Jamie McIntyre: From TRNSMT's Introducing Stage to 160,000 People at Slane Castle with Luke Combs
- Jul 8
- 3 min read
Written by Lauren Page | @LiveWithLP
There's something special about discovering an artist just before everyone else catches on. That was exactly the case with Irish singer-songwriter Jamie McIntyre. After being pointed in his direction by countless people at TRNSMT Festival the weekend before, I made my way over to the Introducing Stage - and I'm so glad I did.
It ended up being one of my favourite sets of the entire weekend.
Fast forward just a few days and we're catching up backstage at State Fayre in Chelmsford, where Jamie has just delivered another brilliant performance in blistering Essex sunshine.
For Jamie, this summer has been full of firsts.
"It's my first proper year doing these festivals," he explains. "I didn't really know what to expect. In Ireland you kind of know who's coming because people know me a bit more there, but coming over to places like State Fayre and TRNSMT, I wasn't really sure."
Those nerves quickly disappeared.
"To see the amount of people that showed up, I was buzzing. Then we got to go and watch Lewis Capaldi afterwards, so it was just the perfect day."
Having witnessed the Scottish crowd in full voice at TRNSMT, it was easy to see why the weekend left such an impression.
One song in particular has stayed with me ever since: West Is Home.
It's the sort of song that hits home no matter where you're from. As someone who's English but now lives in Scotland, it instantly struck a chord, and I had to ask Jamie where it came from.
The inspiration arrived while spending a summer in California on a J1 student visa.
"I went over there and I just missed my family," he says. "I decided I'd use the time to write an album. I wrote about twelve songs - they were all terrible apart from West Is Home."
The song became an unexpected keeper.
"It's just about missing home. I was in the west of the United States and I'm from the west of Ireland, so it all kind of went hand in hand. It was a complete accident really, like most songs are, but it's turned into one of the fan favourites."
That emotional honesty seems to be resonating. His latest single has already passed 100,000 streams within weeks of release, although Jamie admits he's careful not to become obsessed with numbers.
"It's hard because you don't actually see the people behind the streams. You end up looking at the numbers and maybe being a bit self-critical. But the main thing is people are listening. They're interested in what's next."
And what's next is something most artists only dream about.
Just weeks after our chat, Jamie will step onto one of Ireland's most iconic stages to support Luke Combs for two sold-out nights at Slane Castle - performing in front of around 160,000 people across the weekend.
"I only found out about a week ago," he laughs. "I thought it was for next year, but it was actually for three weeks' time."
Despite the enormity of the opportunity, Jamie believes the short notice might actually help.
"If I'd known about it ages ago I'd probably overthink it. This way it's just... right, let's go."
The phone call arrived while he was saying goodbye to his best friend, who was moving to Toronto.
"It felt like the closing of one chapter and the opening of another."
That grounded outlook runs throughout everything Jamie talks about. While his own career is moving at lightning pace, he lights up just as much discussing how the success affects the people around him.
"The best part is telling my parents, my grandparents and my friends. It gives everyone a boost."
As for the rest of 2026, there'll be plenty more music.
"Everything revolves around the music now," he says. "My poor girlfriend can't even book a holiday because we don't know what's going to come up! But it's all about keeping the head down, working hard and making sure next year is even bigger."
Before wrapping up, Jamie was keen to shine the spotlight on another act people should have on their radar.
His recommendation? Galway band Grove.
"They've opened loads of shows for me. They've got a song called Tara Grove, and they've just released new music as well."
If Jamie McIntyre's own trajectory is anything to go by, it's a recommendation worth taking seriously.
After seeing him command festival crowds at both TRNSMT and State Fayre, it's clear he's building something special. The songs connect, the humility is genuine, and the work ethic is obvious.
Supporting Luke Combs at Slane Castle feels less like a lucky break and more like the next natural step.
Don't be surprised if, before long, Jamie McIntyre isn't opening those huge festival stages anymore - he's headlining them.