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heritage · Saturday 18 July 2026 · Various 
Joe Mooney Summer School 2026
At Various venues in Drumshanbo · Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim
At Various venues in Drumshanbo · Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim
Every July, Drumshanbo fills with the sound of flutes, uilleann pipes, and fiddles as the Joe Mooney Summer School brings together traditional musicians, dancers, and singers from across Ireland and beyond. Now in its 36th year, this award-winning week-long school is one of the most respected gatherings of its kind in the country - a place where absolute beginners and seasoned players alike can sit down with some of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians and actually learn. It suits anyone with an interest in the tradition, from a teenager picking up a tin whistle for the first time to an experienced player looking to sharpen their technique.
The school honours the memory of Joe Mooney, a Drumshanbo man who spent his life championing Leitrim’s musical heritage and its place within the broader Irish tradition. His name is remembered here not through ceremony but through action - week after week of practical, high-quality teaching.
Classes run across a wide range of instruments and disciplines: flute, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, bodhrán, concertina, and Irish céilí dancing. All instrument classes are graded so students end up in the right group for their level. Beginners are specifically welcomed in set dancing, sean nós dancing, singing, whistle, fiddle, and bodhrán - so there is no need to have played a note before you arrive.
The days are structured around morning and afternoon classes, but the school extends well beyond the classroom. Evening events are where the week truly comes alive - opening and closing concerts at the Community Centre, céilithe where the dancing spills out into the hall, recitals, lectures, and the kind of impromptu pub sessions that simply happen when this many musicians end up in the same small town. Online registration closes 12 July 2026, so it is worth booking early.
Drumshanbo sits in the south of County Leitrim, on the banks of Lough Allen. From Dublin, the drive takes roughly two and a half hours via the N4 to Carrick-on-Shannon, then north on the R280. From Carrick-on-Shannon the town is about 20 minutes by road. There is no direct rail connection to Drumshanbo; Bus Eireann serves the broader Leitrim area with connections via Carrick-on-Shannon. For most visitors, a car is the practical choice. Parking in Drumshanbo is straightforward - it is a small market town.
Drumshanbo is well worth a wander outside of school hours. The town sits at the foot of Lough Allen, with good walking and cycling routes nearby, and the Sliabh an Iarainn mountain rising to the east. There is more to see in Drumshanbo and across Co. Leitrim.
Heading to Various venues in Drumshanbo in Drumshanbo? Leitrim has plenty more to see. Read the Drumshanbo area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.