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music · Wednesday 24 June 2026 · 18:00, 22:00 
Quays Bar Live Trad Music
At Quays Bar · Latin Quarter, Galway City, Co. Galway
At Quays Bar · Latin Quarter, Galway City, Co. Galway
The Quays Bar on Quay Street has been one of Galway’s great music pubs for the better part of four centuries, and a live trad session here on a summer Wednesday evening is exactly the kind of thing people travel to Ireland for. Two sessions run daily - one at six o’clock and one at ten - so whether you want to catch a few tunes before dinner or lose track of the night entirely, you can build the visit around your own pace. The music is free, the bar is well-stocked, and the Latin Quarter hums around you on all sides. It suits anyone who enjoys live traditional music in a pub that actually means it.
The Quays is a big pub by Irish standards, with two distinct spaces. The ground-floor bar is where most drinkers settle in, with reclaimed church timber and stained glass giving it a warm, slightly cathedral feel. Head upstairs to the Music Hall and you find something unusual: a pipe organ stage mounted on stilts, which elevates the musicians and gives the room a proper theatrical quality. Bands from across Ireland fill this space at weekends, covering traditional sessions alongside rock, pop, blues, and Irish folk - the mix shifts night to night. For the six o’clock session you will generally find a more relaxed crowd; by ten the place is lively and often packed, so arriving early is worthwhile. The bar has won Best Live Entertainment Pub 2022, Best Late Night Bar Connacht 2023, and Live Music Venue of the Year 2017 - the kind of awards that reflect a place that takes what it does seriously. No booking is needed for the music sessions; you just walk in.
Galway city is well served from Dublin by Bus Eireann (Expressway 20, around 2.5 hours) and by Irish Rail from Heuston Station (around 2 hours 10 minutes). From Cork, Limerick, and Sligo there are regular Bus Eireann services. The Quays Bar sits on Quay Street in the Latin Quarter, a short walk from Eyre Square and the main bus and rail stations - roughly 10 to 15 minutes on foot. Galway city centre is largely pedestrianised around the Latin Quarter, so driving to the door is not practical. Park at Jurys Inn Multi-Storey on Quay Street or the Harbour Hotel car park nearby and walk in.
Quay Street and the Latin Quarter are full of independent shops, restaurants, and further music pubs, and the Spanish Arch and the River Corrib are a two-minute walk from the bar. There is more to see in Galway and across Co. Galway.
Heading to Quays Bar in Galway? Galway has plenty more to see. Read the Galway area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.