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music · Friday 4 September 2026 · 8:00pm 
The Life and Music of Luke Kelly with Kevin Morrin & Abbeyfolk
At Midlands Park Hotel · Jessop Street, Portlaoise, Co. Laois, R32 KV20
At Midlands Park Hotel · Jessop Street, Portlaoise, Co. Laois, R32 KV20
Musician Kevin Morrin and his band Abbeyfolk perform The Life and Music of Luke Kelly at the Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise on Friday, 4 September 2026, tracing the Dubliners singer’s career through his own songs and stories about him. Kelly, the red-bearded voice behind songs like “Raglan Road” and “The Auld Triangle”, remains one of the most covered figures in Irish folk music, and this show sits alongside a run of similar tribute nights touring hotel venues around the country. It runs the same evening as a separate Chris Stapleton tribute show across town at Dunamaise Arts Centre.
The format is part concert, part storytelling evening: Morrin and Abbeyfolk work through Kelly’s best-known material, backed up with anecdotes about his life and his years with The Dubliners, rather than playing a straight run of songs with no context in between. Organisers describe it as an informal gathering aimed at longtime fans and newcomers alike, promising “great tunes and good vibes” rather than a formal concert-hall atmosphere. Expect a hotel function room setup with table seating, a bar service running throughout, and a three-hour running time that leaves room for a support slot or an interval. It suits an older crowd who grew up on The Dubliners as much as younger listeners discovering the songs for the first time.
The Midlands Park Hotel is on Jessop Street in Portlaoise town centre, within walking distance of Portlaoise train station on the Dublin Heuston to Cork and Limerick line. The hotel has its own car park, and Portlaoise sits directly on the M7, making it an easy stop from Dublin or the south.
Portlaoise is the county town of Laois, built around its courthouse, shops and the M7/N8 motorway junction, with plenty of pubs and restaurants around Jessop Street and Main Street to fill an evening around the show. There is more to see in Portlaoise and across Co. Laois.
Heading to Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise? Laois has plenty more to see. Read the Portlaoise area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.