Weekend Live Music at Gleeson's, Loch Garman Arms

What to Expect

Gleeson’s is the bar inside the Loch Garman Arms on Gorey’s Main Street, a hotel pub that Michael Gleeson Snr opened in 1977 and that the same family still runs. It reads as a proper locals’ room first and a hotel bar second: sport on the screens, darts in the corner, and regulars who do not look up when a stranger takes a seat. Music happens some weekends, generally a solo performer or small band playing covers to the bar rather than a dedicated concert setup, and it slots into the same easy, unfussy atmosphere as the rest of the pub. It is a good stop for anyone who wants a genuine Gorey local rather than a purpose-built music venue, with the music as one part of a normal Saturday night rather than the whole reason to go.

The Loch Garman Arms itself is one of the older hotel names on Main Street, and Gleeson’s has stayed largely unchanged in character since the 1970s while the town around it has grown considerably. That steadiness is part of the appeal: it is the sort of bar where the regulars have been sitting in the same spots for years, and a weekend band or singer is treated as a natural extension of a normal night rather than a special event requiring advance planning. Anyone looking for a guaranteed live set every week would do better at Paddy Blues further down the street; Gleeson’s is the more relaxed, hit-or-miss option.

Good to Know

• Some weekends, Gorey, no fixed schedule so a call ahead is worth it if music is the reason for the visit
• Free in, no ticket required
• Long-running family pub, same family since 1977
• Live games and darts on other nights if there is no music on
• On Main Street in the centre of Gorey, easy to combine with the town’s other pubs

Getting There

The Loch Garman Arms is on Main Street in the centre of Gorey. Gorey is on the M11/N11 about an hour south of Dublin, with Bus Éireann and Wexford Bus coaches stopping in the town centre and Irish Rail’s Dublin to Rosslare line calling at Gorey station a short walk from Main Street.