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heritage · Sunday 26 July 2026 · 10:00am 
Bluegrass BBQ: Pilgrim Street and Aiden Scott-Browne
At Ulster American Folk Park · 2 Mellon Road, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, BT78 5QU
At Ulster American Folk Park · 2 Mellon Road, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, BT78 5QU
A summer Sunday at the Ulster American Folk Park becomes something a bit special when live bluegrass drifts across the open-air site. This Bluegrass BBQ - the second of three across the 2026 season - pairs two strong acts with American street food, a paid bar, and the run of one of the finest living-history museums on the island. It suits families, music fans, and anyone who fancies a slow afternoon outdoors with a bourbon in hand.
Pilgrim Street top the bill. The seven-piece Co. Meath band have been playing Appalachian bluegrass and old-time country since before most Irish audiences could name-check Bill Monroe, and their set at the Folk Park has become a regular summer fixture. Supporting them is Aiden Scott-Browne, a guitarist who has studied with bluegrass legends including Monroe and Doc Watson, and who blends roots, blues, and folk into something genuinely worth arriving early for.
Set times are staggered across the afternoon so you can move freely around the museum between performances. Aiden Scott-Browne plays at 1:30 pm and again at 3:30 pm; Pilgrim Street take the stage at 2:30 pm and close out at 4:30 pm. All performances are under a stretch tent, so wet weather is not a reason to stay home.
The BBQ menu runs to sloppy joes, chips, coleslaw, and the like - straightforward American street food that works well eaten on the grass. The bar stocks bourbon, rye whiskey, ale, and American beer. Outside alcohol is not permitted and bag searches take place at the gate. Picnic blankets and fold-up chairs are actively encouraged. Musicians who want stage time can apply in advance for a 30-minute slot on the Geordie McAdam Open Mic Stage.
General admission includes the full museum and the current “Stories of Us” exhibition, so you can spend the morning walking the reconstructed Ulster and American streetscapes before the music starts. Family games - cornhole, draughts, tin can alley - are set up across the site.
The Ulster American Folk Park sits just outside Omagh on the A5, about 2 km north of the town centre. Free parking for over 400 cars is on site, on a first-come basis; no overnight parking. If you are coming by bus, Translink’s 273 Metrobus connects Belfast to Omagh (roughly 2 hours), and local Omagh services stop nearby. Driving from Dublin takes around 2 hours via the M1 and A4; from Belfast around 1 hour 15 on the A4/A5.
Omagh town centre is a short drive south and worth a stop for food or a walk along the Strule. The surrounding countryside - the Sperrin Mountains to the east, the Gortin Glen Forest Park nearby - gives the area a genuine pull beyond a single afternoon.
There is more to see in Omagh and across Co. Tyrone.
Heading to Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh? Tyrone has plenty more to see. Read the Omagh area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.