Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Best Pubs for Music

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Outside Piper's CornerAlthough Dublin has no shortage of pubs featuring music, it’s by no means all the traditional Irish music overseas tourists may be seeking out – there are many regular live DJ sets, local and touring bands across all genres, music-led performance art and everything in between. Finding what’s on when, though, can be harder than it should be; there’s no direct equivalent of Time Out (one of your fair scribe’s first employers), especially for those seeking something a bit more unusual – but we have our ways.

Outside The CobblestoneWe’ll start with trad, though, as ‘where should I go in Dublin to hear trad Irish music?’ is a common enough question, and there’s a bit of nuance in the answer. Yes, there are package-tour ‘shows’ featuring Irish dancing and music at places like Johnny Fox’s or The Arlington, but these are very much performances, often at a not-inconsiderable price, though the musicians and dancers are fabulously talented – but know what you’re booking. If you’re looking for more of a local affair, try a session at The Cobblestone or Piper’s Corner. The Cobblestone has live music every afternoon or evening, while Piper’s Corner’s sessions tend to begin after 9 or 9.30 pm (so, for those keeping score, music at Piper’s Corner is too late to be out and about with kids – they need to be out of the pub by then).

But these are not the only trad games in town – L. Mulligan. Grocer often has a Saturday night trad session, with TP Smith’s hosting trad musicians on Sundays at 6 pm. Hynes’ Bar has weekly trad on Thursdays, but keep an eye out for DJ sets there, too. The Big Romance features queer-led trad sessions semi-regularly, and we’ll return to their music offerings shortly – there’s much more to hear. Dudley’s also regularly hosts trad sessions – no booking required, as does The Hairy Lemon.

Martin and Eliza Carthy at The HutThere’s a folk club upstairs at The Cat & Cage, which is another one that crosses genres, and The Four Provinces offers a mix of trad, blues, swing…you name it. Monday is usually blues night at The Porterhouse, but again, there’s a mix of genres and DJ sets. And yes, while you may see tourists flocking to hear ‘trad in Temple Bar,’ The Porterhouse is the only spot we tend to go in Temple Bar…and there are plenty of other, less-crowded/expensive options for trad elsewhere, as you can see. Folk and trad both make appearances upstairs at The Hut from time to time, though theirs can be more of an IYKYK setup vs more well-publicised events. And right around the corner at (er) Doyle’s Corner, there are plenty of gigs spanning a variety of genres, now that Gavin James is calling the shots behind the scenes – you may be able to catch him doing a residency there, too.

Speakers at Fidelity

If jazz is more your thing, try Lucky’s, The Circular, The Big Romance (yes, again) or Arthur’s – they each have a slate of local and touring artists. The Vintage Inn also hosts regular jazz, folk and trad, plus a bit of everything – even CMAT stopped in after the Late Late Toy Show this past Christmas season. Slattery’s also has the odd bit of jazz upstairs…it’s not just an early house.

For the DJ set, Fidelity and The Big Romance are both go-tos, with bring-your-own vinyl nights and headlining acts from across Europe, and MeMa’s and The Bernard Shaw also get in on the electronic and adjacent scenes.

A Scraggy Bay at AnseoAnd if you’re looking for up-and-coming local bands or established touring acts, there are plenty of pubs that also serve as music venues. Whelan’s, Anseo, The Thomas House and The Workman’s Club all tread the fine line between pub/venue, but we’re including them here as you can very much just stop in for a pint without intending to see the band playing, whilst for a spot like The Button Factory, drinks are a secondary feature to the music, so we leave them off this listing.

With so many options, how can you keep track of what’s on? Broadly speaking, each pub’s Instagram account may be your best bet for many musical pub activities, but specifically for gigs, try Nialler9. You can typically simply drop into one of the abovementioned trad sessions, but tickets or cover charges will vary for other events, so it pays to do some research in advance.

Finally, if you want to join in, consider Ukulele Tuesday upstairs at The Stag’s Head. BYOU and enjoy.

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Bar Rua

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Exterior of Bar RuaWhile perhaps rather less traditional-looking than many pubs, this week’s destination is one that is surrounded by many classic Victorian pubs, and so perhaps serves as something of a palate-cleanser: Bar Rua.

Just steps away from well-trodden spots that often appear in tourist must-visit lists, including The Long Hall, Neary’s and The Hairy Lemon, Bar Rua looks, at first glance, more like a late 1980s/early 1990s hype restaurant – think a little bit like Spago-on-the-Liffey. The modern red-and-glass exterior does have, in the local parlance, ‘a bang of the Celtic Tiger on it,’ but it’s a softer impression inside. While still clean and modern, the photos of Irish celebrities lining the walls do add a more ‘pubby’ feel, and there’s something reassuring about Brendan Gleeson casting a watchful eye over the premises.

