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music · Thursday 17 September 2026 · 8:00pm 
Irish Baroque Orchestra: Handel's Band Off Duty
At Siamsa Tire · Town Park, Tralee, Co. Kerry
At Siamsa Tire · Town Park, Tralee, Co. Kerry
The Irish Baroque Orchestra brings Handel’s Band Off Duty to Siamsa Tire in Tralee on Thursday, 17 September 2026, a smaller-scale chamber programme drawn from the orchestra’s period-instrument repertoire. Rather than a full orchestral concert, “off duty” performances typically strip back to a handful of players, giving Kerry audiences a rare chance to hear Baroque music played on period instruments in an intimate rather than concert-hall setting.
The Irish Baroque Orchestra is Ireland’s leading period-instrument ensemble, performing music from the 17th and 18th centuries on instruments built or reconstructed to match the originals, from gut-stringed violins to harpsichords. A Band Off Duty programme typically features a small group of the orchestra’s principal players rather than the full ensemble, focused on chamber works by Handel and his contemporaries, with more room for the musicians to talk about the pieces than a full symphonic concert allows. Expect a relatively short, focused programme suited to Siamsa Tire’s auditorium, and an audience that leans toward existing classical and early-music listeners rather than a general concert crowd. The National Folk Theatre occasionally hosts touring classical ensembles like this alongside its usual folk, dance and theatre programming.
Siamsa Tire is in Town Park in Tralee, a short walk from the town centre and Tralee’s train station, which has direct services from Cork, Dublin and Killarney. Bus Eireann also runs routes into Tralee from across the county, and there is parking near the theatre.
Combine the concert with an early dinner in Tralee town centre, a five-minute walk from the theatre, or a stroll through Town Park beforehand. There is more to see in Tralee and across Co. Kerry.
Heading to Siamsa Tire in Tralee? Kerry has plenty more to see. Read the Tralee area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
In town for Siamsa Tire? These Kerry tours book out in summer.