Located on one of Kinsale’s oldest and most photographed streets, An Seanachai Bar offers old world charm in a traditional and relaxed setting.  An Seanachai is renowned with both tourists and locals alike as Kinsale’s premier live traditional music venue with sessions held nightly. Why not call in and experience the ‘ceoil agus craic’ tonight!

Traditional Bar Food
Bar food is also a specialty in An Seanachai and is served daily from June to October (12-3pm & 6-9pm daily)

Live Entertainment
The best of Irish traditional music, folk and ballad sessions are held nightly. May to November – 7 nights a week and December to April – Thursday to Sunday

The Quays Nightclub
In December 2007, An Seanachai Bar added The Quays Nightclub to it’s venue.  This is Kinsale’s newest and largest town centre nightclub operating over two floors.  On busy nights the club is opened into three distinct and unique areas each with it’s own bar and serviced by two smoking areas.

The History Behind ‘An Seanachai’
In years gone by, times when printed books were rare and television or radio was not invented, people had to provide their own entertainment. In those parts of Ireland where Irish was their first language, storytelling was very popular.  The ‘Seanachai’ as the storyteller was called, had a large repertoire of stories and tales in his memory and depending on how good he was, almost always was assured of a very attentive audience and an honoured place in the visiting house, usually by the fireside.  In this way stories and folklore were passed on from generation to generation.  As English came into common use, these tales translated, lost much of their colourful language and the tradition faded.  Nowadays there are very few storytellers in Ireland, in the traditional sense and many only tell a story for the purpose of recording it.