A question of taste: Shane Dunne

Des O'Driscoll meets Shane Dunne, one of the faces behind Cork festival Indiependence.

Shane Dunne is a promoter, festival owner and production manager from Mitchelstown in Co Cork.

Having studied science in college and spent a number of years in the Department of Agriculture, he quit in 2008 to set up Curve Music.

Since then he has worked on developing the Indiependence festival, as well as working with The Coronas and a number of other acts.

Last year, along with a few industry friends, he set up Music Cork, which is currently under way with its second event featuring various industry speakers and showcase gigs.

Best recent book you’ve read:

I just read Kill Your Friends by John Niven over and over, to be honest. It’s witty, fun to read and life imitating in certain sections. I love it.

Best recent film:

I really enjoyed Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. I like Martin McDonogh’s dark humour.

Best recent gig you’ve seen:

I promoted Sigrid’s debut Irish headline show with MCD recently in the Academy. That girl is an absolute superstar, as a singer, a performer and an artist, she is just brilliant.

Best piece of music you’ve been listening to lately (new or old):

I’m listening to a lot of new Irish music at the moment, Roe, Kojaque, Mango X Mathman, Fontaines, Le Boom, Tebi Rex, Day_S & Eve Belle. Older stuff, I always go back to The Pixies & R.E.M.

First ever piece of music or art or film or gig that really moved you:

Oasis in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 1996. It started my interest in live music.

The best gig or show you’ve ever seen (if you had to pick one!):

R.E.M. at Marlay Park.

Tell us about your TV viewing:

Sport, cooking programmes and Netflix. Torturing myself with Jose’s United, watching some chefs masterclass stuff on line and loved The Defiant Ones on Netflix.

Radio listening and/or podcasts:

Both. Radio I like a lot of different music-based shows but also really like The Sunday Business Show On Today FM and Off The Ball On Newstalk. For drivetime is normally Eoghan McDermott on 2FM. Only getting into podcasts lately, been listening to Blindboy, Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History and Pod Save America.

You’re curating your dream festival — which three artists are on the bill, living or dead?

Pixies, R.E.M., Beyoncé.

Your best/most famous celebrity encounter:

I once tripped over a sunbathing model while very drunk backstage at Bennicassim when The Coronas were playing there, broke my sunglasses, scraped my face. Not really a celebrity encounter but the lads haven’t forgotten it. I also met [actor/comedian] Bob Saget in a photo booth in LA once.

You can portal back to any period of human cultural history or music event – where, when, and why?

I’d like to try and stop whoever wrote the Swedish computer-animated character Crazy Frog.

Unsung heroes:

Everyone giving up their time at the moment and working hard in an effort to repeal the Eighth Amendment.

You are king for a day — what’s your first decree?

Bring back Sir Henry’s in Cork.