Oh might like Austin... Lots of music, cool vibe... I live in Dallas and would prefer Austin ...

The Grand Ole Opry doesn't usually post the full schedules until the week before or week of as they are constantly adding acts. There are performances on Tues, Fri and Sat. There is also a Classic Country show at the Ryman Auditorium on Thursdays.

Summer is prime time for concerts so there should be something great for you to choose from.

As far as Nashville goes, you will always be able to find contemporary country in the honky-tonks on Lower Broadway, and as bettyk outlined, the Opry will be going on every week but doesn't announce who specifically will perform until very close to the show date. For other live music around town, it actually tends to lean much more toward singer/songwriter, rock/pop and Americana music than what you hear on country radio (well, I'm not sure who you hear in Ireland, but what we hear on country radio). Nashville is the historic home of country and houses the business of country music, but has turned into a major base for music of all kinds.

If you really want to hear artists you hear on American radio stations (Jason Aldean, Taylor Swift, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, that kind of thing), and you have the flexibility to come in June, look into the CMA Music Festival. It's held in mid-June every year for several days, with tons of country artists performing shows.

And Momddtravel's suggestion of Austin instead of Dallas is great. I went for the first time in February and loved it.

Thanks for all your advise guys we had a super trip & loved every minute of it.
We spent 2 nights in Dallas & met some friends who convinced us to tour a bit of Texas which we hadn't really planned but I'm glad we did. We drove up to fort worth which was well worth a visit, from there to Austin & on to San Antonio which was fab & could have done another night here. We drove onto Houston & then headed for new Orleans & were very glad to park up for 3 days.
We drive up to natchez & visited some of the plantation houses, then Memphis & Nashville.We did alot of driving but we would find it hard to skip any of it. Hope u enjoyed ur trip eilish

<< It's an ugly Atlanta, a music-less Nashville, a Chicago suburb, an overgrown Columbus, Ohio.>>

What a steaming pile that remark is.

I like Dallas. Dallas has the overdone JFK thing but also has the Arts District with its museums and venues, the excellent Perot Museum, and the museums of Fort Worth. It has top-end sports venues and the State Fair, which is worth a visit or two.

Atlanta is a bloody dump that's living off its mythology as the city that claims victimization when thuh yankees sacked it en route to the sea (the confederates torched it).

Chicago is 1/3 touristy and a poorly governed pit in the other 2/3. And the weather sucks.

Nashville is nice. Fine place, compact downtown, good music, nice people.

Memphis is one of the four most violent cities in the US (cities > 250k population, measured by rate of violent crime - its company consists of Detroit, Oakland and St. Louis: a complete hole, a mess and a dump).

Columbus, Ohio - who cares? It has the Columbus Zoo (thanks, Jack Hanna) and the largest university in the country (THE Ohio State University) and the Ohio Capitol . . . and Ohio weather and politics and Ohioans.