Cork has a deserved reputation as home to some of Ireland’s best pubs for live, traditional music. It’s virtually a rite of passage to catch a session while enjoying a pint or two (and it’s stout in these parts, by the way—Murphy’s or Beamish, not Guinness—if you really want to fit in).

You can just follow your ears to find the best places, but to get you started, here are a few of the most respected spots. An Bodhran (the name refers to a type of drum made from goatskin), has live sessions nightly, as does the cozy An Spailpín Fánach (which means “the Wandering Migrant Worker”). The succinctly named Sin é (literally, “That’s It”), 8 Coburg St. has been one of Cork’s top live-music pubs for decades. It has sessions most nights at 7 PM, but those on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday tend to be particularly good. There’s trad every Thursday night at the atmospheric Long Valley, 10 Winthrop St. but if you’ve had your fill of the pennywhistle by this point, come on Monday nights at 9:30 to catch the lively program of spoken-word events; see www.obheal.ie for more details.

You’re likely to have the last laugh every Friday and Saturday night from 9:30 PM at City Limits Comedy Club, 2 Coburg St. You can purchase tickets in advance at www.tickets.ie. Ticket prices vary depending on the act.