New music-focused venue, Echo Bar, opens in Bray, Ireland

There's a new space for music on the east coast of Ireland.

Echo Bar opened this past weekend on the Bray seafront in Co. Wicklow by Irish DJ and producer The Drifter. The Maeve Records co-founder announced his plans for a "new music focused bar" on Instagram last week, 8th November, writing, "We need more places to dance. Wicklow and South County Dublin lack music venues. Echo Bar aims to help."

Echo Bar will be open Thursdays through Sundays and host DJs on Fridays and Saturdays. Opening weekend programming was helmed by The Drifter and House of Disco head Magnier.

This new space is welcome positive news for the embattled Irish nightlife scene. After a hard-won overhaul of Ireland's licensing laws was confirmed in April 2022, Taoiseach Leo Varadker dwindled hopes the new late openings would be in place before the end of 2023.

Still, there has been progress in areas like resource funding, like a soundproofing initiative for venues in anticipation of the 6 AM closing-time extension. Ireland has also launched an annual Night-Time Economy Forum, and the city of Dublin is currently seeking to hire a Night-Time Economy Adviser.

In August, a group of Dublin-based music venues and collectives banded together to open a new co-operative DIY space. Index celebrated its reopening in a new venue in September.