The Burren

History

The Burren is an Irish music pub at 247 Elm Street in Somerville’s Davis Square, opened in 1996 by fiddler Tommy McCarthy and banjoist Louise Costello. The couple, with roots in County Clare and Galway, named it for the limestone landscape of County Clare and built it as a home for musicians. Traditional sessions run in the front room and ticketed shows in the back room, covering Irish music, folk, bluegrass, and more across roughly ten performances a week. The pub marked 30 years in January 2026 during the Boston Celtic Music Festival.