I would second everything that Jack has said. Bumped into Jack at a session at Sandy Bell's a year or so ago with my shakers - hi Jack!! Sandy Bell's yes - but it can be horrendously overcrowded. Tass has some nice acts - a decent meal too and only a stone's throw from the Scottish Storytelling Centre. With a bit of clever planning you may well be able to go to a storytelling event earlier in the day and then go on to a pub for music and song - I do!!! Royal Oak too - has a good club on a Sunday evening. Don't forget the White Hart in the Grassmarket. It has a really pleasant atmosphere and isn't as crowded as Sandy Bell's. There was a really good old-fashioned ceilidh band playing on the Thursdays at the White Hart - really good atmosphere.

I'll be back up to Edinburgh again in the autumn for more workshops (I'm going to storytelling workshops at the centre) and am looking forward to the music pubs again.

Diane