An Irish banjo virtuoso's guide to the best traditional Irish music experiences in Galway

Galway native Enda Scahill shares his favorite haunts for trad music, from packed sessions at Tig Cóilí in the Latin Quarter to intimate clambake sets at Tigh Ned on Inisheer.

Galway, with its narrow medieval streets, vibrant pub culture and unique brand of craic (lively fun), also boasts one of Ireland's best music scenes. Set in a Gaeltacht, (Irish-speaking district) the city is especially enjoying a resurgence of traditional Irish music – known locally as "trad", a name that gives the genre a hipster cool, far from its humble origins as tunes played in kitchens and street corners.

We asked Galway native Enda Scahill, one of Ireland's foremost banjo players, to help us find his hometown's best trad music sessions. At just 11 years old, Scahill was performing at pubs packed with tourists eager to experience Ireland's traditional music. "At the time, there was definitely the perception of Irish music as shamrocks, leprechauns and 'Danny Boy'. But, just like jazz and bluegrass, there are layers upon layers of depth," says Scahill. "Galway is a very small town, but you can catch two sessions a day, every day of the week… Young people proudly play old-time music, and so the quality of musicians at the moment is exceptional. We say, 'If you drop a coin out of a plane over Ireland, you'll no doubt hit a world-class fiddle player'. And banjo players too."

When Scahill was a teen, there was one banjo player in the west of Ireland, "and we'd drive an hour and a half, which was a big deal in rural Ireland in the '80s, what with the bad cars and bad roads". Now, Irish banjo players are everywhere in the trad music scene, and he's taught a fair share of them.

"Everybody wants to come to Galway!" he says. "We have a fantastic reputation for fun, food and the amazing scenery of Connemara at our doorstep." And all are invited, listener or player. "The sessions are very welcoming. There's no gatekeeper."

Here are Scahill's favourite places to catch trad music in Galway.

"Tig Cóilí is probably the most famous pub in Galway," says Scahill. Despite its prime spot at the car-free crossroads of Mainguard and Shop Streets, this cosy pub has a country tavern feel.

US dollar bills, police badges and framed photos of famous faces – Paul Brady, Sharon Shannon, Dessie O'Halloran, Frankie Gavin and Máirtín O'Connor – cover the walls, giving the pub a well-worn, lived-in charm. "It looks 100 years old, but I remember, before it became Tig Cóilí, it was a modern-style pub, mostly quiet except for, as people would say, 'swingers at two o'clock in the afternoon,' says Scahill.

Musicians squeeze into a corner booth by the fire-engine-red windows for two daily sessions. Each session features three core players, with seven or eight others joining in. "I played their very first session 25 years ago, with the owner's son," says Scahill. "The only real change they've made since then is putting up barriers to stop tourists from falling onto the musicians."

Website: www.tigchoiligalway.com

Address: Mainguard St, Galway

Phone: +353 91 561 294

Instagram: @tigchoili

Head out of Tig Cóilí and across the street to Taaffes, the historic stone-fronted pub that's anchored Galway's pub scene for more than 150 years. Owned by the Lally family, Taaffes was a second home to Scahill as a boy.

"I was playing there so much in my late teens that my mother would call the bar looking for me," he recalls. "Their Guinness is fantastic, and it's always packed, morning, noon and night." Inside, low ceilings and cosy nooks invite lingering.

Sessions happen in a snug at the front; a stage in the back is pulled out for bigger performances. Music fills the pub twice daily; Sharon Shannon and Seán Keane have lit up the room, along with local musicians and wandering minstrels.

On St Patrick's Day, most pubs in Ireland lock their doors by 13:00, shifting to a one-in, one-out policy. "Taaffes is always the first to do that because of the crowds," says Scahill. "One year I played there, and it was like a war zone – people falling on stage, instruments getting kicked. You walk out feeling like you've survived Vietnam."

Website: https://taaffesbar.ie/

Address: 19 Shop Street, Galway

Phone: +353 91 564066

Instagram: @taaffesbar

For more than 40 years, tin whistle maestro Sean Ryan, with his sharp staccato style, has led The Crane Bar's Sunday 13:00 session. "He really looks the part, too," says Scahill. "The gigantic beard, the bonnet hat. He lives in the famously haunted Leap Castle, and his biggest tune is The Coast of Austria – a nice example of Irish sardonic humour."

Housed inside a Victorian cottage on Sea Road, The Crane is all character – rough floors, bright green and yellow walls and dusty framed photos of its storied history. The Guinness, with its creamy head, even backs up the pub's claim as Galway's best.

The pub's musical heritage runs deep. Owner Mike Crehan, a tin whistle player, is related to the legendary fiddler Junior Crehan. More sessions happen nightly at 18:00, when seasoned players and newcomers mix in a laid-back, homey atmosphere. The upstairs "Listeners Club" feels more like a concert venue, with bands and singer-songwriters starting at 21:00.