Pictures on the wall at Bar RuaAnother unusual feature of this pub is that there are guestrooms above it, so again, despite its non-traditional look, it does hearken back, in some ways, to the functions of an inn. As a sidebar, we also discovered that you can also stay above The Beer Temple – this was news to us! There are a variety of spaces spread across the building, so private events are common, with bars in multiple locations. One slight oddity on our visit was that the Full Sail – one of Galway Bay Brewing’s flagship beers, and always a solid option – was not available anywhere despite its tap handle popping up in different parts of the pub, but that was made up for by an excellent guest beer from Belfast’s Boundary instead. Is Bar Rua, indeed, still officially a Galway Bay pub? The property was sold a few years ago, and it certainly still has a fair few Galway Bay beers and their food menu, although it doesn’t show up under ‘our bars’ on their website…but it’s there if you do a bit of digging. Granted, this much more ‘inside baseball’ that the average punter likely cares about, but hey, we’re curious.

An upstairs room at Bar RuaIn any event, the food, drink selection (minus the absent Full Sail, on this occasion) and service are all on point; we’re still disappointed with recent visits to The Brew Dock, which is still very much in the Galway Bay stable, but all of those elements were in fine shape at Bar Rua. And with so much choice in the area, pubs here need to be on top of their game; it’s easy enough to walk a few doors down if something doesn’t suit or seems ‘off’ on the day, or if you’re simply seeking a change of pace.

And we confess it had been some time since we’d last popped in to Bar Rua – possibly not since the 2024 Women’s Mini Marathon, when they were offering very welcome free glasses* of any flagship beer to finishers. Our party was certainly on brand on that occasion, with red faces from the effort (‘rua’ being an Irish word for ‘red,’ though at least in the smaller offspring’s school, they prefer ‘dearg’ for a ‘red’ red) – perhaps we need to stop in again after this year’s event…though a race medal is certainly not required to enter the pub.

We had a lovely visit on a recent chill Sunday afternoon – it’s not always easy to achieve calm in Dublin city centre on a weekend, but Bar Rua kept us cosy, well-fed and well-watered: a very relaxed spot indeed.

Where: 32 Clarendon St, Dublin 2, D02 HX66
Access from the city centre: You are there
Food: Standard Galway Bay menu, plus a cheese plate
Sport: All the usual big games & sport are on
TVs: Many all around the pub
Music: Fairly MOR tunes in the background
Family-friendliness: As with all Galway Bay spots, very welcoming
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Neary’s, The Hairy Lemon, Caribou, Sheehan’s, The Long Hall, Grogan's, Peter's Pub, Sinnott's Bar and more are all nearby
Local sites of note: Gaiety Theatre, Craft Central, Little Museum of Dublin, George's Street Arcade, St Stephen's Green, Grafton Street
Haunted: Celtic Tiger ghosts?
Other notes: Many levels and upstairs toilets, so not especially accessible, despite being a modern building
Socials: Facebook, Instagram

*For the visitor, a ‘glass’ in Ireland is a half-pint.

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: The Thomas House

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Exterior of The Thomas HouseIt’s hard to beat The Liberties for a Dublin pub crawl, since there is a pub of absolutely every sort within a very small radius – everything from old-school Old Man Pubs to pricey tourist hotspots (several, in fact), with everything else in between. We have been remiss thus far in not mentioning this week’s pub, since it’s a classic of the dive bar genre – and so, to The Thomas House.

From the Sailor Jerry tattoo-inspired exterior decoration to the dark-but-welcoming interior stuffed full of music memorabilia, a step into The Thomas House is immediately an entry into something of an alternative universe: part music venue, part regulars’ pub, but a welcoming, inclusive space that seems to recognise that everyone has their own favourite obscure acts, and that sharing the love over some pints is a lot more fun than gatekeeping that kind of knowledge. And the pints are very affordable – any tourist still smarting after a trip to The Brazen Head should stop in for a much-more-wallet-friendly (and well-kept) Beamish or Ambush (there is, of course, Guinness as well, plus the lesser-spotted but more-frequently-appearing-of-late Kilkenny).

Pretzels at The Thomas House

There are soft pretzels – as we’ve complained before, both here and elsewhere, a rarity around these parts – and while they aren’t as fancy as those at the nearby Guinness Open Gate, they are cheap and cheerful. Perhaps one of the most compelling sights at The Thomas House is the fish tank…there’s something oddly soothing about watching its inhabitants swim around in the near-darkness.

