O’Donoghue’s

Session here most nights and Friday lunchtime

I can’t believe that this venue has never been posted before. That’s incredible!

I was looking up sessions in Dublin and surprised to see that O’Donoghues was missing – I wonder was it entered before an then deleted – or maybe as it can be a bit touristy,but then so are others on the list.

Anyway Friday lunchtimes is a nice one.
Sessions there everynight I believe - sometimes it can be a bit arranged a “performance” rather than a session.

I’ve been to O’Donoghue’s quite a few times. I guess it is set-up to be tourist friendly in certain respects. However, if you’re at one of the sessions hosted by Joe Foley then you’re in for a good night’s music and a bit of crack.

There’s a session happening here every day of the week.
The music mostly starts around 9pm. There s usually a core of 2 or 3 musicans that get paid to make sure somebody shows up. The main session takes place in the main bar around the corner from the entrance.

If you’re in early enough nd bbrought some friends you can usually also start your own sesh in the back room.

Tuesdays you can join Tom Walsh, Lisa and myself for a a few (usually) more quiet tunes.

On the weekends the place can be a bit packed.

Friday lunch time and Sunday afternoon (12.30-1.30) being the exception.

Friday eveving is generally the worst.

On Saturday there are two sessions. The first starting around 5pm and the second around 9.30pm.

Sunday evening, from 5.30 on, can be great craic with Joe Foley and his friends.

Be careful on days with Soccer or Rugby inernationals or big GAA games. Especially if the game is at Landsdowne Road the pubs will be jammers (meaning packed) and generally very noisy (unless Wales is playing in which case you’ll have dozens of singing welshmen, which, believe it or not, can be great fun). On some of those days the management might open the upstairs bar. it might be well worth checking if there’s a session going on up there. Access to upstairs is from the street.

(PS pints are 1.50 euro for musicans and soft drinks 1 euro)

Sounds like a grand time! Are all the sessions open?

I’ve been there last tuesday, very friendly and welcoming, as soon as they saw I had a flute in my bag I was invited to join the session !
Tom Walsh was there, and I think ‘ah surely’ was playing the flute as well…
I’ll definitively pop in next time I’ll be in Dublin.

However I didn’t hear anything about the 1.5 pints, is it still true ?

The Monday session in the back bar is “not an open session” according to one of the musicians last night, I was not impressed.

Any update on which night to visit for an open session would be appreciated - heading there with fiddle mid-March and dying to play.

Wenesday night’s session was pretty friendly, pretty packed visitors wise, nice blend of songs and tunes, pretty small musician numbers, 1.50 euro pints for musicians is still in effect 🙂

great session there today, got in at 7 and would love to have never left! 1.50e pints for musicians deal depends on the bartender knowing you though it seems :/

amazing session Friday night, musicians were really welcoming and bought drinks for all musicians out of a box they use to collect tips from the audience. Really noisy high octane session, amazing banjo player, piper and fiddle player, very tasteful and friendly bodhran player, very humurous guitarist / singer and a visiting flute player from Canada too. A whistle player appeared too! Led to all kinds of madness that night, must return next week!

also I visited the lunchtime session the same day, runs from 1 to 2, nice relaxed and reasonably friendly session, 2 concertinas, whistle / flute, fiddle and accordian, a few stragglers in the pub singing a song or two but mainly tunes, no deals on pints from the bar or at least not for me that time anyway

I managed to catch the tail end of the session last Wednesday. Was made very welcome by the resident players who were also cracking musicians. Thanks for the warm welcome guys, nice to meet you, and I had a good old blether about the music with Maurice, box player, after the tunes were finished.

I’ll be back.

Hi folks, the pint of a pint for musicians has increased to 2 Euro and only applies to players in the front (beside the entrance).
Most sessions are still going as I posted some years ago.
On the weekends the Friday lunchtime and Sunday evening (from 7pm) sessions are nicest. Friday and Saturday nights can get busy and messy after 8pm. There is also a Sunday ‘lunchtime’ session from 1pm.

The 2 Euro rule for musos is apparently ‘only for regulars’. Despite banging out tunes for hours tonight no chance of getting any reduction sadly.

donoghues pub is the home of legends of Irish folk music and trad Thedublinersmade this pub famous playing in the back room photos of the greatest artists in Irish folk music the johnsons Sweeneys men the Grehan sisters finbar and Eddie furey the Clancy brothers the might sessions barney Mckenna sean mckenna would join in with anybody now its a heritage site for tourists to hear the real thing Tv stations from all over the world have filmed the music and song in this famous pub sadly its all gone what we have now is Afro celts mumford and sons the pogues kila is this irish folk music or trad

Michael, have you tried putting some punctuation in your writing? It will help considerably. What is your question?

Hi,

I’m not run-on-Michael, but I am looking for someone with contacts in Dublin.

The Friday lunchtime session has now moved to THURSDAYS.

It runs from about 1 pm to 3-3:30 pm - as most of the participants are now retired 🙂