What is a Trad Session? The Complete Guide to Irish Music Sessions

Radio Siamsa

16/07/2026

What is a Trad Session?

A trad session is an informal gathering of musicians who come together to play Irish traditional music, usually in a pub. There’s no stage, no setlist, no tickets. Musicians sit in a rough circle, someone starts a tune, and the others join in if they know it. When that tune finishes, someone else starts the next one. Between sets of tunes, there’s chat, maybe a song, probably a drink. And then the music starts again.

That’s it. That’s the whole thing. And yet the session is the single most important social institution in Irish traditional music. It’s where the music lives, where tunes are learned and shared, where styles are absorbed, where friendships are built over decades of Tuesday nights in the same corner of the same pub. Without the session, the tradition as we know it simply wouldn’t exist.

How a Session Works

Walk into a pub during a session and here’s what you’ll see: a group of musicians seated together, usually in a circle or semicircle. They’re facing each other, not the room. This is important — a session is not a performance for an audience. It’s musicians playing for themselves and for each other. If other people in the pub enjoy it, that’s a bonus, not the point.

The music is played in sets — groups of two or three tunes of the same type strung together without a break. A typical set might be three reels, or two jigs, or a pair of hornpipes. One musician starts a tune, and the others join in as they recognise it. If you don’t know the tune, you sit it out and wait for one you do know. Nobody expects everyone to know every tune.

At the end of a set, there’s a pause. Someone might order a drink, have a word with the person next to them, or tune their instrument. Then another musician starts the next set. The pace varies — some sessions are fast and intense, others are relaxed and conversational with as much talking as playing.

Most sessions have a leader or a core group of regular players who set the tone. In some pubs, the session has been running weekly for years or even decades, with the same nucleus of musicians anchoring it. Visiting players are generally welcome to sit in, provided they can keep up and understand the etiquette.

Where Sessions Came From

Before the session moved into the pub, Irish music happened in kitchens. House dances were common across rural Ireland: a local family would clear the furniture, musicians would gather, and the neighbours would come to dance. These homes became known as céilí houses, and they were the beating heart of musical life in communities where there was no electricity, no radio and no television.

Music-making in pubs became more common through the 20th century, particularly from the 1960s onward when the folk revival brought new energy and new audiences to the tradition. The pub session as we know it today — an informal weekly gathering in a fixed venue — is a relatively modern development, but it carries the spirit of those kitchen gatherings. The circle of chairs, the shared tunes, the mix of regulars and visitors, the craic between sets — it’s the same social impulse, just with a bar counter instead of a hearth.

The Unwritten Rules of the Session

Sessions are governed by etiquette rather than rules. Nothing is written down, and every session has its own micro-culture. But certain norms are near-universal, and understanding them will help you enjoy a session as a listener or navigate one as a player.

For listeners

Listen. This sounds obvious, but it’s the most important thing. A session is not background music. When the musicians are playing, give them your attention — or at least keep your conversation to a level where it doesn’t compete with the music.
Don’t clap along. Resist the urge. Clapping along with a reel or jig is well-intentioned but it usually falls out of time and annoys the musicians. Tap your foot if you like, but keep your hands to yourself.
Respect the slow air. If the session goes quiet and a single musician plays a slow, unaccompanied piece, that’s a slow air. It’s a moment of real intimacy. Stop talking. A pub that falls silent during a slow air is one of the great experiences in Irish music.
Don’t request songs. This isn’t a jukebox. The musicians choose what to play. Making requests — especially for “Danny Boy” or “The Fields of Athenry” — is bad form. (Those are fine songs, but they’re not trad session material.)
Buy the musicians a drink if you like. It’s not expected, but it’s appreciated. Don’t overdo it — one round is plenty, and they may decline. The session at many pubs is unpaid; the musicians are there for the music, not the money.

For musicians

Listen before you play. If it’s a session you haven’t been to before, sit and listen for a while before joining in. Get a feel for the level, the tempo, the repertoire, and the dynamics. Every session is different.
Ask before sitting in. A polite “Mind if I join?” to one of the regulars is enough. You almost certainly won’t be refused, but asking shows respect.
If you don’t know the tune, don’t play. This is the cardinal rule. If you don’t recognise the tune, put your instrument down and wait. Playing random notes along with a tune you don’t know (sometimes called “noodling”) is the fastest way to annoy every other musician in the circle.
Don’t start two sets in a row. Share the starts around. Everyone in the session should get to lead a set at some point. Hogging the starts is poor form.
Match the volume. If you’re playing louder than everyone else, you’re playing too loud. The aim is a blend, not a competition. This is especially important for louder instruments like the concertina or accordion.
Don’t play faster than the lead. The person who starts the tune sets the tempo. Pushing the pace upward is irritating and makes it harder for everyone else.
More melody players than accompanists. A session with three fiddles, a flute and a concertina sounds great. A session with one fiddle, two guitars, a bodhrán and a bouzouki sounds like an accompaniment searching for a melody. As a general rule, melody instruments should outnumber accompaniment.

