TIGH CHOILI

Established

First licensed in 1905 on Mainguard Street; ran for a stretch in the 1960s as one of Galway's first cocktail bars under the name The Genoa. Re-founded as Tig Chóilí by Colie O'Flaherty — a Claddagh native with Connemara roots — in the late 1990s. Family-owned ever since.

Music

Famous for impromptu sessions — a player drops in for a quiet pint, ends up at the heart of it. Trad sessions every night, year-round. Local musicians and travelling players slide off the street and into the corner.

Regulars

Frankie Gavin, Matt Keane, Sharon Shannon, Paul Brady, Dessie O'Halloran, Mairtín O'Connor, Artie McGlynn, Don Stiffe, Altan and others have all played the corner.

Reputation

One of the three or four trad pubs that keep Galway's reputation as Ireland's traditional-music capital alive.