We're going to be in Ireland from morning on Sunday the 25th of March until the morning of Friday, the 31st.

My brothers want to stay in the West (we're flying in and out of Shannon). And they'd really like to catch some traditional music. Does anyone have any suggestions? We're a little worried that it may be difficult to find during the week at that time of year.

There was an excellent article in the September issue of Gourmet magazine about authentic, traditional music in Cork; it gave the name of the pubs, the nights there was music, the times, etc. If I can find my issue, I'll post some info on here, but with busy week ahead, not sure if I will get to it before new year. In meantime, perhaps you could find the issue in your library. The article might be on line, but I'm not sure about that. (The reason I remember the article is that I had a friend who was traveling in Ireland at the time)

If you're in Galway, I can recommend the Roisin Dubh pub!

http://www.mcdougalladventures.com/i...ay-roisin-dubh

Dear CAPH,

We went in March two years ago and stayed in Doolin. Traditional music there every night, and also in the surrounding towns.

It's a lovely area and quite near the Cliff of Moher and the Burren.

Have a great trip. SusanEva

Thanks so much, guys. Great suggestions!

Go to Dingle! I was in Ireland July '05, the peak of the tourist stampede, so I imagine things will be somewhat quieter (and cooler) in March. However, I found Dingle to be so rich in music opportunities. There are many pubs to chose from. St. James Church was the location of a Sat. night program put on by 2 American guys. They invite musicians to join them. We had a Scot, a Pole, and several Irish musicians entertaining us with a wide variety of styles. This was in the early evening. The many pubs have music from 9:30- 11:ish...don't know if those are summer hours, but it was the same wherever we were in Ireland. We also spent time in Doolin which I found disappointing. There are few pubs and they were so crowded one could not get in. The town doesn't have enough pubs for the amount of B&B's, hotels, etc. You'll have a great time!

I am going to Ireland with my family this summer, and wondered if children are welcome in the pubs. I have children ages 9 to 17.

If there is anything you want to know in relation to Irish music in Clare look at www.custysmusic.com Click on the shop front and follow the links. If you would like to get any information contact [email protected] If they do not know nobody knows.
As regards children in pubs - it is now illegal to have children in licensed premises (pubs) after 9 p.m. and this law is strictly enforced as the licencee will have his premises closed for a period if convicted on detection.

I agree completely with Andeesue. I was in Ireland last June for two weeks traveling all over western Ireland and Dublin. Doolin was the my least favorite location for music. Only about 4 pubs and the music was not that great while Dingle for example has 53 pubs and most seemed to have good music every night.

Going back this June.
Hope you enjoy Ireland as much as I have.

Larry J

An Droichead Beg (The Small Bridge)Pub in Dingle. Trad sessions 365 days a year.......

Thanks again, everyone! CU, I too was interested in ages allowed in pubs. Our daughter is 20. I believe the drinking age in Ireland is 18 so I'm assuming we'll have no problem with her. But our son is 16. Does he fall under the "not after 9:00" rule? He found a web site that said children over 14 could be in pubs for dinner. But I don't know how old that info was. It would certainly make things easier if we could take him with us to hear music in the evenings.

Any more suggestions? Or any more info as far as taking our 16 year old to pubs for dinner and music?

Thanks again for the responses so far.

ttt one more time. Still hoping for some input on whether the no children after 9:00 applies all the way to age 18. Or whether, as one web site said, it changes at 14.

Caph52 and tracy
Bad news. The time when under 18 must be out of the premises is 8 p.m. and not 9 as previously stated.The fine is E300. As regards your daughter anyone that is under 21 and is NOT accompanied by a parent or guardian must have photo identification on them.
This is outlined in Part 3 Section 14 of the Intoxiciting Liquor Bill 2003
I was at a function recently that was held in a pub and coming up to 8 p.m. my daughter had to leave with her children.

Thanks, CU. Unfortunately, that is bad news. As I previously mentioned, we're going to be traveling with my brothers. They tend to eat late and I was hoping to eat a lot of our meals in pubs.

Does this law apply only to pubs? What about restaurants that are licensed to serve alcohol?

If I recall correctly, when we were there 25 years ago, a lot of restaurants didn't serve alcohol. Or if they did, they served only wine, no Guiness. Is that still the case?

And are we going to have a hard time finding anything we can do with our 16 year old after 8:00 at night? He was really hoping to be able to enjoy some live music. But it sounds like that will be a problem.

I'll probably post this question in a new thread in hopes of getting more response. But I thought I'd try topping this one more time.

I'm really beginning to be concerned about what we're going to do with our 16 year old in the evenings. I'm certainly not going to have him sitting in the room by himself from 8:00 on while the rest of us are out enjoying ourselves. What do Irish teenagers do in the evenings? And, as I asked above, does this law also apply to restaurants that serve alcohol?