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music · Tuesday 7 July 2026 · 7:30pm 
Kila - Mandela Hall Belfast
At Mandela Hall · Elmwood Avenue, Belfast, Co. Antrim
At Mandela Hall · Elmwood Avenue, Belfast, Co. Antrim
Kíla have been doing something genuinely unusual for over thirty years - taking traditional Irish music and pulling it apart, weaving in West African rhythm, Balkan melody, and a good deal of theatrical flair, then putting it back together in a way that still sounds unmistakably Irish. Their live shows are the real draw: a Kíla gig can feature bodhrán alongside congas, uileann pipes beside saxophone, and on occasion fire jugglers or trapeze artists showing up mid-set. If you have only ever heard trad in a pub, this will be a different experience. It suits anyone who loves Irish music but is curious what happens when it travels.
The seven-piece Dublin band, built around the Ó Snodaigh and Hogan brothers, play an arsenal of acoustic and traditional instruments topped with percussion that gives the music its unmistakable rhythmical drive. Expect tight ensemble playing that can shift from slow and beautiful to fast and overwhelming within a single song. The band have performed at Glastonbury and WOMAD and played the opening ceremony of the 2003 Special Olympics in Ireland - they know how to hold a large room. Mandela Hall, rebuilt and reopened in 2022 as part of the new Queen’s University Students’ Union, is one of Belfast’s best-sounding venues, with a standing capacity of 1,000 and a proper sound system installed from scratch. The room suits a band like Kíla well - close enough to feel the energy, large enough for the music to open out.
Mandela Hall is on Elmwood Avenue, a short walk from the main Queen’s University building in south Belfast. From Belfast city centre, it is about a 20-minute walk or a quick hop on Metro bus services running along the Malone Road corridor. The nearest train station is Botanic, a five-minute walk away, on the line connecting Belfast Central to Lisburn. If you are driving from the Republic, the M1 brings you into Belfast in around 90 minutes from Dublin; parking in the university quarter in the evening is generally available on surrounding residential streets, though Elmwood Avenue itself is busy on event nights. Taxi and rideshare drop-off is straightforward.
The Queen’s Quarter is one of the more pleasant parts of the city to spend an evening, with a good mix of bars and restaurants along Botanic Avenue before the show. There is more to see in Belfast and across Co. Antrim.
Heading to Mandela Hall in Belfast? Antrim has plenty more to see. Read the Belfast area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.