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festivals · Thursday 3 September 2026 · Various 
Féile Cheoil Larry Reynolds 2026
At Various venues · Ballinasloe, Co. Galway
At Various venues · Ballinasloe, Co. Galway
Féile Cheoil Larry Reynolds is a four-day traditional music festival in Ballinasloe that celebrates the East Galway style of playing - a smooth, lyrical tradition that has produced some of Ireland’s most revered trad composers and players. Now in its 13th year, the festival was founded to honour Larry Reynolds, a fiddle player from Shanboley, Ahascragh, who emigrated to Boston in the 1950s and carried East Galway music with him across the Atlantic. It suits anyone who loves traditional Irish music, whether you are a player looking to join sessions, a dancer, a parent with young kids wanting real cultural immersion, or simply a listener who wants to hear the music played properly in the town where it took root.
The programme runs Thursday to Sunday and the whole town takes part. Over 40 organised music sessions are spread across pubs, cafés and public spaces, with impromptu gatherings filling the gaps between. Past festivals have drawn visitors from as far as Philadelphia, Boston, Brittany and New Zealand - the music pulls people seriously.
Workshops are a strong part of what makes this festival worth planning around. Previous years have included tuition in fiddle, button accordion, banjo, bodhrán, concertina, sean nós dancing, and set dancing, each led by an established player. There is also a U18 All-Ireland Fiddle Competition, making it a real destination for young musicians. A session trail map is available so you can move between venues without missing a note.
A Saturday talk at Ballinasloe Library on East Galway style and keeping the tradition alive adds a thoughtful, educational thread to the weekend. The festival spotlights the specific composers and players who defined the East Galway sound - names like Paddy Fahey, Eddie Kelly, the Coen Brothers, and the Aughrim Slopes Céilí Band.
Tickets are sold through Eventbrite; check the festival website for the full programme and booking links as the date approaches.
Ballinasloe sits on the N6, roughly 40 km east of Galway City and about 130 km from Dublin - an easy two-hour drive from the capital. The town is served by Bus Éireann expressway routes running between Dublin and Galway, stopping at Ballinasloe town centre, which is handy if you want to leave the car behind and enjoy the sessions properly. Parking in the town centre is generally straightforward, with on-street spaces and public car parks within walking distance of the main festival venues.
Ballinasloe is best known outside music circles for the Great October Fair, one of Europe’s oldest horse fairs, but it has a genuine town centre with good pubs and cafés that come alive during the festival weekend. The River Suck runs through the town, and the wider East Galway countryside - flat, lake-dotted, and quiet - is worth a drive if you have an extra day. There is more to see in Ballinasloe and across Co. Galway.
Heading to Various venues in Ballinasloe? Galway has plenty more to see. Read the Ballinasloe area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.