Live Music in Sligo

The Sligo fiddle style, defined by its fast tempos, fluid bowing, and intricate ornamentation, was carried to American recording studios in the 1920s and 1930s by Sligo fiddlers Michael Coleman, James Morrison, and Paddy Killoran, and in doing so shaped the course of Irish traditional music globally. That legacy still runs through the city today, from the Coleman Irish Music Centre in Gurteen to the weekly sessions at McLynn's Bar on Old Market Street, where traditional folk and bluegrass fill the room most nights. Gracie's Bar and Lillies Cocktail Bar both programme live music seven nights a week, while the annual Sligo Live Festival has drawn artists of the calibre of Robert Plant and Steve Earle to the town each October. For a city of its size, the volume and consistency of live music on offer is difficult to match anywhere in the west of Ireland.