The Scottish performer played an intimate gig in a Dublin city centre pub to launch the global celebrations for Arthur's Day, to be held on Thursday, September 23.

"Happy days, we get to come back and ring it in again," he said. "We're trying to come up with as many places to play as we can so we can play as much as we can on the night before we drop," he added.

Arthur's Day last year marked the legacy of Arthur Guinness, the pioneering brewer and philanthropist who signed the 9,000-year lease on the famous St James's Gate Brewery in 1759. World class performers turned up in venues and pubs across the capital, with Nutini and Tom Jones among the surprise acts in the traditional Stag's Head.

"It was good, we barely made it in the door, once we made it in the door we barely made it on the stage, once we made it on the stage we got it working," he said. "Folk were on top of each other's shoulders... it was great. We had to then go to the brewery to the top floor, that's where we finished the night on a belly of the velvety beast."

Organisers vow their second Arthur's Day will be bigger and better with celebrations kicking off at 17.59 local time in the Caribbean, Africa, US, Asia and throughout Europe.

Snow Patrol, Jose Gonzalez, the View, the Magic Numbers and The Maccabees are among 40 big names already confirmed to play in 29 venues in Dublin, Cork and Galway.

Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody said the band really wanted to be part of the celebrations. "Ireland has, and has always had, one of the best music scenes in the world, so we're really excited about helping to find emerging bands to play around the country on the day, one of whom will play alongside us in Dublin."

But Nutini, the biggest selling male artist of 2009, revealed he did not need many excuses to come to Dublin and play a show. "You get a level of enthusiasm here that you never get in a lot of other places," said the singer - who once had lusty female fans throw an array of underwear at him during a gig in the city's Academy venue.

Tanya Clarke, head of Guinness marketing, revealed 100 up-and-coming Irish acts also have the chance to be part of the line-up. "Arthur's Day was designed to recognise a remarkable man with a remarkable legacy but we never imagined that so many people would embrace it in the way they did," she added.