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nightlife · Friday 10 July 2026 · 8:00pm 
The Piano Men by Candlelight - Elton John and Billy Joel at Headfort Arms Kells
At Headfort Arms Hotel · Headfort Place, Kells, Co. Meath
At Headfort Arms Hotel · Headfort Place, Kells, Co. Meath
Two of the most enduring songwriters of the twentieth century get an intimate Irish makeover in this candlelit concert at the Headfort Arms Hotel. Frank McNamara - one of Ireland’s finest pianists and the curator behind the Candlelight Classics touring series - performs the music of Elton John and Billy Joel alongside the Bridgerton String Quartet, turning chart-filling hits into something quieter and more affecting. It suits anyone who grew up with this music, couples looking for a proper night out beyond the usual, and anyone curious what “Rocket Man” or “New York State of Mind” sounds like stripped back and reimagined with strings.
The show runs for around an hour and a quarter. McNamara takes the piano parts of both catalogues seriously - he is known as a Chopin specialist, so the technical grounding is real - while the Bridgerton String Quartet fills out the arrangements around him. Expect the big songs: Crocodile Rock, Tiny Dancer and Candle in the Wind from the Elton side; Piano Man, We Didn’t Start the Fire and The Stranger from Billy Joel’s. The setting is candlelit throughout - a format Candlelight Classics has refined across dozens of Irish and UK venues - which keeps the room intimate even in a hotel ballroom. Children under 14 are welcome but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Refunds are available up to seven days before the event if plans change.
Kells sits on the N3, about 55km north-west of Dublin - under an hour by car on a clear run, and straightforward to park in or around the town centre. Bus Eireann route 109 runs from Dublin Busaras to Kells several times daily; the Headfort Arms is a short walk from the bus stop on Farrell Street. The hotel itself is on Headfort Place, right in the town centre, so there is no need to worry about finding a remote venue down a country lane.
Kells is a heritage town with genuine depth - the round tower, the medieval high crosses and the connections to the Book of Kells make it worth arriving early and having a look around before the show. The Headfort Arms has been in the same family for over fifty years and is a comfortable base if you want to make a night of it. There is more to see in Kells and across Co. Meath.
Heading to Headfort Arms Hotel in Kells? Meath has plenty more to see. Read the Kells area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.