Woops forgot to click the box for "email me whenever there is a new post to this topic".

What pub in Clifden? Dublin?  I realize it is the luck of the draw when it comes to which musician shows up on a particular night.

thanks, Richard

Richard: Yes everyone told me that who shows up to play music in a pub on a particular night is luck and it can't be planned. But I planned it anyway! You can do your research on pub music, and then cross your fingers. Also, I brought info with me...I knew which pubs would be likely to have really good Trad music on our visit... But also you can ask in town once you arrive...we stopped by in the daytime and asked at the pubs if there will be music and who is playing...and sometimes your b&b owners might know about the music, sometimes not. Don't bother to ask in the tourist office, they will think you are a dumb tourist.  Another good place to ask is the local music store in Ireland...where the locals shop.  I like to have a short list of the most likely good pubs for trad...then we stop by and listen in the doorway...if we don't like it, we move on to another place on our list. Of course we would stop anywhere that we heard great music spontaneously.

J Conneelly's in Clifden had the best music overall. This was during the Clifden ARts Week. We had a chance to speak with some of the musicians, who said that during the summer months, some of them had played regularly at this pub, but they had never had all 5 of these champion musicians all playing at the same time before the Clifden Arts Week. Fergal Scahill is especially amazing and multi-talented and worth looking for if you are fortunate enough to be in a town where he is playing. I understand that there are some other smaller villages in Connemara which have Trad music... But during an arts or music festival, such as the one in Clifden, this does draw in more musicians. We also met some interesting artists in Clifden during Clifden ARts WEek!

In Dublin The Cobblestone is a pub known as a "musician's" pub...it has the real deal... "real" trad music. However we got unlucky and during our visit to the pub, the back room wasn't open, and the front room had a small group of musicians who were doing more drinking and talking than playing. (This was the first time we had ever run across this situation.) It was still interesting to visit this pub, though. It would have been better if the back room had been open for music.

One problem is that some pubs are putting in very loud microphones & speakers for their "trad" musicians...and mostly getting loud drunken tourists who aren't listening...I'm afraid my husband and I are just too "old" in our 50's to enjoy this! When possible we prefer the pubs without the microphones...where people come to hear the music.

In Dublin the Thai restaurant with great Thai food and great Blues played by Irish musicians is called "Diep Royal Thai Cuisine" or Diep Le Shaker Royal Thai Cuisine. It's walking distance from The Merrion Hotel which is near Merrion Square...get directions as I recall it's a short ways down a narrow alley-like lane. 55 Pembroke Lane, Dublin 2. www.diep.net  Remember they only have the blues music once or twice a week. Best to make a reservation for dinner...we just had the concierge at our hotel make the reservation for us, and we got a great table that way! I recall they had an early bird special of some kind...it included tasty choices at good prices. Here in San Diego we love Thai food and it was good and authentic at Diep in Dublin. (As spicy as you are going to find in Ireland.) Try the appetizers for sure!!! The waiter had good recommendations. Yes get a reservation to sit downstairs...otherwise you will be upstairs where it looked kinda lonely to me...you want to be downstairs closer to the blues music.

Michele,

Thanks again for all your advice.  When you have your book in e-book please post that information on the blog or your home page. 

Richard