5 Irish Pubs You Won't Want to Miss

Irish Pubs with Character

Photography by Caroline Bergeron

These 5 traditional Irish pubs have each have something special, be it local flavour, hip atmosphere, great craft beer selection, unbeatable trad sessions, or historic significance and location. Heck, some of them have it all.  In any case, if you are planning a trip to Ireland soon, be sure to stop in and check them out. You won’t be disappointed.

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Kilkenny House O'Gorman’s

Bar · 41 John Street, Kilkenny, Ireland

Paddy pours a great Guinness and offers up a selection of fine whiskies in this cozy local pub. Shoot a game of billiards, or just sit by the fireplace with a finger of 12-year-old Red Breast. Trad music sessions are the real deal here, and the locals come out in droves to listen on Thursdays after 9:30pm. It's standing room only after that!

Devitts Pub

Bar · 78 Camden Street Lower, Dublin, Ireland

Great eats, great beer, loads of character, and fine Trad sessions upstairs several nights a week. Stretch your horizons beyond the Temple Bar the next time you're in Dublin. This neighbourhood haunt is busy on weekends and spills out onto the street over whisky barrel tables in fine weather.

The Salt House

Brewpub · Raven Terrace, Galway, Ireland

This hole-in-the-wall separates the Claddagh District from the Latin Quarter in Galway, and offers up 120 unrivalled craft beers, and 21 tapped kegs. Try the delicious Foam & the Fury IPA. You might picture dockside sailors gathered here in another time. And the barman/owner is a character unto his own.

The Crane Bar

Pub · 2 Sea Rd., Galway, Ireland

If it weren't for the green and white mural on the outside wall, you might walk right by this quietly unassuming pub. But there's nothing quiet about the famous Trad music sessions upstairs. Come early if you want a seat. This place is packed to the rafters on the weekend. 

Harkin's The Old Harbour

Bar · 6 Echlin St., Dublin, Ireland

Brendan Behan, the renowned Irish writer, is rumoured to have sipped his last pint here. But historic significance isn't all The Old Harbour has going for it. This family run establishment is full of local flavour and home-cooked meals, where you can sit quietly and tip back a pint while you gab with the neighborhood regulars or watch the horse-racing and GAA on the tele. It also has the distinction of being the closet pub to the The Guinness Storehouse. Can't get fresher than that!