Galway has a trad music scene that runs every night of the week most of the year. The trick is knowing which pubs play for the room and which play for tourists. Three reliable picks plus a couple of variables.
Tig Coili, Mainguard Street
Tig Coili is the Galway pub that working trad musicians choose when they are off the clock. Two sessions every night of the week, one at six in the evening and a second at nine thirty. The early session is acoustic, the late one tends to bring in more bodhran and bigger arrangements. The room is small and gets very full. Get there before the music starts if you want a seat.
The Crane Bar, Sea Road
Out in the West End, ten minutes' walk from Eyre Square. The Crane has two floors of music, with sessions in both bars most evenings. Upstairs is more concert-style, downstairs is the proper session. The crowd is the most mixed of any music pub in Galway, with locals, students, and the occasional touring musician dropping in.
Tigh Neachtain, Quay Street
The corner pub at the top of Quay Street. Sessions are not nightly but they happen often, particularly at weekends. Even when there is no music it is one of the best pubs in Galway for a Guinness. The fittings are the Victorian originals and the booths are properly private.
What is the best night to go?
Tuesdays through Thursdays for the best music. Weekend sessions are still good but the rooms are crowded and the music sometimes gets drowned out by chat. Serious trad listeners come on weeknights. The musicians know.
Should I tip the musicians?
Tipping is not standard. Buying the players a drink at the bar is the local way to say thank you. The barman will know who is playing and can deliver a round to the table. A pint or a half is appropriate.
How long do sessions last?
Most run two to three hours with breaks for the players to get a drink. The early sessions in summer (six PM start) finish around eight thirty when the band leaves and a different group of musicians might pick up. The late sessions tend to wind down between eleven and midnight, sometimes later if the room is good.
Variable nights
Monroe's Tavern in Dominick Street has set dancing on Tuesdays from October through May. It is a proper old-fashioned dancehall night with locals teaching newcomers the steps, and worth a visit even if you have no intention of dancing yourself. The Roisin Dubh on Dominick Street is the city's contemporary live venue and books trad and folk acts on selected nights, plus comedy and rock the rest of the week.
What to avoid
Quay Street has a few places that put up signs advertising trad music every night and book whoever turns up. The music is competent but generic. If a pub on Quay Street has a bouncer or a sandwich board out front, it is the tourist version. Walk to Tig Coili instead.
Is there an etiquette I should know?
Talking is fine but at conversational volume. Phones can come out for a thirty-second clip, but recording the whole set is rude. Do not request songs. The musicians choose what they play. If you sit close to the players, do not have a long phone call from that table. Drink, listen, applaud at the end of sets.
If you only do one
Tig Coili on a Wednesday at six PM. Walk in twenty minutes early, find a seat, order a Guinness, and stay for the early session.