Is the Galway trad show worth it?

The short answer

Worth it if you want to watch Irish step dance and a polished stage production, and the dates suit you. Not worth it if what you want is a pint and a tune with no schedule. The Salthill show is a seated, rehearsed programme of Irish music, song and dance in the Leisureland Theatre, and the show's billing calls it a contemporary production. It runs in a summer season. This guide sets out what the show is, what it is not and how to choose between it and a pub session. Where a fact comes only from the show's own billing, the text says so.

• Book the show if you want to watch step dance from an assigned seat
• Choose the pubs if you mainly want to hear tunes with no schedule
• Take both, on different nights, if you have the time

What the show is

The show is staged at the Leisureland Theatre, beside the promenade at Salthill. Wikipedia describes Salthill as a seaside area to the south-west of Galway city centre, and Galway Tourism puts the show next to the promenade there. Galway Tourism describes traditional Irish music, song and dance in a contemporary production, with solo step dancing in hard shoes and céilí dancing as a group. It runs about two hours. Seats are assigned when you book, one booking takes up to ten tickets, and you collect the tickets at the venue on the evening.

Salthill, the setting

Salthill has been a seaside resort since the 19th century. Wikipedia says it was known as Salt Hill until 1819, that its promenade opened in 1856, and that its first notable hotel was built in 1860 for the visitors who came to bathe in the sea. The promenade is locally known as the Prom and overlooks Galway Bay. A theatre beside it means the show sits inside a long tradition of seaside entertainment, and a walk along the water before the curtain is part of the evening. Galway Tourism adds that the promenade starts at the Claddagh.

What the billing claims

The show's own billing makes two claims worth knowing. It says its dancers hold 29 world championship titles between them, and that members of its cast have performed in Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, The Chieftains and Feet of Flames. These are the producers' statements, and nothing else in this guide confirms them. They do tell you the level the show aims at: the sharp, competitive form of Irish dance rather than a relaxed village-hall display. Read them as a promise about ambition, and judge the evening on the night.

Read next: Irish step dance explained

Where Galway's trad music lives

The show is not the only way to hear traditional music in Galway, and it does not try to be. Wikipedia calls Galway a major centre for traditional Irish music, played in pubs and by street performers. Galway Tourism lists daily trad sessions and live bands every night in the Latin Quarter, the district that runs from the Spanish Arch and Quay Street. Sessions are informal gatherings in pubs, Wikipedia explains, and they are where much of the music now lives. Wikipedia also says Galway has a reputation among Irish cities for its association with the Irish language, music, song and dancing, and is sometimes called the bilingual capital of Ireland, though most people speak English day to day. The two kinds of evening answer different wishes.

Read next: Show or pub session in Galway?

What the show adds

Three things set a staged show apart from a session. The first is step dance of the kind seen in competitions, the form that Riverdance carried around the world after its first appearance as a short number staged during the break at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The second is a seat that is yours from the moment you book, with a fixed place to watch from. The third is a chance, built into the booking, to meet the performers once the curtain comes down. A session offers atmosphere and unplanned moments; the show offers a finished production. Riverdance itself grew from that seven-minute number into a full show that opened in Dublin in 1995, and stage Irish dance has kept that shape ever since.

How the evening runs

Book a date on the calendar, then collect your tickets at the venue on the night. The theatre stands beside the promenade, so arriving early leaves time to walk along the seafront first. The show's billing says flash photography is not allowed. Clock times move with the season and the date, so none appear here. Your confirmation gives the time for your evening.

• Book a date, with up to ten tickets in one booking
• Collect the tickets at the venue on the evening
• Watch about two hours of Irish music, song and dance
• Stay on to meet the performers, as the booking allows

The season

The show is seasonal. Galway Tourism lists it as a summer run, and press coverage has described it as returning each summer. If the calendar shows nothing for your dates, the show is not on; it is not a year-round fixture, and nothing on this site says otherwise. For a trip outside the summer months, plan on the pubs and on the city's other traditional music instead, and treat the show as a bonus when the dates line up.

What is not included

The booking is for the show: the ticket, the seat and the chance to meet the performers. It is not a dinner, and it does not cover meals, drinks or transport to Salthill. Eat before or after, along the seafront or back in the city. Wikipedia says a Bus Éireann city service runs between Salthill and Eyre Square, and Galway Tourism says the promenade begins at the Claddagh for anyone who prefers to walk. Look up the current timetables first.

Who this isn't for

Pass on the show if you want an unscripted night. Pass on it if you would rather sit with a drink while musicians play for themselves, because that is a session, and Galway has them without a ticket. Pass on it outside the summer season, when it is not on. Pass on it if a seated, scheduled evening is not your idea of a night out, or if two hours in a theatre seat tires you. For all of those, the Latin Quarter is the better answer.

Booking

Open the calendar below and pick a date; the season decides which dates appear. Cancellation is free up to the 24-hour mark before the start, and each seat is assigned at booking. If you want both a show and a pub night, book the show first, since it is the one with limited dates, and then walk into the Latin Quarter on a free evening. The two sit well together, one planned and the other left to chance. Galway Tourism advises pre-booking and says the show regularly sells out.