Traditional Music Session at The Kilmore Inn, Ballinlough

What to Expect

The Kilmore Inn in Ballinlough runs a monthly traditional music session on a Sunday evening, one of the more occasional gatherings on Roscommon County Council’s list of the county’s trad sessions. Rather than a weekly fixture, it happens once a month, so it tends to draw a good crowd of local and regional musicians when it does run, with tunes, songs and a relaxed pub atmosphere. It is a smaller west Roscommon venue, and the informal, once-a-month rhythm makes it worth checking ahead rather than assuming it runs every Sunday.

Ballinlough sits close to the Roscommon-Galway border in an area better known for farming and GAA than for a busy pub scene, which is part of what makes the Kilmore Inn’s monthly session feel like a genuine community gathering rather than a venue chasing passing trade. Because it is monthly rather than weekly, musicians from a wider catchment, including neighbouring parts of Galway and Mayo, tend to travel in for the night, giving the session a slightly bigger and more varied sound than a typical small-village trad night.

Good to Know

• Cadence: one Sunday per month, 8pm, exact date confirmed via the pub directly.
• Venue and town: The Kilmore Inn, Ballinlough, Co. Roscommon.
• Price: free to attend, no ticket needed.
• The date given here is the next likely Sunday; call the pub or check its Facebook page to confirm the exact monthly date before travelling.
• Contact: 086 303 1693, per Roscommon County Council’s listing.
• Given the monthly cadence, this is worth planning ahead for rather than a spontaneous midweek visit.

Getting There

Ballinlough is near the Roscommon-Galway border, close to Castlerea and Ballaghaderreen, reached via local roads off the N60 and N5, with parking around the village centre.