Where to Hear Live Irish Music in NYC, From Weekly Sets to Mor Fest
Where else would you get live Irish music every Wednesday and Thursday and a traditional Irish session with dancers every Sunday night, all of it two minutes from Penn Station? Tara Mor at 150 West 30th Street holds both, week in and week out. For five days this August the whole programme goes fully Irish: Mor Fest brings trad sessions, touring Irish acts, comedy nights and Irish food producers into the building from August 19 to 23, 2026. Kevin Doherty, our Donegal native host, has spent over seven years building the festival. Here is how the music works in an ordinary week at Tara Mor, and what changes during festival week
Live Irish music in NYC every week
Our regular music nights are Wednesday and Thursday, with the first set at 6:30pm. Steph Hurley leads a rotating bill of New York based artists, and the current weekly schedule sits on our live music page. There is no cover on those nights, so anyone after live music near Penn Station on a weeknight can walk in off 30th Street, order a settled pint and stay for the full evening without a ticket.
Sunday night is the traditional one. Our Sunday Session pairs trad musicians with Irish dancers, starting at 8pm and wrapping by 9:30pm, and it holds that slot every week through September 2026. Tables for the session can be reserved on Resy, and the dancing gives it a finish no weeknight set has.
The nights serve two crowds at once. Commuters heading through Penn Station stop in for a set and a plate before the train, and anyone with a ticket at Madison Square Garden is one block away, close enough to hear the opening songs here and still make doors at the Garden. On match mornings the same room shows GAA football and hurling with the sound on, covered in full on our GAA in NYC guide, so an Irish Sunday can start with a championship throw in and end with music.
Irish bands and trad sessions at Mor Fest 2026
Mor Fest turns those nights into a full week. Across five days, August 19 to 23, the building hosts traditional sessions, touring Irish acts, acoustic showcases, comedy and storytelling nights, sports panels and wellness sessions, open noon to midnight each day. Thursday afternoon carries acoustic showcases, Saturday is the main stage day with Irish music sets running late, and the festival closes on Sunday afternoon with traditional sessions, the format the whole week is anchored in.
The Shift app carries set times and confirmed names, and each ticket holder uses it to build their own week. Lineup news breaks first on our Instagram and on morfestnyc.com before the festival opens, and once the names land we will update this page the same day. The full day by day breakdown sits on the Mor Fest 2026 event page, and the story of why the festival exists is on our Mor Fest hub page.
The Irish brands pouring at the festival
Between the sets there is a working market of Irish food and drink producers, with McDaids and The Muff Liquor Company among the brands trading through the week. The bar itself becomes part of the programme: bartenders compete in an Irish Coffee Competition on the Friday night and a Guinness Pouring Competition on Saturday afternoon, judged to the standard the drink gets at home.
Our own kitchen serves through the festival. That includes the Spice Bag, the Irish takeaway order that earned us press coverage, and the full Irish breakfast that has been on our menu since we opened the doors.
How the Mor Fest week works
Two ticket types are on sale through Eventbrite, and each covers all five days. General admission is $55.20 including fees. VIP is $268.61 including fees and adds an open bar covering all five days plus early access to events, with VIP sales closing on August 19, the day the festival opens. There are no single day passes, the event is 21 plus with a valid photo ID required at the door, and tickets are non refundable. Room capacity is limited, so booking online ahead of time is the safe way to secure a place at the music and evening sessions.
Two minutes from Penn Station
Tara Mor is at 150 West 30th Street in Midtown Manhattan, a two minute walk from Penn Station and one block from Madison Square Garden. That puts a weeknight set, the Sunday Session and all five days of Mor Fest one short walk from the busiest station in the city, and the trip home after the last song is as easy as the trip in.
If your plans sit east of here, our sister bar Tara Rose on 3rd Avenue in Murray Hill has its own music and cocktail programme, plus Think Retro, an underground speakeasy available for private hire with no venue fee.
Live Irish music NYC FAQ
Where can I hear live Irish music in NYC?
Tara Mor at 150 West 30th Street in Midtown stages live music every Wednesday and Thursday from 6:30pm, plus a Sunday trad session with Irish dancers, two minutes from Penn Station. From August 19 to 23, 2026, the venue hosts Mor Fest, five days of Irish acts, trad sessions, comedy and food markets.
What nights does Tara Mor have live music?
Regular live music nights are Wednesday and Thursday, with the first set at 6:30pm and no cover, and the Sunday trad session starts at 8pm. During Mor Fest, August 19 to 23, 2026, live programming widens to noon to midnight each day.
When is the Mor Fest lineup announced?
Acts are announced on the Tara Mor Instagram and on morfestnyc.com ahead of the festival. Ticket holders then pick their sessions and gigs in the Shift app.
Is there traditional Irish music at Mor Fest?
Yes. Traditional sessions run through the week and the festival closes with trad sessions on the Sunday afternoon, August 23. Saturday carries the main stage sets, with Irish music running late into the night.
Do I need a ticket for live music at Tara Mor?
On regular Wednesday and Thursday music nights there is no cover and no ticket. Mor Fest is ticketed through Eventbrite, with one ticket covering all five days of the festival.
Is there a trad session in NYC on Sundays?
Yes. Tara Mor hosts a traditional Irish music session with Irish dancers every Sunday night from 8pm to 9:30pm, two minutes from Penn Station, and it is scheduled every week through September 2026.
What Irish drinks brands are at Mor Fest?
Irish producers trade on site across the week, including McDaids and The Muff Liquor Company. The bar also runs a Guinness Pouring Competition and an Irish Coffee Competition during the festival.
Plan your night
Live music at Tara Mor is on every Wednesday and Thursday from 6:30pm, with the Sunday trad session at 8pm. Mor Fest runs August 19 to 23, 2026, open noon to midnight, tickets on Eventbrite, 21 plus with photo ID. Tara Mor, 150 West 30th Street, New York, NY 10001, two minutes from Penn Station. Reservations for regular nights are on Resy.