LEGENDARY Irish rebel band The Wolfe Tones will retire next year after 60 years of performing together.

Tommy Byrne, Brian Warfield and Noel Nagle said their gigs at Belfast's SSE Arena and the 3Arena in Dublin, which are part of their 60th anniversary tour, will be the last.

The Wolfe Tones' career began in Dublin in 1964 and includes hits like Celtic Symphony, Irish Eyes, Grace, Streets of New York and Let The People Sing.

From humble beginnings in Dublin, to the hallowed halls of Carnegie Hall in New York and the Paris Olympia, The Wolfe Tones have enthralled generations of Irish music fans around the globe in their own unique style.

“I never thought that we would go on so long," Tommy Byrne told the Irish Sun.

"It’s been absolutely amazing, but I’m 80 next year and I think that would be a good time to stop.

“I brought this motion to Brian and Noel and they agreed.

"So we’re doing the SSE Arena in Belfast next October then the two shows at the 3Arena Dublin and that’s it.”