Max HeyraudThe Last Days of Dalymount sees Annie Mac return to Dalymount Park for one last dance, and there could be no more fitting stage for one of Ireland’s most influential cultural figures.
Hosted by POD, the farewell weekend brings together an eclectic line-up including members of Fontaines D.C. performing an F.D.C. DJ set, John Francis Flynn, Bricknasty, Gemma Dunleavy, Johnny Logan and more.
Annie Macmanus is quite literally one of the most important and iconic voices in dance music history. Growing up in Dublin in a house that was oozing with music, character and soul, it wasn’t until she attended Queen’s University Belfast that she encountered the life-altering force of club culture. Her early experiences were soundtracked by luminary selectors such as Andrew Weatherall and Laurent Garnier, and it was during this period that the foundations of her musical identity began to take shape.
By day, Annie studied English Literature; by night, she immersed herself in the world of DJing. Eventually, she found a way to bring these two worlds together through radio. After graduating, she moved to London and began DJing in Camden during what could be described as a cultural explosion within the borough. She held a residency that saw her play to punks, outcasts, indie kids and everyone in between. In doing so, she was building an enormous cultural and musical vocabulary at a time and place that felt like the centre of the cultural world.
In 2002, Annie joined the BBC as a broadcast assistant. Inspired by presenters such as Mary Anne Hobbs and Zane Lowe, whom she worked alongside, she absorbed elements from each of her influences while simultaneously developing a voice and style entirely her own. That style would go on to become utterly iconic. She landed her first solo show, Annie Mac’s Mashup, in 2004 and would remain one of the defining voices of BBC Radio 1 for the next 17 years, with her final broadcast airing on July 30, 2021.
But Annie became much more than a presenter or a DJ. Perhaps some of her most important work has come from her willingness to consistently stand on the right side of history. From her ongoing support for Palestine to her work advocating for more sustainable music touring, she has repeatedly used her platform to push for meaningful change. She has raised money and awareness for neglected, underprivileged and displaced children, worked to make club culture more accessible through her Before Midnight parties, and remained an unrelenting advocate for gender equality within music.
Her very presence at the forefront of electronic music broadcasting as a woman provided visible and tangible proof that women could not only succeed in a historically male-dominated field, but could become some of its most influential voices. Her impact extends far beyond the records she played or the artists she championed; she helped shape the culture surrounding electronic music itself.
That commitment continues through initiatives such as Future1000, launched with FutureDJs, which aims to provide 1,000 young girls, transgender and non-binary students with opportunities to learn DJing, music production and leadership. It is another example of Annie using her position not simply to participate in music culture, but to actively change who gets to be part of it.
Annie Macmanus’s legacy, then, is not just that of an iconic broadcaster or DJ. It is that of someone who understood the power of music as a cultural force and consistently used her platform to expand, challenge and improve the world around it.
Annie will play the farewell weekend of Dalymount Park, the legendary Dublin home of Bohemians FC. Her connection with the club goes beyond football, with both sharing progressive stances on homelessness, refugee integration, human rights and Palestine. Annie has designed the club’s 2025 women’s away jersey and previously played the stadium’s Mono Bar following a friendly between Bohemians and the Palestinian women’s national team.
The club, the space and the voice align perfectly. Annie Mac and Dalymount are two cultural institutions that have consistently created space for outsiders, championed progressive causes and stood firmly on the right side of history. Her performance feels, therefore, like a fitting farewell between two institutions that have meant far more to their respective cultures than simply the roles they were originally built to play.
