Quick answer
An Irish trad session is an informal gathering of musicians playing traditional tunes together. Listen quietly during slow airs and songs, join a chorus when invited, ask before bringing out an instrument, and never sit in the musicians' circle uninvited. In the Catskills you can hear live Irish music nightly all summer at Gavin's Pub.
Session vs. gig: what's the difference?
A gig is a band on a stage playing for an audience. A session (seisiún) is musicians sitting around a table playing tunes for each other — the audience is welcome to listen, but the music is the point. Many Irish pubs have both: a band on the stage at 8 PM and a session that breaks out in a corner later.
Ten rules of session etiquette
- Listen first. Hang back for a set or two and learn the room.
- Hush for slow airs and songs. Chatting through a sean-nós song is the cardinal sin.
- Don't take a musician's seat. The chairs in the circle are for players.
- Ask before you play. A quick "mind if I join?" goes a long way.
- Play what you know. If you don't know the tune, sit it out.
- Keep it acoustic. No amplifiers at a session.
- Leave the bodhrán quiet unless invited — one drummer is plenty.
- Sing along on choruses when the singer invites it.
- Buy the musicians a drink if you enjoyed it.
- Applaud at the end of a set, not between tunes.
Instruments you'll hear
- Fiddle
- Tin whistle and flute
- Uilleann pipes
- Button accordion and concertina
- Banjo and mandolin
- Guitar and bouzouki
- Bodhrán (frame drum)
Tune types in 30 seconds
Reels are fast and in 4/4. Jigs bounce in 6/8. Hornpipes swing. Polkas are quick and cheerful. Slow airs are where you stop talking.
Where to hear it in the Catskills
East Durham has been a home for Irish music since the 1920s. At Gavin's Pub there's live Irish music every night all summer and on spring and fall package weekends, step dancers on festival weekends, and every October the Northeast Tionól brings uilleann pipers and traditional players together for concerts and sessions. In July, Catskills Irish Arts Week fills East Durham with classes and sessions all week.
Frequently asked questions
What is an Irish trad session?
An informal gathering of musicians playing traditional Irish tunes together, usually around a table in a pub. Listeners are welcome; the circle of chairs is for players.
Can I bring my instrument to an Irish session?
Usually yes — but listen first, ask before joining, keep it acoustic and only play tunes you know.
What is a tionól?
Irish for "gathering." The Northeast Tionól is an annual October weekend of uilleann pipers and traditional musicians held at Gavin's in East Durham, NY.
Where can I hear live Irish music in the Catskills?
Gavin's Pub in East Durham has live Irish music nightly all summer and on spring and fall package weekends.
By the Gavin family · Gavin’s Irish Country Inn, East Durham, NY · Updated