What Happens at a Typical Session

There’s no script, but most sessions follow a loose shape:

Warm-up: The first few sets are often played at an easy pace, with tunes everyone knows. The musicians are settling in, getting their instruments in tune, and finding the groove.
The main body: The session hits its stride. Sets get longer, the tempo picks up, and the music builds energy. This is where you’ll hear the best playing — musicians feeding off each other, the room locked in, the tunes flowing.
Songs: Some sessions are all tunes, some mix in songs. When a singer starts, the instruments usually stop (though a quiet guitar or bouzouki accompaniment might continue). The room is expected to quieten for a song.
Slow airs: If someone plays a slow air, the session pauses. This is a moment of stillness and emotion in the middle of the energy. It’s often the most powerful music of the night.
The wind-down: As the evening goes on, the session gradually relaxes. The sets get shorter, the chat between them gets longer, and eventually people start packing up. There’s no official ending — the session dissolves rather than finishes.

Types of Session

Not all sessions are the same. Here are the main variations you’ll encounter:

Open sessions: Anyone who can play Irish music is welcome to join. These are the most common type. The level varies — some open sessions attract top-class musicians, others are more relaxed and beginner-friendly.

Closed or invited sessions: A core group of musicians plays together regularly, and the circle isn’t open to walk-ins. These tend to be higher-level sessions where the musicians have developed a tight rapport. You might still be welcome to listen, but don’t sit in without being invited.

Slow sessions: Specifically designed for beginners and improvers. Tunes are played at a comfortable pace, and the atmosphere is deliberately relaxed and encouraging. If you’re a learner, seek these out — they’re where you’ll build confidence.

Singing sessions: Focused on songs rather than (or as well as) tunes. These often operate in a round-the-room format, where each person takes a turn singing. The expectation is that everyone contributes, and the repertoire might range far beyond trad into ballads, folk and popular song.

Festival sessions: At festivals and fleadhanna, sessions spring up everywhere — in pubs, beer tents, hotel lobbies, street corners, car parks. Festival sessions can be enormous, chaotic and wildly exciting. The normal etiquette rules still apply, but the energy is dialled up to eleven.

How to Find a Session

If you’re in Ireland, you won’t have to look far. Sessions happen nightly in towns and cities across the country, particularly in the west. Dublin, Galway, Ennis, Doolin, Dingle, Westport — these are all hotspots, but you’ll find sessions in smaller towns too. Ask at the bar, check the local noticeboards, or just follow your ears.

Outside Ireland, the website TheSession.org maintains a global directory of sessions — you can search by location and find sessions in New York, London, Sydney, Tokyo and hundreds of other cities. Irish communities worldwide keep the session tradition alive, and many sessions are welcoming to visiting musicians regardless of nationality.

If you can’t get to a session in person, Radio Siamsa is the next best thing. We play session tunes 24 hours a day — the same jigs, reels, hornpipes and polkas you’d hear in the corner of a pub in Clare or Galway. It’s not the same as being there, obviously. But it’ll give you a feel for the music and the repertoire, and when you do walk into your first session, you’ll recognise the tunes.

Download the Radio Siamsa app and start listening — see our guide to how to listen

Why the Session Matters

There’s a reason the session has survived the arrival of radio, television, Spotify and everything else that might have killed it. It offers something none of those things can: the experience of making music together in real time, in a room full of people, with no separation between performer and listener.

The session is where the oral tradition actually happens. Young musicians sit beside experienced ones and absorb tunes, style, phrasing and attitude by osmosis. It’s where a teenager from Galway learns a tune from a seventy-year-old fiddler from Sligo who learned it from a recording of Michael Coleman who recorded it in New York in 1925. That’s the living chain of the tradition, and the session is where the links are forged.

It’s also where the diaspora stays connected. A session in a pub in Chicago or Melbourne or Buenos Aires is a small piece of Ireland, kept alive by people who may never have set foot in the country but who carry its music in their fingers and their ears. That matters.

Read our complete guide to Irish traditional music

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “seisiún” mean?

Seisiún (pronounced roughly “shesh-OON”) is the Irish language word for “session.” It refers to an informal gathering of musicians playing traditional Irish music, typically in a pub.

Do I need to be a musician to attend a session?

Not at all. Most sessions are in public pubs and anyone can sit and listen. You’re part of the experience just by being there. No ticket, no cover charge — just order a drink and enjoy the music.

Can beginners join a session?

Yes, but choose your session carefully. Look for a “slow session” or a session known to be beginner-friendly. If you join a fast, advanced session before you’re ready, you’re likely to struggle and may put others off. Listen first, learn the repertoire, and join in when you feel confident.

What tunes are played at a session?

Mostly reels, jigs and hornpipes, with the occasional polka, slide, hornpipe or slow air. The specific tunes vary by session, but there’s a core repertoire of common session tunes that most musicians know. Over time, you’ll learn which tunes are standard.

How long does a session last?

Anywhere from two to five hours, depending on the venue and the musicians. Most pub sessions run for two to three hours. There’s no fixed start or end — people drift in and out.

Can I take photos or record the session?

Ask first. Some musicians are happy to be photographed or recorded; others are not. Don’t stick a phone camera in someone’s face mid-tune. If you want to record, ask one of the musicians during a break.

What should I not do at a session?

Don’t talk loudly over the music. Don’t clap along. Don’t request songs. Don’t sit in the musicians’ seats unless you’re playing. Don’t play an instrument you’re not competent on. And whatever you do, don’t ask them to play “Danny Boy.”

How do I find a session near me?

TheSession.org has a global directory of sessions searchable by location. In Ireland, ask at any pub or check local noticeboards. In cities with Irish communities worldwide, there’s almost certainly a regular session somewhere nearby.