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seasonal · Wednesday 15 July 2026 · 2:00pm 
Mid-Summer Trad Sessions at Altamont Gardens - July
At Altamont Gardens · Altamont, Tullow, Co. Carlow
At Altamont Gardens · Altamont, Tullow, Co. Carlow
On a Wednesday afternoon in mid-July, the walled garden at Altamont Gardens fills with the sound of fiddles, bodhráns and tin whistles. These informal trad sessions are a returning fixture in the summer programme here, run by the Carlow Garden Trail, and they draw a relaxed mix of families, walkers and anyone who wants to sit in the sun and hear live traditional music played well. There is no stage, no ticketed seating - just musicians in a sheltered garden and two hours of good craic. It suits all ages, and children are well at home in the open surroundings.
The session runs from 2pm to 4pm on Wednesday 15 July 2026 inside the historic walled garden at Altamont, one of the finest garden settings in Leinster. Local musicians gather to play Irish traditional tunes - the informal session format means the music builds naturally, players joining in and trading tunes as the afternoon goes on. The walled garden itself adds to the atmosphere: it has its own Sugar and Spice Cafe where you can pick up a coffee or something to eat before or after the music. The grounds around it are substantial - around 40 acres of designed landscape including a lake that was dug during the Famine to provide work for local men, an 18th-century beech avenue known as the Nuns’ Walk, and riverside paths that are easy to wander at your own pace. The gardens were bequeathed to the Irish state by their last private owner, Corona North, in 1999, and are now managed by the Office of Public Works. A second session follows on Wednesday 12 August if you miss the July date.
Altamont Gardens sits just outside Tullow, off the R726 in east County Carlow. From Tullow town the drive is about five minutes. Tullow itself is reached from Dublin via the N81 - roughly an hour from the city. There is no direct public transport to the gardens, so a car is the practical option for most visitors. Parking is available on site.
Tullow is a market town on the River Slaney with a relaxed, unhurried feel that makes it a good base for a day out in this part of Carlow. The river is pleasant for a walk, and the surrounding countryside - gently rolling and green - rewards an afternoon of easy driving between gardens and villages. There is more to see in Tullow and across Co. Carlow.
Heading to Altamont Gardens in Tullow? Carlow has plenty more to see. Read the Tullow area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.