And although this is most definitely a nighttime spot – no afternoon pints here – it’s an ideal location to stop in for a more reasonably-priced pint before heading to a show at Vicar Street, or as part of a longer wander up or down Thomas Street. And there’s something of a nice sense of a continuous practice there: while the buildings in the vicinity are largely 19th century (with some surprising outliers), Thomas Street has been a busy commercial thoroughfare since at least the medieval period, and if you look around, you can still see some of that history in street layouts and names. There may not be a spurious claim to being an ancient hostelry at The Thomas House, but stopping in here for a few drinks is very much carrying on a centuries-long tradition for this area, so consider it something of an exercise in exploring the past through the present.

Fish in a tank at The Thomas HouseFinally, we’re left to ponder why it seems that Dublin’s dive bars (see also: Anseo) have more interesting beer selections than many of their more mainstream, city centre counterparts do nowadays…answers on a postcard!

Where: 86 Thomas St, The Liberties, Dublin
Access from the city centre: Buses C4, G1/G2, 13, 23, 24, 27, 56A, 73, 77A, 80, 150, 15ish minute walk
Food: Soft pretzels, crisps
Sport: Music >> sport here
TVs: Didn’t see any, but it *is* dark (just not Frank Ryan’s-level dark)
Music: Punk, rockabilly, reggae, ska, metal…you name it
Family-friendliness: Not for the small ones
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Dudley's, Arthur's, Swift, Love Tempo, Guinness Open Gate Brewery, The Christchurch Inn, The Lord Edward, The Bull & Castle and The Beer Temple/The Oak are all within a short walk; The Brazen Head is also not far, if you fancy paying more
Local sites of note: Guinness Storehouse, Vicar Street, Olympia Theatre, Christchurch Cathedral, Dublinia, St Audoen’s Church
Haunted: Fish ghosts?
Other notes: Keep an eye out for surprise music royalty of all descriptions
Socials: Instagram, Facebook

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Sheehan’s

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Exterior of Sheehan'sThis week, we remain on the south side of Dublin with a visit to Sheehan’s, a very central pub indeed. Despite its close proximity to Grafton Street and the Gaiety Theatre, we confess to never having particularly noticed it – though, granted, we are rarely near Grafton Street on purpose, and when in this part of town, we are typically headed to Caribou (after the inevitable stop-in at Craft Central).

It can feel a bit like running a gauntlet over there these days; the now-constant massive queue of Young People waiting for pizza slice at Bambino (and then Instagramming it all over the footpath) is a non-trivial obstacle. One imagines that the queueing is part of the ‘experience,’ though while it’s a perfectly fine pizza slice – at least, it was when we tried it at first opening, just before the hype kicked in – it’s not something we would wait for when there’s nicer pizza at Rascals or Vice, and you can sit down or have it simply appear at your house (or at Doyle’s Corner, in the case of Vice)…but we digress. The nearby crowds meant that we’d never really had cause to walk in the direction of Sheehan’s, but after seeing that they had recently become a venue serving Trouble Dark Arts Porter (see, we can be influenced by The Socials, too), it became a priority spot to try.

Trouble Dark ArtsAnd it was a very pleasant discovery indeed – the Dark Arts was as fresh as promised, but there were other independent offerings as well, notably Sullivan’s Black Marble Stout from Kilkenny. There were several Changing Times beers, and while we remain unconvinced about them in general from both a cost and taste perspective, as long as there are other options, it’s fine to see them. There was also Beamish, for the ‘split the B’ enthusiast in your life, plus the usual suspects.

The bar at Sheehan'sIt’s a very ‘pubby’ pub, with the usual dark woods and a lovely decorative ceiling. The atmosphere was very calming, certainly a change from the post-holiday shopping and pizza lines outside. It wasn’t quite full Old Man Pub, but was heading in that direction, in the best of ways, though it also felt fresh and up-to-date, with a good mix of clientele. It definitely feels like it’s been in the family for a good long while, and, indeed, it has. And if it’s one of those days where The Hairy Lemon or The Long Hall are absolutely overrun with tourists, Sheehan’s has a bit more of a calm, local vibe – it’s worth the very short walk around the corner.

A corner at Sheehan'sRather like TP Smith’s and Delaney’s, it seems that if we just wait around long enough, we’ll find independent beer in unexpected places (albeit of the more normal, core-range variety). But let’s hope we continue to be surprised…in the good way!

