Madden's Bar — Days Out NI

How the sessions work

This is an open session rather than a booked act. A table is set aside, musicians start drifting in from about 9pm, and the tunes go where the players take them. Nobody is on a bill and nobody is being paid to be there, which is why the standard swings from good to extraordinary on any given night. The upstairs room takes the bigger nights, including céilís. Concerts and album launches happen here too, so if you are travelling for a specific act, check their listings first.

Open traditional sessions seven nights a week Musicians welcome from around 9pm, no invitation needed Upstairs room used for céilís and trail sessions Meeting point for the Belfast Traditional Music Trail Free entry, walk in Gaelic posters, murals and instruments on the walls

Good to know before you go:

Sessions run every night of the year, and the bar hosts concerts and album launches alongside them. Madden's is a fixture of Belfast's trad calendar and a listed venue for the city's festival programmes, including Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in August 2026.

What to bring

🎟️Your ticketBigger gigs sell out — book ahead rather than chancing the door.

🪪IDIt’s an over-18s room, so bring photo ID if you look anywhere near it.

💷A bit of cashHandy for the door, the cloakroom and the taxi home.

📱The what’s-on pageThe listings change weekly — check who’s playing before you go.

Everything before you go

Type

Traditional Irish music bar with nightly open sessions

Who it's for

Over-18s in practice. Sessions start at 9pm, the point at which NI law requires accompanied under-18s to leave the bar area. Families should look at the Belfast Traditional Music Trail's daytime option instead and check its age policy.

Music

Open traditional Irish sessions seven nights a week, musicians arriving from around 9pm. Céilís and concerts in the upstairs room. Check listings for specific acts.

Tickets

Free entry for the open sessions. Concerts and album launches may be ticketed.

Parking

No car park. Castle Court multi-storey is directly alongside.

Address

74 Berry Street, Belfast BT1 1FJ

Questions

Before you go

Can we bring the kids?

What's the music like?

Open traditional Irish sessions seven nights a week, musicians arriving from around 9pm. Céilís and concerts in the upstairs room. Check listings for specific acts.

Do I need a ticket?

Free entry for the open sessions. Concerts and album launches may be ticketed.

Getting there

Madden's Bar is at 74 Berry Street, Belfast BT1 1FJ. No car park. Castle Court multi-storey is directly alongside. Tap below for directions.

Directions on Google Maps Official website See it on our map

Nearby

Make more of the day

More days out around BelfastSee what else is close by More live music across NISessions, gigs and music centres

The story

The bar that never dressed itself up

Belfast has plenty of pubs that will sell you traditional music. Madden's is the one musicians go to when they are not working.

The distinction matters. A booked trad act plays a set list to a room. An open session is players listening to each other and deciding what comes next, which means the tunes can stop, restart, and go somewhere nobody planned. Keeping a table free every single night, with no gatekeeping about who sits at it, is the whole reason the standard here stays high.

None of this has been packaged. The walls carry Gaelic posters and instruments because someone put them there, not because a designer specified them. It stayed a Berry Street local while the city changed around it, and that is exactly why it became the address every visiting player asks for.