Musica Tradizionale Irlandese — Sessioni Trad, Cornamuse Uilleann e Sean-Nós
Traditional Irish music (the genre of instrumental and vocal folk music indigenous to Ireland — jigs, reels, hornpipes, slow airs, and polkas performed on fiddle, uilleann pipes (the Irish bellows-blown bagpipe), tin whistle, flute, accordion, concertina, and bodhrán (the Irish frame drum)) is the living musical tradition that defines Irish cultural identity globally: the traditional music session (the informal gathering of musicians in a pub to play tunes together, open to all who can keep up) is the most democratic musical tradition in the world, and the Dublin trad scene is the most concentrated and accessible in Ireland.
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Temple Bar — Traditional Music Seven Nights a Week
Temple Bar (the 'cultural quarter', 1 km² between Dame Street and the Liffey) hosts traditional Irish music in 15+ pubs every night — The Cobblestone (Smithfield, though different from Temple Bar), The Oliver St John Gogarty, and Temple Bar Pub are the most consistent traditional music venues; sessions typically start at 9pm and feature fiddle, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, bodhrán, and guitar.
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Cobblestone Pub — The Spiritual Home of Dublin Trad
The Cobblestone (King Street North, Smithfield) is Dublin's most respected traditional music pub — a 2021 planning application to build a hotel next door prompted 10,000 people to march in protest, the largest public demonstration over a pub in Irish history; the session (free, 9:30pm, nightly) is attended by working professional musicians as much as tourists.
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Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann — Keeper of Irish Tradition
Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (Belgrave Square, Monkstown, 20 minutes from city centre by DART) is the organization that promotes and preserves traditional Irish music, dance, and language — the headquarters hosts céilí dances, seanachie (storytelling) sessions, and set dancing classes; the summer Fleadh Cheoil (annual traditional music festival) is the world's largest gathering of Irish musicians.
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Séan-Nós Dancing — The Unaccompanied Solo Form
Séan-nós dancing (old-style dancing in Connacht and Munster Irish-speaking regions) is a solo improvisational form unlike the rigid competition dancing of Riverdance — flat-footed, close to the ground, hands at sides, with rhythmic footwork that functions as percussion on wooden floors; the Oireachtas (Irish language festival, November) holds the national competition.
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National Concert Hall — Irish Chamber Orchestra
The National Concert Hall (Earlsfort Terrace, originally UCD's Great Hall, 1865) is Ireland's premier classical venue — the Irish Chamber Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, and major visiting ensembles perform year-round; Irish traditional and contemporary classical music programmes alternate; the hall is 10 minutes walk from St Stephen's Green.
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Willie Clancy Summer School — International Pilgrimage to Miltown Malbay
The Willie Clancy Summer School (Miltown Malbay, County Clare, July, 3 hours from Dublin by bus) is the world's most prestigious week-long traditional Irish music school — 10,000 attendees, 400 tutors, 200 concerts and sessions; the event is named for a Clare uilleann piper; the pub sessions run from midnight to 5am during the week.