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music · Sunday 13 September 2026 · 19:30 
Andy Irvine
At The Spirit Store · Georges Quay, Dundalk, Co. Louth, A91 NR79
At The Spirit Store · Georges Quay, Dundalk, Co. Louth, A91 NR79
Andy Irvine has been at the centre of Irish folk music for more than sixty years - founding member of Sweeney’s Men and Planxty, a key figure in Patrick Street, and the man widely credited with bringing the bouzouki into the Irish traditional canon. A show like this one, in a room that holds 200 people, is the kind of occasion that does not come around often. If you have any feeling for the music that shaped modern Ireland, this is worth travelling for.
The Spirit Store on Georges Quay is one of the most respected small venues in the country - multi-award winning, with a main room that seats and stands around 200 and a reputation for booking artists who suit the room rather than filling a stadium. It is the right size for Andy Irvine: close enough to hear every detail.
His sets typically draw from a wonderfully wide range - traditional Irish songs, Americana, Eastern European dance tunes (his long fascination with Bulgarian folk rhythms is woven into how he plays), and material from the Planxty years that audiences still know by heart. He plays mandolin, bouzouki, mandola, and harmonica, often in combination, and his voice remains one of the most expressive in the tradition. Expect a set that moves between delicate and driving, and an audience who know the songs well enough to lean into the quiet parts.
Doors are at 7:30pm. Arrive on the early side - the quayside bar is a good place to settle in before the music starts, and the Spirit Store does food until 6:30pm on Sundays if you want to eat first.
Dundalk is on the main Dublin - Belfast rail corridor. Irish Rail Enterprise and commuter services run regularly from Dublin Connolly (about 1 hour 10 minutes), and the town’s station is a 15-minute walk or short taxi ride from Georges Quay. By road, Dundalk is directly off the M1 motorway - take junction 16 or 17 for the town centre. Parking on the quays is generally available on a Sunday evening, and there are pay car parks nearby on Park Street.
Dundalk sits at the foot of the Cooley Mountains with Carlingford Lough close by - it is the kind of town where a gig in the evening pairs well with a walk or a coastal drive earlier in the day. There is more to see in Dundalk and across Co. Louth.
Heading to The Spirit Store in Dundalk? Louth has plenty more to see. Read the Dundalk area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.