Galway Trad Show Guide

Independent guide · not affiliated with the show or venue · book with GetYourGuide · a summer-season show, check dates

The Salthill seafront at sunset, with promenade lamp-posts and low buildings silhouetted beyond a rock seawall and the calm water of Galway Bay

Salthill · Galway

Feel Irish dancing shake the floor in Galway

4.9 (804 verified reviews · GetYourGuide)

Dancers with 29 world championship titles between them join musicians and singers in Salthill, on the Wild Atlantic Way.

Check dates for the show ↗ From US$41

Guests love how fast the dancers' feet fly, and meeting the cast once the curtain comes down.

Show or pub session?

Is a Galway Irish music and dance show worth it, or should you just go to a pub session?

Gráinne Concannon — I grew up in Galway, within earshot of the Latin Quarter, and I have sat through more sessions than I will admit to. My subject is Irish music and dance for travellers heading west, and every guide ends with the sources I used.

The short answer

Which is better turns on the kind of night you want. Galway is known for traditional music played in its pubs, and the Latin Quarter lists trad sessions daily, so a session is easy to find and the show cannot beat it for atmosphere. What the show adds is a rehearsed two-hour production with step dance, an assigned seat and the chance to meet the cast after the final number. Choose the show if you want to watch dancing; choose the pubs if you mainly want to hear tunes. Many visitors take one on a night and the other on the next.

What it is

A staged programme of Irish music, song and dance in the Leisureland Theatre, beside the Salthill promenade. Seats are assigned when you book, and tickets are collected at the venue on the night. The show's billing says its dancers hold 29 world championship titles between them, and that members of the cast have performed in Riverdance, Lord of the Dance and The Chieftains.

What it is not

A pub session, a dinner show and a sing-along are all different things. This is a seated, rehearsed production with no flash photography, and the booking pays for the seat and the show. Nor is it a year-round fixture: it runs in a summer season.

Check the dates

The show is seasonal. Galway Tourism lists it as a summer run, and the booking calendar is the only dependable list of the dates on sale. If the calendar is empty for your trip, the Latin Quarter is your trad option.

The show in four facts

The show
Irish music, song and dance in a theatre on the Salthill promenade.
The season
A summer run; the calendar shows the dates.
The length
About two hours.
The seats
Assigned when you book, up to ten tickets to a booking.

What a night like this can hold

What a show like this can hold

Irish music and dance has a small set of building blocks. These are the ones a production of this kind draws on, in the order they are easiest to follow. The programme itself can change, so take it as a sketch of the tradition and not as a running order.

Programmes change from season to season. Nothing here promises a particular tune, dance or performer on the night you go.

  1. 01
    Reels and jigs

    The tunes that drive the floor

    Reels and jigs are the dance tunes at the centre of Irish traditional music, and the tunes Irish dancers move to. Wikipedia lists the reel, slip jig, light jig and single jig as the soft shoe dances, and the hornpipe, treble jig and treble reel as the hard shoe ones. The pace changes from one set of tunes to the next.

  2. 02
    Step dance

    Hard shoes and soft shoes

    Step dance is the form Riverdance made famous: a rigid upper body, arms held at the sides and fast, exact footwork. Hard shoes carry fibreglass tips and heels that make the percussive sound; soft shoes are light, laced pumps for the reels and slip jigs. The billing's claim of 29 world championship titles puts the dancing at the competitive end.

  3. 03
    Group dances

    Céilí formations

    A céilí is a social gathering with Irish music and dance, and céilí dances are its group dances, danced by two to sixteen people in lines, circles and sets. A staged show may borrow their formations for a full-cast number. Wikipedia says the Gaelic League coined the term céilí dance in the late 19th century.

  4. 04
    Song

    Ballads and sean-nós

    Sean-nós means in the old way: unaccompanied traditional singing, usually in Irish, with long, ornamented lines. A singer in a show of this kind may give a ballad in English or a sean-nós song in Irish. A scholar quoted on Wikipedia says no part of Irish music can be fully understood without it.

  5. 05
    Instruments

    Fiddle, pipes and bodhrán

    Fiddle, tin whistle, flute and uilleann pipes carry most Irish dance music, and the button accordion and concertina joined them late in the 19th century. The uilleann pipes are Ireland's own bagpipe, fed by a bellows pumped with the elbow. The bodhrán is a goatskin frame drum.

  6. 06
    After the curtain

    Meeting the performers

    The booking includes a chance to meet the performers after the show. Nothing here promises a signing, a photograph or a set time for it, so ask the front-of-house staff on the night if you want to stay on.

A stone-walled viewpoint behind yellow railings on the Salthill promenade, with Galway Bay and the hills of County Clare under a pink dusk sky

Staged show against pub session

A staged show and a pub session, side by side

Question
The Salthill show
A Latin Quarter pub session
Format
A rehearsed two-hour production on a stage.
Musicians playing together without a script, in a pub.
Dancing
Step dance, at competitive level by the show's own billing.
Not the focus; the session is about tunes and songs.
Seats
Assigned when you book.
Find your own spot on the night.
Planning
Pick a date; the show is seasonal.
Walk in; Galway Tourism lists daily sessions in the Latin Quarter.
Cancellation
Free up to 24 hours ahead.
Nothing to cancel.
Best for
Anyone who wants to watch step dance and a polished show.
Anyone who wants to hear tunes up close and soak up the city.

From booking to the last bow

From booking to the last bow

Five stages, in the order a visitor meets them. Anything specific to your date is in your booking confirmation.

