now been confirmed by promoters that a number of this year's large music festivals won't go ahead over the coming months.
All Together Now - which had been scheduled to take place over the August bank holiday weekend - now won't proceed as planned, organisers confirmed last night.
Tickets for this year's festival will remain valid for next year, the statement adds, while Ticketmaster will contact customers regarding refunds.
** ATN STATEMENT **
See here https://t.co/ecpG5bKS7j
Stay Safe, Stay Home & Stay Positive.
Love, ATN Team x pic.twitter.com/jVKnkaO5rU— All Together Now (@ATNfestival) April 21, 2020
This year's Longitude festival in Dublin has been called off, with Life Festival also not able to go ahead in May.
Body & Soul in Westmeath, INDIE in Cork and Sea Sessions in Donegal have also been cancelled.
National Ploughing Championships
Meanwhile, organisers of the National Ploughing Championships say they'll act in the "best interests of the country" when making any decision on whether this year's event has to be postponed or cancelled.
The three-day event - which typically draws tens of thousands of visitors and exhibitors per day - is due to take place in September.
Organisers say they're "closely monitoring" the situation and will continue making plans for the event while adhering to government guidelines.
The Trade Exhibition online booking system is now open but a full refund's being offered on all bookings in case the championships have to be postponed.
In a statement, the National Ploughing Association said: "We will continue making plans for the event in as far as is possible adhering to government guidelines and we will work with exhibitors to ensure we can give their business the best support we can in these very difficult times.
"Approximately one third of the club/county qualifying ploughing matches for this year’s National had to be postponed due to the crises and these will be re-scheduled for a later date."
