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 session time
- 8:00pm — Trivia Night trivia night
Tuesday
- 7:00pm — The Django Cadre gypsy jazz
- 8:00pm — Silver Arrow Band wedding music
Wednesday
- 7:00pm — Grain Thief americana vibes
- 7:00pm — The Ruckus dance floor
Thursday
- 7:30pm — Torn and Frayed rock classics
- 7:00pm — Falcon Ridge Most Wanted Tour folk tour
Friday
- 7:00pm — Interzone live jam
- 7:00pm — Other Brother Darryl new album
- 9:30pm — Irish Session session time
Sunday - 8/30
- 7:00pm — 5th Sunday Honky Tonk Dance Party with The Beantown Buckaroos dance party
Friday - 9/4
- 7:00pm — The Kennedys live show
Saturday - 9/5
- 7:00pm — Jim Larkin - CD Debut and Birthday Bash with Special Guest Jesse Dee celebrate