Jamie McIntyre

Jamie McIntyre’s rise from busking on the streets of Galway city to stages across Ireland and the UK is one of Ireland’s latest growing success stories.

Writing since the young age of 15, McIntyre's musical journey began on Shop Street, busking during his college years. His early traction on social media helped to build a loyal following where he caught the eye of Gavin James who selected McIntyre to join him as support in Paris on his European tour as part of Three's City Stages initiative to find up and coming grassroots musicians and champion them.

That groundwork paid off in the summer of 2024 when McIntyre released "Over Galway Town", a viral hit garnering over 50 million views on TikTok and has since amassed over 7.5 million streams on Spotify, and sitting alongside some of the world's biggest artists in the viral charts, reaching listeners from across the globe.

That summer, McIntyre had the opportunity to work with Imelda May and performed at Electric Picnic as an add on to his Three City Stages experience, having impressed on his initial appearances with Gavin James. Sell-out support shows followed with Liverpool songwriter Jamie Webster at 3Olympia in Dublin and The Telegraph Building in Belfast, showcasing he was more than capable of holding his own on bigger stages.

Last year saw McIntyre take his first steps as a headline artist, selling out shows in Dublin, Limerick and his hometown of Galway on his debut Irish tour. His EP Chapter 23 continued to grow his fanbase, with tracks "West is Home" and "Grá" quickly becoming live favourites and amassing over 250,000 streams in their first week alone (now sitting at over 2.3 million streams each). The For Folk's Sake EP followed in October, accompanied by a sold-out Irish and UK tour that underlined just how quickly his audience has grown and introduced the world to arguably his most popular song to date, “Melbourne” - a tried and tested story about love lost to the far side of the world.

2026 has been non stop for the young songwriter with sold out shows across the UK and Ireland continuing an incredible trajectory which has taken in support slots with American Country music superstar Luke Combs for two nights at Slane Castle, packing out a 10,000 capacity stage at Electric Picnic and a cross Ireland tour with Cian Ducrot which will be capped off by two end of year hometown shows in Galway.

McIntyre is one of the most exciting independent voices to emerge from Ireland in years. His songs are relatable and driven through lived experience and a “Grá” for home, familiar to those having had to watch as their loved ones leave for a new experience across the world and a comfort for those who are living it.

If this is a breakthrough year for the Galway songwriter, by any measure, 2026 is one to remember for McIntyre. An artist built on authenticity, community and the kind of songwriting that turns strangers into sing-along crowds and songs into anthems for a new generation.