Oh no! Have Guinness have cancelled Arthur’s Day?

Well, it looks like September will be no craic at all this year, as Guinness have announced that they have cancelled Arthur’s Day.

They say they haven’t given in to the pressures to abandon the day because of the excessive drinking it encourages, instead going with the line that they just needed a change.

Sure, Guinness. We believe you. Though the good news is that they’ve started a new music promotion programme called Guinness Amplify which will support new bands. It’ll give bands the opportunity to perform in pubs over five weekends, beginning September 11-14 in Leinster and moving to Ulster (September 18-21), Connacht (25-28), Munster (October 2-5) and Dublin (October 9-12).

There’ll be workshops, studio days, surprise shows by major acts and the chance for new artists “to share a stage with some of the biggest names in music”.

What do you think? Will Guinness Amplify make up for the lack of Arthur’s Day?