← All events
heritage · Sunday 28 June 2026 · 8:30pm 
Cois na hAbhna Summer Seisiun 2026
At Cois na hAbhna · Galway Road, Ennis, Co. Clare
At Cois na hAbhna · Galway Road, Ennis, Co. Clare
Every Wednesday and Friday night through the summer, Cois na hAbhna on the Galway Road in Ennis puts on a live show of traditional Irish music, step-dancing and song that runs from late June through to mid-August. The Summer Seisiun is not a polished concert with a barrier between performer and audience - it is a participatory evening that draws locals, visitors, and anyone curious about what Clare trad actually sounds and feels like at close quarters. If you have never seen uilleann pipes played six feet in front of you, or tried to follow a Siege of Ennis with fifty other people on the floor, this is the place to do it.
The evening at Cois na hAbhna divides into two clear halves. The first is a formal performance covering the full range of traditional arts: fiddle, flute, concertina, uilleann pipes, step-dancing, and singing in both Irish and English. The standard is high - Cois na hAbhna is the Clare regional centre of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, which has been promoting traditional music here since 1984, and the performers know their craft.
After a break for light refreshments, the mood shifts. The second half brings the audience onto the floor for céilí dances - the Siege of Ennis and the Walls of Limerick are staples - with basic instruction given so that no experience is needed. The venue itself describes this part as often the highlight of the night for visitors, and that rings true: it is hard to stay a passive observer once the music starts and someone is calling out the steps. If you play or sing yourself, there is usually an open invitation to contribute.
Ennis sits at the centre of County Clare, roughly an hour’s drive from Limerick city and about 30 minutes from Shannon Airport. The town is well served by Bus Éireann, with regular services from Galway, Limerick and Dublin connecting into Ennis Bus Station on Station Road. From the station it is a ten-minute walk north along the Galway Road to Cois na hAbhna, which is clearly signposted. If you are driving, there is car parking on site at the venue.
Ennis has one of the liveliest trad pub scenes in the country, and a summer evening there tends to spill into late session territory once the formal show ends. The town’s medieval friary, its Friday market, and the tangle of streets around O’Connell Square are worth time before or after the show. There is more to see in Ennis and across Co. Clare.
Heading to Cois na hAbhna in Ennis? Clare has plenty more to see. Read the Ennis area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
In town for Cois na hAbhna? These Clare tours book out in summer.