The trad group "Dervish" hangs out at a place by the river called "Furey's Sheila na Gig". Generally, if they're not on tour, they're in a session there. No music in that pub on Wed or Sat, but the other five nights are great. There's a fun Sunday afternoon session (starts about 1:00 and fills up fast)at a place called the "Harp", just around the corner from the Town Hall. There are several mid-week sessions also, in different pubs on different nights. The best way to find out what's going on, generally and as to specific events, is to call the Town Hall. The folks there are very hospitable and actually seem to enjoy helping visitors. There's a small place downtown called "Shoots The Crows" that gets kind of crazy on Friday nights. Sometimes they have music, but I don't think they do it regularly. There is no shortage of pubs there, so just ask around for whatever you want. It's a fun place for a pub crawl. There are also several more contemporary establishments down along the river, so you can find most any kind of place you might be looking for. Sligo wouldn't have some of the more "far out" kinds of places you'd find in a large city, but there are great many place there for "ceol, cainnt agus craic." As for places to stay, there is an abundance of B&Bs, a couple of hostels, and four hotels (two in city center, one at the train station and one about a mile or so up the Pearse Road from city center. Enjoy. If the weather is cold when you go, the bar in the hotel at the train station has a nice pub with a huge fireplace.