Edition timeline
Macroom Mountain Dew Festival ran from 1976 to 1982, mostly around Macroom Castle and other local sites.
Macroom Mountain Dew Festival ran from 1976 to 1982, mostly around Macroom Castle and other local sites.
Historical accounts describe publican and undertaker John Martin Fitz-Gerald as a key organising figure, working with Donal Gallagher and others to establish the early event.
Historical accounts describe publican and undertaker John Martin Fitz-Gerald as a key organising figure, working with Donal Gallagher and others to establish the early event.
Artists across the series included Horslips, Rory Gallagher, Van Morrison, Mike Oldfield, Elvis Costello, The Undertones, The Pretenders, Wishbone Ash, Phil Lynott and others.
Artists across the series included Horslips, Rory Gallagher, Van Morrison, Mike Oldfield, Elvis Costello, The Undertones, The Pretenders, Wishbone Ash, Phil Lynott and others.
Attendance is often described as reaching up to roughly 20,000, but use year-specific estimates where available.
Attendance is often described as reaching up to roughly 20,000, but use year-specific estimates where available.
Irish retrospective sources frequently call it Ireland's first rock festival.
Irish retrospective sources frequently call it Ireland's first rock festival.
Why this event matters
Write Macroom as local cultural infrastructure. The festival is interesting because it was neither a one-off hippie eruption nor a corporate stadium machine: it was a recurring regional institution tied to the identity and economy of a small Irish town. Macroom Mountain Dew Festival ran from 1976 to 1982, mostly around Macroom Castle and other local sites.
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Place, site and audience
Historical accounts describe publican and undertaker John Martin Fitz-Gerald as a key organising figure, working with Donal Gallagher and others to establish the early event. Artists across the series included Horslips, Rory Gallagher, Van Morrison, Mike Oldfield, Elvis Costello, The Undertones, The Pretenders, Wishbone Ash, Phil Lynott and others.
What the audience experienced
Attendance is often described as reaching up to roughly 20,000, but use year-specific estimates where available. Irish retrospective sources frequently call it Ireland's first rock festival.
Problems, conflict and practical limits
Venue and lineup changed by year. Venue and lineup changed by year.
Follow the festival beyond the field
Timeline
Related genres
More routes will be connected as the archive grows.
Related band guides
More routes will be connected as the archive grows.
Explore by sound
More routes will be connected as the archive grows.
Essential listening
Sources and further reading
- General cross-check – Macroom Mountain Dew FestivalEditorial source spine · accessed 23 July 2026
- Irish Examiner / Irish Times historical reporting should be prioritised for final copyEditorial source spine · accessed 23 July 2026
Image credits5 licensed images
Macroom Castle Arch, Co Cork geograph.org.uk 7673154. This licensed image supplies documented performer or period context for Macroom Mountain Dew Festival 1976–1982; it is not presented as a photograph of the festival unless the item-level source says so — Colin Park — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 2.0 · source record · CC BY-SA 2.0
Converted to WebP and resized; no generative or compositional alterations.
Elvis Costello (51410104359). This licensed image supplies documented performer or period context for Macroom Mountain Dew Festival 1976–1982; it is not presented as a photograph of the festival unless the item-level source says so — Matt Johnson from Omaha, Nebraska, United States — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.0 · source record · CC BY 2.0
Converted to WebP and resized; no generative or compositional alterations.
London Olympics Opening Ceremony Mike Oldfield. This licensed image supplies documented performer or period context for Macroom Mountain Dew Festival 1976–1982; it is not presented as a photograph of the festival unless the item-level source says so — Nick Webb — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.0 · source record · CC BY 2.0
Converted to WebP and resized; no generative or compositional alterations.
Rory Gallagher in St Louis. This licensed image supplies documented performer or period context for Macroom Mountain Dew Festival 1976–1982; it is not presented as a photograph of the festival unless the item-level source says so — Al Cikas — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0 · source record · CC BY-SA 3.0
Converted to WebP and resized; no generative or compositional alterations.
Signs 1190414, Macroom, Co. Cork, Ireland. This licensed image supplies site or regional context for Macroom Mountain Dew Festival 1976–1982; it is not presented as a photograph of the historical festival — Mucklagh — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 4.0 · source record · CC BY 4.0
Converted to WebP and resized; no generative or compositional alterations.