A List of Live Irish Folk Music Sessions in Dublin

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.