Nashville to Belfast: Garth Brooks’ Irish Connection

When dozens of artists and executives from Nashville’s music industry landed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for the Your Roots Are Showing music conference, they were greeted by a familiar face — but not a familiar person. A local Garth Brooks tribute artist from the Thunder Rolls cover band had scheduled a show in town, and his posters were plastered everywhere. It was a reminder of just how deeply Brooks is woven into Irish music culture — and one of the reasons the conference chose Belfast as its host city. The tribute band had even booked the only other venue large enough to hold the conference.

Brooks’ connection to Ireland stretches back to the early 1990s, and even now, he admits he can’t quite explain it.

“I've never understood what it is about Ireland,” he says. “But their love for Garth music stuns me every time.”

That bond reached historic levels in 2014, when Irish fans quickly sold 400,000 tickets for five nights at Dublin’s Croke Park as Brooks launched his comeback tour. The celebration turned to heartbreak when the Dublin City Council granted permits for only three of the five shows, forcing all concerts to be canceled. Brooks compared the loss to “a death in the family.”

When Brooks couldn’t come to them, Irish fans came to him. He recalls seeing Irish flags at every arena and stadium show.

“They traveled to send me a message,” Brooks says. “So, imagine how good it was when you got to travel to see them.”

Ireland and Brooks weathered it together. In 2022, he returned, again selling 400,000 tickets in Dublin — and this time, he played every show. Brooks reflects on that reciprocal love in The Anthology, Part VI: The Comeback, The Next Five Years, available now, calling Ireland “family.”

That same spirit filled Belfast’s Waterfront Hall a few weeks ago, where the second annual FOLK iN FUSION concert kicked off the fourth Your Roots Are Showing conference. The evening featured artists from around the world, including Jim Lauderdale, Rissi Palmer, Ron Block, Wyatt Ellis, and headliner Amy Grant.

With panels, workshops, more than 100 showcases, and a citywide Music Trail to close the week, Belfast once again proved what Brooks has known for decades: music creates family — and the Irish always show up.