  1. 1 Book

    Pick a date

    The calendar lists the dates on sale this summer, and the one you had in mind may not be among them. Cancellation costs nothing until 24 hours before the start. One booking takes up to ten tickets, and the seats are assigned as you book.

  2. 2 Collect

    Pick up your tickets

    Tickets are collected at the venue on the evening of the show, not sent ahead. Take your confirmation, and know whose name the booking is under.

  3. 3 Arrive

    Get to Leisureland

    The theatre stands beside the Salthill promenade. A city bus runs between Eyre Square and Salthill, and the promenade begins at the Claddagh, so a walk out along the bay is an option on a dry summer evening.

  4. 4 Watch

    The show

    About two hours of Irish music, song and dance. Flash photography is not allowed, so keep the flash off and the phone on silent.

  5. 5 Meet

    After the curtain

    Once the show ends there is a chance, included in the booking, to meet the performers. Staying on after the final number is how to use it.

Dark rocks in the calm water of Galway Bay at dusk, with the lit buildings of the Salthill seafront along the far shore

What the ticket covers

What the ticket covers

Seven things the ticket does and does not cover.

See open dates and seats ↗

Ticket
One seat for the production, assigned when you book. A single booking takes up to ten tickets.
Venue
The Leisureland Theatre, beside the Salthill promenade, on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Season
A summer season. The calendar shows what is on sale; the show is not a year-round fixture.
Cancellation
Free until 24 hours before the start, on bookings made through GetYourGuide.
Collection
Tickets are collected at the venue on the evening.
Photography
No flash photography.
Not included
Meals, drinks and transport to Salthill are not part of the booking.

Salthill and the Latin Quarter

Salthill and the Latin Quarter

Galway Bay from the Salthill seafront at dusk, then the Latin Quarter's streets: Quay Street, a street musician, a corner pub and the Spanish Arch.

Quay Street in Galway, a busy pedestrian street of colourful shopfronts and café tables, with a crowd walking towards the camera
A street musician playing an acoustic guitar on a paved street in Galway, with an open guitar case and a small amplifier in front of him
A yellow corner pub on Quay Street in Galway, lit up at night with small Christmas trees on its first-floor ledge
The Spanish Arch in Galway, a weathered stone arch in the old city wall beside the river, with an Irish flag flying above it

More of the west to book around it

The show, a city walk and two days out

First comes the Salthill show itself, then a city walk and two full-day trips out of Galway to fill the days around it.

The Salthill show, with Irish music and dance

4.9 · 804 reviews · From US$41

A production of Irish music, song and dance at the Leisureland Theatre on the Salthill promenade, about two hours, seasonal, with a chance to meet the performers afterwards.

See dates ↗

A guided walk through Galway

4.8 · 918 reviews · From US$17

A small-group walk with a local guide through the city's streets, music, heritage and local traditions, about 75 minutes.

See dates ↗

Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, from Galway

4.8 · 4,422 reviews · From US$65

A full-day guided trip from Galway along the Wild Atlantic Way to the Cliffs of Moher, with stops on the way.

See dates ↗

Connemara and its national park, from Galway

4.7 · 732 reviews · From US$55

A full-day guided trip into Connemara that passes fishing villages and gives time in Connemara National Park.

See dates ↗

Open dates for the Salthill show

Dates on sale this season appear on the calendar, and every price is shown in your own currency.

Other bookings around Galway

More to book in Galway ↗

Practical notes

Seasons, seats and the walk out

The season
The show runs in a summer season. Galway Tourism lists it as a summer run, and the booking calendar is the only dependable list of dates on sale. If the calendar is empty for your trip, that is the answer.
Seats
Seats are assigned when you book, and one booking takes up to ten tickets, so one person can book for a whole party and keep it together.
Collecting tickets
Tickets are collected at the venue on the evening. Bring the confirmation and the name the booking is under.
Getting to Salthill
Salthill is the city's seaside district on Galway Bay. Wikipedia says a Bus Éireann city service runs between Salthill and Eyre Square, and Galway Tourism says the promenade starts at the Claddagh for anyone who prefers to walk. Check current timetables.
Photography
No flash photography. Keep the phone on silent.
Weather
Salthill is on the Atlantic coast and a summer evening can turn cool or wet. Bring a layer for the walk to and from the theatre.

More reading

Six guides to Galway's trad evenings

FAQ

Common questions before booking

Is the Galway Irish music and dance show worth it?

Yes, if you want to watch step dance and a polished two-hour production. Choose a pub session if you mainly want tunes up close with no schedule. Many visitors do both, on different nights.

Should I go to a pub session instead?

Galway Tourism lists daily trad sessions and live bands in the Latin Quarter. A session gives you tunes and atmosphere; it does not give you a staged production with step dance and an assigned seat.

Is the show on all year?

No. It runs in a summer season. Check the booking calendar for the dates on sale before you plan around it.

Where is the show?

At the Leisureland Theatre, beside the promenade in Salthill, on Galway Bay, a bus ride or a walk along the bay from the city centre.

How do I get my tickets?

Tickets are collected at the venue on the evening of the show. Seats are assigned when you book, and one booking takes up to ten tickets.

How long is the show?

Roughly two hours; your confirmation gives the start time.

Can I take photos?

The booking says no flash photography, so keep the flash off. For anything else, ask the venue's staff on the night.

Do I get to meet the performers?

The booking includes a chance to meet the performers after the show. There is no set format, so ask on the night.

Step dance on the Salthill promenade, and a straight answer on the pub-session alternative.

Book the Salthill show ↗

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Check dates for the showFree to cancel until a day ahead