2003 in Irish music
A summary of the year 2003 in the Irish music industry.
Summary
- On July 16, R.E.M. played to a crowd of 16,000 at Marlay Park in Dublin, arriving on stage at 9 p.m. They were supported by Orager and Starsailor.
- On December 7–8, Blur played the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, in their last Irish shows before they went on hiatus until their return to the country to headline Oxegen 2009.
Bands formed
Bands disbanded
Bands reformed
Albums & EPs
- Seize the Day - Damien Dempsey So Much for the City – The Thrills Forward – Turn 'Music in Mouth – Bell X1 Square One – David Kitt Get What You Need – The Undertones Living – Paddy Casey
Singles
| Issue date | Song title | Artist | Source | Sales | - |
| __ February | "Always and Forever" | JJ72 | |||
| 7 March | "Family Tree" | Paddy Casey | |||
| 25 April | "White Water Song" | Bell X1 | |||
| 11 July | "Tongue" | Bell X1 | |||
| 12 September | "Fake" | The Frames | |||
| 3 October | "Saints and Sinners" | Paddy Casey | |||
| 6 October | "Snakes and Snakes" | Bell X1 | |||
| 5 December | "The Lucky One" | Paddy Casey |
Date unknown
- "Spitting Games" – Snow Patrol
- "One Horse Town" – The Thrills
- "Big Sur" – The Thrills
- "Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far)" – The Thrills
- "Don't Steal Our Sun" – The Thrills
Festivals
Witnness 2003
Witnness 2003 was the fourth and final Witnness festival to take place. It took place in a new venue, Punchestown Racecourse in County Kildare on Saturday July 12 and Sunday July 13. Acts to appear included Coldplay, Damien Rice, The Frames, The Cardigans, The Walls, The Streets, David Gray, Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals, The Polyphonic Spree, Röyksopp, The Coral, Gemma Hayes, Mogwai, The Thrills, The Rapture, OK Go, Turn, Berkeley, Fionn Regan, Paddy Casey, Snow Patrol and Bell X1. The White Stripes scheduled appearance was cancelled due to frontman Jack White suffering a broken hand. The Flaming Lips were stepped up the bill to replace The White Stripes and delivered a well-received set which included a version of White Stripes' single "Seven Nation Army".Heineken Green Energy
Heineken Green Energy took place for the 8th year in 2003. It was held in Dublin over the May Bank Holiday weekend. 2003's venues included Dublin Castle, the Ambassador, Temple Bar Music Centre, The Village and Whelans as well as 20 other key music venues in Dublin City. Over the weekend approximately 40,000 people attended in excess of 17 live gigs. Musicians to play the 2003 festival included Groove Armada, Moloko, Craig David, Stereophonics and Beck.Slane 2003
Slane 2003 took place on Saturday August 23 and was headlined by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Support came from Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, PJ Harvey, Feeder, Morcheeba and Halite. Tickets sold out 2 and a half hours after going on sale.Music awards
2003 Meteor Awards
The 2003 Meteor Awards were hosted by comedian Dara Ó Briain in February 2003. Below are the winners:| Award | Winner |
| Best Irish Male | Mundy |
| Best Irish Female | Carly Hennessy |
| Best Irish Band | U2 |
| Best Irish Album | Skylarkin' |
| Best New Irish Act | The Thrills |
| Best Irish Pop Act | Westlife |
| Best Irish Dance Act | Luke Thomas |
| Best Live Performance | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Best Irish DJ | Ian Dempsey |
| Hope for 2003 | Rubyhorse |
| Best Folk/Traditional | John Spillane |
| Best Country/Roots Artist | Jerry Fish |
| Best International Male | Eminem |
| Best International Female | Avril Lavigne |
| Best International Band | Coldplay |
| Best International Album | By the Way |
| Industry Award | Phil Coulter |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Bob Geldof |
| Humanitarian Award | Bono |