The Trad Tourist

10/24/2025

An Spailpín Fánach has been a gathering place for rebels, singers, and wanderers since the 1700s. On one summer night, I finally found myself, playing music with a roomful of strangers who felt like family.

Read the full story:

https://the-trad-tourist.ghost.io/an-spailpin-fanach/

Irish trad music sessions here run Thursday through Saturday, from half nine until after midnight, and on Sundays during summer until eleven. Read the full story of my visit here...

10/03/2025

✨ New on The Trad Tourist: A Thursday in Cork: Tradition, Continuity, and the Soul of An Spailpín Fánach

“When we came to An Spailpín Fánach, I pushed open the wooden door and stepped back two centuries. Inside, the ceilings are low and the brick is left bare. The bar is plain wood, scarred and polished by decades of elbows.”

Step into Cork’s most storied pub with me, where tunes, songs, and history linger in every corner. 🍻🎶

Read the full story here →

Irish trad music sessions here run Thursday through Saturday, from half nine until after midnight, and on Sundays during summer until eleven. Read the full story of my visit here...

08/08/2025

Welp. We did a hard thing today! Competing as newbies (and adults) in Ireland feels like quite an accomplishment. We weren’t perfect but we had a blast. Have a watch at 2:22:14

https://www.youtube.com/live/BPMDdnxJE-0?feature=sharedesnttec

Ceol Trír/ Trios O18

08/05/2025

I skipped the sessions tonight and wandered into something a little different—a sunset showdown between Wexford and Scotland in a mixed rules hurling and shinty match. The music has been nonstop all week, and this was the perfect change of pace.

08/02/2025

I’m after walkin the legs off meself!

07/03/2025

I started The Trad Tourist because I wanted every Irish musician — new or seasoned — to feel brave enough to walk into a session anywhere and know they belong.

I’ve carried my whistle and notebook from Cookstown to Chicago, Cork to Columbus, listening for the stories behind the tunes that tie us together across oceans and generations.

Keeping these stories alive takes time, travel, and heart. If you’ve felt part of the journey, I’d love your support. Every paid subscription helps me keep playing, writing, and sharing the music that might otherwise be forgotten.

Become a paid subscriber or make a donation here:
https://the-trad-tourist.ghost.io/a-seat-at-the-session-a-story-worth-keeping/

Let’s keep the tunes alive, together.

Discover the heart of Irish Traditional Music with detailed session reviews, personal musician stories, and cultural insights, all celebrating the vibrant sounds and traditions worldwide.

06/28/2025

On a chilly Sunday night in Chicago, I slipped through the door of Chief O’Neill’s, my whistle tucked away, my heart thumping like a bodhrán. This wasn’t my first time joining this legendary session, but tonight, something felt different. I’ve spent weeks reading Chief O’Neill’s dusty archives, yet here, history hums alive beside the pints and reels.

I tucked myself into the session nook, surrounded by fierce, generous women shaping Chicago’s Irish music scene in a pub owned by one of their own. For a moment, I wondered if the portrait of the Chief should step aside tonight—just for a heartbeat—to make room for the women holding the tunes together now.

If you ever find yourself in Chicago on a Sunday night, bring your whistle, your fiddle, your stories. Chief O’Neill’s will give you a seat, and the tunes will carry you home.

Step into a powerful all women led Irish session at Chief O’Neill’s Pub in Chicago. Whistles, fiddles, laughter, and legacy fill the room as history and tradition come alive through music, memory, and connection.

06/25/2025

On a chilly Sunday evening in Chicago, I stepped through the door of Chief O'Neill's Pub, my whistle hidden in my purse and my adrenaline pumping. This wasn't my first time at this legendary Irish session, but something was different tonight. I've spent the past few months studying Chief O'Neill himself and tonight the weight of history pressed gently against the present. As I settled myself into the session nook, surrounded by female musicians, at a woman owned bar, I felt like perhaps the giant portrait of Chief O'Neill should be replaced, at least for this evening - because tonight's about the formidable women shaping Irish music in Chicago….

https://the-trad-tourist.ghost.io/chief-oneills-sunday-session/

Chief O’Neill’s Pub Restaurant Garden Event Space

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Step into a powerful all women led Irish session at Chief O’Neill’s Pub in Chicago. Whistles, fiddles, laughter, and legacy fill the room as history and tradition come alive through music, memory, and connection.