new england's live music guide
SOMERVILLE
THE BURREN
ABOUT
The Burren is an Irish pub and restaurant at 247 Elm Street in Davis Square, Somerville, Massachusetts. The venue occupies nearly 5,000 square feet with front and back rooms, a patio for outdoor seating, and a large parking lot. The Burren offers live entertainment 7 days and nights a week.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Programming centers on Irish traditional sessions but also includes folk, bluegrass, old-timey music, Gypsy jazz, singer-songwriters, rock, and Americana. The back room hosts ticketed concerts while the front room features drop-in sessions and casual performances. The pub serves a full Irish and American menu alongside a full bar.
HISTORY
The Burren was opened in 1996 by Irish musicians Tommy McCarthy and Louise Costello, who had lived in Boston since 1986. When Davis Square was largely bereft of pubs in the mid-1990s, Somerville officials offered attractive terms on empty storefronts, and the couple chose the current site for its size and layout. In 2017, McCarthy and Costello opened a sister venue called The Bebop near Berklee College of Music.
UPCOMING SHOWS
Monday
- 8:30pm — Irish Session let's go
Tuesday
- 7pm — The Django Cadre gypsy vibes
- 7pm — Electric Hora dance party
Wednesday
- 7pm — Grain Thief americana
- 7pm — Keegan James Blood, Arthur Terembula root sounds
Thursday
- 7:30pm — Torn and Frayed rock classics
- 7pm — Fortuna 500, Dinos garage sounds
- 10pm — Midnight Curfew college night
Friday
- 9:30pm — Irish Session session tunes
- 7pm — The Lo-I and Friends folk rock
- 10pm — Jimmy's Down get down
Saturday
- 9:30pm — Irish Session session vibes
- 2-5pm — Bluegrass Jam jam session
- 7pm — Tarbox Ramblers folk tunes
- 10pm — The Mockingbirds cover night
Sunday
- 1:30pm — Kids Open Mic kids showcase
- 7:30pm — Tiger Moan blues night
- 12-3pm — Beatles Brunch brunch vibes
- 3-6pm — Irish Session session music
- 6pm — Old Timey Session old time jams
- 11am — Matt Heaton's Burren Boogie: Family Music family fun
No shows listed.
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