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music · Sunday 28 June 2026 · 8:00pm 
Summer Seisiun at Cois na hAbhna Ennis
At Cois na hAbhna · Gort Road, Ennis, Co. Clare
At Cois na hAbhna · Gort Road, Ennis, Co. Clare
Every Wednesday and Friday night through the summer, Cois na hAbhna on the Gort Road in Ennis fills with the sound of uilleann pipes, fiddles, and voices singing in Irish and English. The Summer Seisiun is the longest-running traditional music show in Clare - a structured, two-part evening run by Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann that gives visitors a proper grounding in what Irish traditional music actually sounds like when it is played live, well, and in full. It suits anyone from curious first-timers to people who already know the tunes and want an excuse to dance them.
The evening opens with a formal show: musicians and dancers from local Comhaltas branches take the stage to perform across all aspects of the tradition - instrumental music on fiddle, flute, concertina, uilleann pipes and more; step-dancing; and song in both Irish and English. It is a performance, not a background session, and the standard is high.
After a short break for refreshments, the show shifts gear. The audience is invited onto the floor to take part in ceili dances - the Siege of Ennis, the Walls of Limerick, and others - with basic tuition given on the spot. No experience is needed. Audience members who play or sing are also welcome to contribute a piece of their own. It is the kind of evening that ends with strangers knowing each other’s names.
Tickets are €10 per person, available at the door each night. Concessions apply for families, larger groups, students, and OAPs - worth ringing ahead if you are bringing a group. The show starts at 8:30pm.
Cois na hAbhna sits on the Gort Road, about 1km south of Ennis town centre. There is parking at the venue. Ennis is the main transport hub in Clare: Bus Eireann runs frequent express services from Limerick (about 45 minutes) and Galway (about 70 minutes), with stops near the town centre. The town is also on the M18/N18 motorway corridor, making it straightforward to reach by car from Shannon Airport - roughly 20 minutes on the road.
Ennis rewards an evening visit even before the show starts. The medieval friary ruins, the narrow streets around the market area, and the pubs along Parnell Street and Abbey Street all carry the kind of character that repays a slow walk. 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.