Where: 17 Chatham St, Dublin 2, D02 X923
Access from the city centre: Right in the mix
Food: Pub grub, pies
Sport: One imagines occasional sport
TVs: A few around the pub, though all were off on our visit
Music: Very chill on our visit
Family-friendliness: Not one for the kids
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Neary's, The Hairy Lemon, Caribou, Bar Rua, The Long Hall, Grogan’s, Peter’s Pub, Sinnot’s Bar and more are all nearby
Local sites of note: Gaiety Theatre, Craft Central, Little Museum of Dublin, George’s Street Arcade, St Stephen’s Green, Grafton Street
Haunted: Please?
Other notes: Basement toilets, but also a dedicated whiskey bar upstairs
Socials: Instagram, Facebook

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Daphni

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Exterior of DaphniWelcome to 2026!

Normally, the first post of the month is one of our Best Pubs For… round-ups, but we’ll save standard operating procedure for February, once we’re all back into the groove of things. And so we profile a brand-new pub that opened just before the holidays: Daphni.

Located in the Bolands Mills* complex of recently-renovated historic buildings in Dublin’s Docklands, Daphni is another pub from the Animal Collective group that includes Bonobo, Kodiak and Caribou. Like Caribou, its name is a nod to musician and DJ Dan Snaith, who records under both the Caribou and Daphni monikers. Music is very much a key element of the Daphni experience, and it’s a very well-considered one: the selection is eclectic, but interesting, and at a good volume for conversation. As with spots like Fidelity and The Big Romance that are sonically-inclined, the sound system is another by Hatchett; we here are not cool enough to know how it all works behind the scenes, but the effect is very pleasing.

Inside Daphni

As at their sister bars, there is also a strong cocktail offering, and the staff were very attentive and knowledgeable – both table service and going to the bar seemed equally handy. The beer list is perhaps not as interesting as at some of those other spots so far – Bonobo, for example, gets the Tap Room Only offerings from Kinnegar, but on our visit, there was nothing along those lines (so far). There was, however, very fresh Ambush, Scraggy Bay and Rollover, which are always nice, but a little more in terms of variety would be most welcome, especially as there are so few places with any real choice nowadays. That said, the prices were very competitive for ‘in town’ – €7.20 or so for most pints. By contrast, our group had been at a more city-centre pub that shall remain nameless earlier and paid closer to a tenner a pint (and no, this wasn’t in Temple Bar) for their sole ‘craft’ offering, which also wasn’t in the best shape, to add insult to wallet-injury! So, finding some fresh and at least not-tourist-priced pints at Daphni was most welcome. One imagines that once they’ve been open a little bit longer (perhaps after January, given the growing popularity of Dry January), the tap lineup may become more varied.

More inside Daphni

But in any event, this area has been something of a wasteland in terms of decent pubs and bars, especially when looking for a spot to enjoy before or after a show at the Bord Gáis; the immediate options were more or less ‘Spoons or ‘Spoons (well, with a slightly longer walk to BrewDog, but…well). The Dockers Bar isn’t so far, but it can be full of a post-work crowd. And it’s true that this area was, in no small part, redeveloped to suit the local Google office, but the restoration has been reasonably thoughtful, and Daphni doesn’t give off the FAANG-only vibes that, say, the Brave Horse Tavern did in Seattle (though their wonderful pretzels and dip would be most welcome here – full disclosure: your fair scribe is an ex-Amazonian, key prefix being ‘ex’). That may also change as people return to work from the holidays, but on the whole, it was a very mixed and friendly crowd, in the best way.

A pint and menu at Daphni

It remains to be seen what the future food offering might be, but we’re big fans of Animal Collective’s track record for both pizza and smaller bar snacks, so hopes are high – it should make a vastly superior pre-theatre venue to anything currently in the area (once again, looking at you, ‘Spoons), and certainly a great spot for drinks after.

All told, a fine beginning, and we’re looking forward to more.

Where: Flour Mill, Bolands Mills, Dublin 4, D04 H5C6
Access from the city centre: Buses C1, C2 C3, C4, 15A, 15B, 52, 56A, 77A, 82; 25-ish minute walk
Food: Not yet
Sport: Music > Sport
TVs: Absent
Music: VIBES. Jazz, electronic…all good
Family-friendliness: Saw a few small folk on our early-evening visit
Pub-crawl-ability: Low-medium – The nearby ‘Spoons (The South Strand) isn’t too far, ditto BrewDog, but otherwise, it’s a bit of a further trip to the pubs of Ringsend or back toward The Docker’s Bar
Local sites of note: Grand Canal Dock, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
Haunted: These lovely stone buildings need a ghost or two
Other notes: Basement toilets, but with a brand-new lift
Socials: Instagram

*They seem to officially have done away with the apostrophe in their corporate branding, but it does crop up in normal usage describing the site; one presumes this has something to do with how the legal entity was named vs labeling the buildings themselves, but who can say?

