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music · Friday 28 August 2026 · 10:00 PM 
Monthly Blues Jam at McKenna's Bar
At McKenna's Bar · 62 Dublin Street, Monaghan, Co. Monaghan, H18 HD92
At McKenna's Bar · 62 Dublin Street, Monaghan, Co. Monaghan, H18 HD92
McKenna’s Bar on Dublin Street in Monaghan town runs a monthly blues jam upstairs in the Brewery bar, and the pub bills it as the longest running blues jam in the country. Musicians bring their own guitars, harmonicas and amps, and anyone who plays is welcome to sit in alongside the regulars for a few numbers. It starts at 10pm and there is no admission charge.
The Brewery is McKenna’s smaller upstairs room, dark wood and barrel tables, built for a late session rather than a big stage show. There is no set list and no headline act: a core group of regular players anchors the night and works through blues, rock and roots numbers, with other musicians and singers asking in on a song as the night goes. McKenna’s has two bars, the Anchor downstairs for a straightforward pint and the Brewery upstairs for live music and DJ nights, which makes it one of the more consistent live music addresses in Monaghan town outside the hotel circuit. Monaghan Tourism’s official calendar confirms the jam for Friday 28 August, Friday 25 September and Friday 23 October 2026, so it is running through the autumn on a Friday roughly once a month.
McKenna’s is on Dublin Street in Monaghan town centre, a couple of minutes’ walk from the Diamond and the rest of the town’s pubs. There is on-street parking nearby, though it fills up on a Friday night, and public car parks a short walk away. Monaghan town is on the N2, about 90 minutes from Dublin and under an hour from Belfast via the A3 and N12. The bus station on North Road is walkable, but the 10pm start is later than the last services.
Heading to McKenna's Bar in Monaghan? Monaghan has plenty more to see. Read the Monaghan area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.