Your Trip to Dublin: The Complete Guide SEE FULL GUIDE prev next What to Buy in Dublin Itinerary: One Day in Dublin Dublin's Best Day Trips Best Walks Near Dublin Best Fish & Chips Best Fine Dining in Dublin The Best Dublin Pubs Visit the Guinness Storehouse Visit the Jameson Distillery The Best Time to Visit Dublin Weather & Climate Dublin Airport Guide The Best Dublin Hotels Neighborhoods to Know Driving in Dublin Dublin Public Transportation Top Things to Do Free Things to Do Things to Do With Kids Dublin's Best Parks & Gardens Best Museums in Dublin Traditional Music in Dublin Your Trip to Dublin: The Complete Guide close Overview Europe Ireland Dublin Traditional Music in Dublin From Sean Nos to Popular Favourites By Bernd Biege Bernd Biege Bernd is a travel writer from Germany who has lived in Ireland since the late 1990s and written several German-language tourism guides to the country. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 05/28/19 Share Pin Email Jeremy King (CC BY 2.0) / Flickr No trip to Dublin is ever really complete without stopping into a local spot for a bit of live Irish folk music. If you are out and about and not sure what to do in the evenings, you could do worse than head out to a pub (which, by default, will be an "original Irish pub") and then join a traditional Irish session. Want to give it a try? Most sessions start at around 9:30 pm or whenever a few musicians have gathered. However, if you want to hear live Irish folk music during the day, certain pubs will start the sessions at 2 pm (especially on Sunday). Traditional Music in Dublin: "Angler's Rest" - Monday"Auld Dubliner" - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday"Brazen Head" - every day"Cavanagh's" - Thursday"The Celt" - every day "Clifden Court" - every day"Cobblestone" - Monday through Friday starting at 5 pm, and Sunday afternoon at 2 pm"Cuckoo's Nest" - Sunday"Aras Chronain" -Friday"Fitzsimon's" - every day and Sunday afternoon"Fleet" - Thursday"Harcourt" - Monday, Friday and Saturday"Hilton Stakis" - Friday in Summer, Tuesday in Winter"Hughes'" - every day"International" - Sunday afternoon"JJ Smyth's" - Tuesday and Sunday"Johnny Fox's" - every day (very professional)"Keating's" - every day"Knightsbridge" - every day (very professional)"Man O' War" - Monday"Merchant" - every day"Molloy's" - Wednesday and Sunday"Mulligan's" - Sunday"Norseman" - Friday to Sunday"O'Donoghue's" - every day with a lively crowd to go along with it"The Old Storehouse" - every day until 1:30 am, or 2:30 am on weekends"Oliver St. John Gogarty's" - every day (very professional)"O'Shea's Merchant" - every day (sometimes with well-known musicians)"Paddy Hannah's" - Sunday"Radisson Hotel Lounge" - Thursday"Rolestown Inn" - Friday"Royal Dublin Hotel" - Friday"Searson's" - Thursday"Shell's Restaurant" - Wednesday and Sunday (5:30 pm)"Slattery's" - Thursday to Sunday"Taylor's Three Rock Bar" - every day (very professional)"Temple Bar" - Touristy but there are three live music sessions every day, starting at 2 pm"The Villager" - Wednesday and Saturday"Whelan's" - every day"White Horse" - Wednesday"Wood Quay" - Thursday to Sunday"Wynn's Hotel" - Thursday and Friday Listening to Live Irish Music From the list above it should be clear that traditional Irish music is most commonly found performed in pubs rather than as a formal concert in a sitdown auditorium. Even though the setting is informal, there are still some suggestions for "session etiquette", or how to be a good guest during a live Irish folk music performances: Refrain from asking for your favorite tunes unless invited to do so.Even if the low volume and (to your ears) dubious quality of an octogenarian's "sean nos" (old style singing) is not to your liking - do not start a loud conversation while everyone else is trying to listen.If you want to take photos, do so without causing too much disturbance - and remember that most participants in a session are there for fun, not as paid cast members.Should you have bought a bodhran or a tin whistle the day before and just started to read the instructions ... please refrain from joining in as a "musician" and thus embarrassing yourself.However, if you know the words and the crowd is starting to sing along, then feel free to join in and take part. Dublin Souvenirs - 11 of the Best to Buy Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit