Peadar O'Donnell's — The traditional-music bar Derry sends everyone to, with sessions running most days of the week.
Who it's for: mainly adults. Accompanied under-18s are limited by NI licensing to the bar area until 9pm and only at the venue's discretion, so the weekend afternoon session is the only realistic family window. Ring first.
Music: traditional sessions and live music. Visit Derry lists music from 6pm Monday to Thursday and from 3pm Friday to Sunday, live music at weekends in the Gweedore, and a DJ in the 57 Club on Saturdays.
Tickets: sessions are free to walk in. Check what's on before you travel, as session line-ups change.
Food: no food served. Drinks are bought at the bar counter.
When: Visit Derry lists the bar from 6pm Monday to Thursday and from 3pm Friday to Sunday.
Plan your visit
Three bars, one address
The building at 59 to 63 Waterloo Street holds three separate rooms that all connect. Peadar O'Donnell's is the traditional end, the room with the session in it. The Gweedore Bar next door leans towards bands, jazz and contemporary live music at weekends. Fifty Seven Waterloo Street runs a DJ on Saturday nights. You can walk between them, which means the character of your night changes depending on which door you drift through.
Trad sessions most days, from 6pm Mon to Thu and from 3pm Fri to SunFree to walk in, no tickets for the sessionsThree connected bars under one roofMusicians play in the room, not on a stageRight in the middle of Derry's walled city
Good to know before you go:
The session calendar is the main event here, and it runs year-round rather than in bursts. The venue also fills up hard during the City of Derry Jazz Festival each spring, when the connected rooms run line-ups across the whole weekend.
Before you set off
What to bring
🎶An ear for a tuneTraditional sessions are free to sit in on — you just find a seat and listen.
🕑An eye on the timeAfternoon sessions suit families; most rooms turn over-18s later in the evening.
💷A bit of cashFor food, and for the hat if the musicians pass one round.
📱The what’s-on pageSession nights and gigs move around — check before you travel.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Type
traditional-music pub
Who it's for
mainly adults. Accompanied under-18s are limited by NI licensing to the bar area until 9pm and only at the venue's discretion, so the weekend afternoon session is the only realistic family window. Ring first.
Music
traditional sessions and live music. Visit Derry lists music from 6pm Monday to Thursday and from 3pm Friday to Sunday, live music at weekends in the Gweedore, and a DJ in the 57 Club on Saturdays.
Tickets
sessions are free to walk in. Check what's on before you travel, as session line-ups change.
Food
no food served. Drinks are bought at the bar counter.
When
Visit Derry lists the bar from 6pm Monday to Thursday and from 3pm Friday to Sunday.
mainly adults. Accompanied under-18s are limited by NI licensing to the bar area until 9pm and only at the venue's discretion, so the weekend afternoon session is the only realistic family window. Ring first.
What's the music like?
traditional sessions and live music. Visit Derry lists music from 6pm Monday to Thursday and from 3pm Friday to Sunday, live music at weekends in the Gweedore, and a DJ in the 57 Club on Saturdays.
Do I need a ticket?
sessions are free to walk in. Check what's on before you travel, as session line-ups change.
Do they do food?
no food served. Drinks are bought at the bar counter.
When is it on?
Visit Derry lists the bar from 6pm Monday to Thursday and from 3pm Friday to Sunday.
Getting there
Peadar O'Donnell's is at 59-63 Waterloo Street, Derry~Londonderry, BT48 6HD. Tap below for directions.
Peadar O'Donnell was a schoolteacher, republican, novelist and lifelong agitator from the Rosses in west Donegal. Naming a Derry bar after him says something about which side of the river this city looks towards, and about the kind of room it wanted to be.
That is the thing worth understanding about Waterloo Street. Derry sits an hour from the Donegal Gaeltacht, and the music that lands in these bars comes down that road with the people who play it. The neighbouring Gweedore Bar is named for a Donegal parish too. This is not a theme, it is a catchment.