A Randalstown musician has been left in shock after having been hit by a pint glass during a gig in Belfast on Friday night.
Tiernán Heffron said he was gigging when a person started to try and provoke him, before eventually turning violent.
A guitar that the 24-year-old had bought after a tip from pop star Taylor Swift at a previous performance was also damaged irreparably during the incident.
Read more: Co Antrim singer Tiernan Heffron reveals advice Taylor Swift gave him at his Tipsy Bird gig
Tiernán told Belfast Live that he wanted to see more protection for musicians, who he said often felt like they "have to be your own bouncer" when performing.
"I was keeping it very cool and professional, even though the person kept trying to provoke me," he said.
"I know I'm there to do a job but the person kept trying to provoke me so I said to the bouncer that I wasn't happy with it.
"I said could they please put them out as I didn't feel comfortable having to sing for two hours when this person was behaving like that and I was worried something could happen.
"So the bouncer came over and said to the person that they would have to drink up and go, but then the bouncer went back outside to the door."
With the person still being quite aggressive, Tiernán tried to continue with his performance, but said he was starting to feel worried that things would escalate.
"The person came up to me again, getting into my face, starting to make a scene before going and sitting back down again.
"The person's partner then came over to me and was talking to me for a second and then the next thing you know, the person picked up an empty pint glass and absolutely fired it full force at me and it just missed my head by about an inch.
"Then the next glass was thrown and it actually hit me at the side and back of my jaw basically, it hit off my head and smashed on my guitar.
"The person was taken out by security then but I was in shock, trying to work out if I'd been cut or anything but I was so, so lucky.
"Basically when the second glass was thrown, I'd put up my guitar to try and save me from the hit and the glass obviously hit into it as well.
"I was left pretty traumatised by it because I'm doing this job because I love it and you're trying to bring people a bit of happiness."
The PSNI confirmed that the incident had been reported to them and that action had been taken in respect of the assault.
"Police received a report of an assault at licensed premises at Fountain Lane in Belfast City Centre on Friday 21 April," a spokesperson said.
"The report, which was received shortly after 10pm, stated that a woman had thrown a glass at a musician who was performing in the premises.
"The woman was identified and spoken to by police and with the agreement of the injured party, a Community Resolution Notice was issued."
Tiernán said a couple at the bar had been very helpful in the aftermath of the assault and that he was just gutted that the guitar, which meant so much to him, had been damaged beyond repair.
He had previously played an event in Belfast at which pop sensation Taylor Swift had arrived at with boyfriend Joe Alwyn.
After hearing him play, she gave him a tip for his work and it was with that money that he went and bought the guitar.
"That is a sickener because it was obviously very meaningful," he said.
"But in a way it has made me more determined to try and pursue my music career.
"There's a lot of musicians I've been chatting to and they've experienced abuse as well.
"I'm not going to let it affect me too much."
The young singer has booked his first headline gig at the Oh Yeah Centre in June and is travelling to Nashville later this year as he looks to pursue a music career full-time.
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