Website: www.thecranebar.com

Address: 2 Sea Road, Galway

Phone: +353 91 587419

Instagram: @thecranebar

From The Crane, walk towards the River Corrib for a few minutes to find Monroe's Tavern, where Scahill has been playing since he was 15. A Galway institution since 1964, "it's been in the Monroe family for decades and is now run by Gary Monroe, who's hugely passionate about Irish music, especially trad," he says.

Trad sessions happen nightly, but the standout is Fridays at 16:30. What began a couple of years ago as a casual meet-up has since become one of the best sessions in the city, where a rotating guest joins two core musicians. "I'll be the third every six weeks or so," says Scahill. "Plus the drop-in musicians; some days, there might be 20. It's always loads of fun." At 19:00, Monroe's brother, who runs the tavern's pizza parlour, hands out slices to the players at the session's end.

"Gary's built a strong, welcoming community vibe," says Scahill. "There's a guy who owns the biggest garden centre in Galway who comes every week with his double bass. His sister Mary, in her 70s, has an incredible voice. She always sits at the bar, and at some point, someone will say, 'Oh Mary, sing us a song'.' And the whole place goes quiet. It's magic."

Website: www.monroes.ie

Address: 14 Dominick Street Upper, Galway

Phone: +353 91 583397

Instagram: @monroestaverngalway

One of Galway's best features is how quickly the stunning countryside unfolds just outside its perimeter. Follow the Lough Corrib north for about 32km to the village of Cloughanover. "On a very dark road in the middle of nowhere is Campbell's Tavern," Scahill says, "a proper country pub, a true hidden gem."

Campbell's hosts a trad session every Wednesday and a Thursday old-time bluegrass session at 22:00 that can run until 02:00. "It's quite a big pub, and the sessions happen in the front bar, where if 50 people were in it, you couldn't turn around," says Scahill. "Willie Campbell, the owner, is a very community-led guy, a big music head as well."

Scahill once brought Jake Workman, guitarist for Ricky Skaggs' band Kentucky Thunder, to the old-time session, where a cohort of musicians gathers in the middle and at any moment, someone from the group – or from a far corner – starts a new tune. Everyone joins in, creating a spontaneous, collaborative experience. "Jake is one of the best guitar players in the world and he said he'd never experienced anything like it. It's an incredible, quintessential Irish experience."

Website: www.campbellstavern.net

Address: Cloughanover, Headford, Co. Galway, H91 T4A8

Phone: +353 93 35454

Drive south from Galway along the Wild Atlantic Way for about 27km and you'll reach Kinvara, a seaside village where colourful houses line the waterfront. On the corner of Main Street and The Quay is Connolly's, a pub known for its rousing Thursday and Sunday sessions.

"Many world-class musicians and singers have moved out of Galway City to Kinvara, escaping traffic and high rents," Scahill explains, "though of course, both followed. It's also become a real hub where Galway people meet [County] Clare people… I've only played there a handful of times, but it's a really lovely spot. They've recently added glass doors that open to an ocean view, and you hear some amazing musicians."

Upstairs, the restaurant serves locally sourced dishes from Kinvara's organic farmers and foragers, adding a touch of refinement to the laid-back vibe of the sessions taking place below. Just beyond the county line is the otherworldly karst landscape of the Burren and the legendary Cliffs of Moher.

Website: www.upstairsatconnollys.ie

Address: The Quay, Kinvara, Co. Galway H91 D623

Phone: +353 91 637530

Instagram: @connollyskinvara

"If you're here in the summer, you have to visit Inisheer, one of the three Aran Islands [in Galway Bay]," says Scahill. "First, there's the biggest, Inishmore – 'inish' means island, and 'more' means big. Then you've got Inishmaan, the middle one – 'maan' means average. Finally, there's Inisheer, since 'sheer' means small."

"They really put a lot of thought into those names," he deadpans.

On Inisheer, find Tigh Ned tucked inside a thatched cottage that's been in the Ó Conghaile family since 1897. From April to October, musicians fill the salty air with the sounds of sweet trad. "It's as 'country pub' as you want on an island."

The kitchen serves classic pub fare and fresh seafood. Scahill recommends calling ahead to order the crab special. "Every morning their boats come back filled with these big brown Atlantic crabs. They boil them in the back and serve them with brown bread and butter. It's the most spectacular meal you'll ever have. My son and his friend had it when they were about nine, and years later, they're still talking about it."

Website: www.tighned.com

Address: Inisheer, Aran Islands, Co. Galway

Phone: +353 99 75020

Instagram:@tighned

BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers.

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