Galway’s most popular music venue, the Róisín Dubh, will mark the fifth anniversary of its relaunch with a series of gigs at the end of this month. The “Fifth Birthday Weekender” is being dubbed “Once Upon a Time in the West” and will run in various venues around the city across the Bank Holiday weekend of May 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st.

Promoter Gugai took the reins of the venue in 2004 and oversaw its renovation and transformation into the west coast’s most popular gig hotspot. “We’re very proud of what we’ve done in the past five years,” he says. “It’s been great to see the Róisín grow and develop, thanks mainly to the support of the regular customers and the bands who’ve made the place the success it is today.”

The past few years have seen capacity increased to 280; a beer garden and acoustic room have also been added. As a result, the Róisín Dubh has drawn some high-profile acts in recent years, including Ryan Adams, The Fall and The Violent Femmes.

Performers in the Róisín Dubh over the Bank Holiday weekend include US band Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players (28th), Irish act Jape (29th) and Canadian violin whiz Final Fantasy (30th). The nearby Black Box venue will host sets by Mick Flannery (28th) and The Blizzards/Mundy (31st). There will also be a number of free gigs and DJ sets by the likes of David Kitt at various venues. See www.roisindubh.net.