John Whelan and Haley Richardson - Wild Atlantic Music Tour, Ennis

What to Expect

John Whelan and Haley Richardson bring their Wild Atlantic Music Tour to the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis on Tuesday 1 September 2026, starting at 4pm. Whelan is an All-Ireland winning button accordion player with a long recording career, and Richardson is a fiddler who has been performing internationally since her teens. The pair are joined by guest musicians as the tour moves along the west coast.

The format is closer to a session than a concert. The organisers describe daily jamming with different guest musicians, and anyone who plays an instrument is invited to sit in rather than just listen. That makes this a useful date for visiting musicians passing through Clare who want to play with local players and with the tour’s guests, and an easy afternoon for anyone who simply wants to hear the music in a hotel lounge rather than a late-night pub.

The Old Ground Hotel on O’Connell Street is one of the older buildings in Ennis, an eighteenth-century house at the top of the main street, and its bar and lounge are a long-standing spot for traditional music in the town. Registration and details are handled through Wild Atlantic Music Tours rather than the hotel.

Good to Know

• Date: Tuesday 1 September 2026, 4:00 PM start
• Venue: Old Ground Hotel, O’Connell Street, Ennis, Co. Clare
• Performers: John Whelan (button accordion) and Haley Richardson (fiddle), plus guests
• Musicians are invited to bring instruments and play along
• Registration and enquiries through wildatlanticmusictours.com
• Afternoon start, so it suits people who do not want a late night

Getting There

The Old Ground Hotel is on O’Connell Street in the middle of Ennis, a two-minute walk from O’Connell Square and the market area. The hotel has its own car park, and the Friar’s Walk and town-centre car parks are close by. Ennis railway station and bus station are together on Station Road, about ten minutes on foot, with Irish Rail services from Limerick and Bus Eireann coaches from Limerick, Galway, Shannon Airport and West Clare. Drivers should exit the M18 for Ennis and follow signs for the town centre.