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: 2025 Wrap-up and Golden Pints

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A picture on the wall and tables inside The Morris Bar.Before we go on our Christmas/New Year hiatus, we’ll leave you with a brief wrap-up of 2025. This year, we wrote about 39 pubs – or, if you prefer, 38 locations, as our very first pub of January, Biddy Mulligan’s, had a swift closure and re-opening as The Sackville. We began adding Best Pubs For… themed roundups this year, partially as we had enough of an archive to do so, and partially as it’s easier to get to three new pubs in a month versus four. We lamented the closure of Underdog and the ever-decreasing availability of independent beer in Dublin as taps are replaced by less-interesting (and more expensive) options in certain pubs, but we’ve also seen some bright spots as new pubs open and others have very positive improvements.

And to keep on a cheery note before we close for the holidays, some Golden Pints from 2025’s profiled pubs:

Most Underrated Pub: The Morris Bar
This pub’s gorgeous interior honours the building’s history and has been a real asset to the local area; the addition of a covered outdoor space is another bonus, and the pizza is excellent. We love it.

Darkest Pub: Frank Ryan’s
No contest here, and locals simply know, but it’s a handy heads-up for visitors.

Most Welcome Surprise: TP Smith’s
The area around the Jervis Centre can be hectic and more than a bit messy even outside the holiday shopping season; TP Smith’s is a real oasis of calm, and with a surprisingly good beer selection.

Most Improved Pub: Tapped
One of the few places left in Dublin for a reasonably wide beer selection, its vibes were very much off when it first opened, but it’s much more welcoming now. There’s also a bonus cask ale option at the attached Harty’s Bar next door.

Outside The BelfryAnd finally, this coveted award:

Why Don’t We Go Here More Often? The Belfry
Well, the ‘why’ is because there are just so many excellent pubs in Stoneybatter, but The Belfry is a really great spot – a nice beer selection, a lively atmosphere and a pleasant interior. We’ll try to get over this way more often in 2026.

With that, we’ll sign off for 2025, and we will be back in January with new pubs to talk about and more Best Pubs For… features. In the meantime, you can always check out the map to find a pub we’ve mentioned, or let us know in the comments if there’s a pub you’d like to see covered.

See you next year!

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Delaney’s

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Exterior of Delaney'sWhile Dublin city centre certainly has plenty of pubs, we are fortunate in also having additional parts of town that are also jam-packed with excellent options, especially when the holidays can make those in the immediate centre more crowded than usual. Smithfield and Stoneybatter are particularly blessed with not only a large number of pubs, but pubs that all have their own individual character – there’s cosy vibes with craft beer and pizza at Bonobo, or fantastic food and local colour at L. Mulligan. Grocer, plus all the trad music you could wish for at The Cobblestone – and that’s name-checking only a few of the many options.

A pint of Whiplash at Delaney'sSo, it’s taken us a while to get to Delaney’s, which has very much a ‘pubby’ pub feel, but it was worth the wait. There’s a wonderful fireplace for our current season, and a large back garden for less-chilly temperatures (though it is also heated); it is truly a pub that caters to the ever-changing weather – just mind the suit of armour by the back door. While the building was built as a house around 1800, it’s been a pub since the 1880s, and it’s very much a family-run pub.

Indeed, it has the kind of ‘neighbourhood pub’ feel you get in many places around town. Delaney’s doesn’t have the slightly-faded grandeur of some of the high Victorian pubs like The Long Hall or The Hut, but it has a warm welcome and plenty of books for those chill solo pints. Local independent beer is represented by Whiplash and Trouble, and there’s food if you’re peckish, too. There is the customary Guinness, but also Beamish, Harp and Heineken/Beavertown’s Neck Oil, whose ubiquity in Dublin seems to be increasing in inverse proportion to its quality…but here we are, that’s on Heineken, not the pub.

Granted, this is not a spot that you’ll be bringing the kids, but there are plenty of other places around nearby that do welcome them; if you’re on the hunt for an afternoon or evening out alone or with your fellow grownups, you can catch the sport or relax with a local pint at Delaney’s.

Where: 83 King St N, Smithfield, Dublin 7, D07 PF51
Access from the city centre: Buses 23, 24, 37, 39, 39A, 70, Luas Red Line, 27ish minute walk
Food: Pub grub
Sport: Sports galore
TVs: All around
Music: Classic rock vibes
Family-friendliness: No kids here
Pub-crawl-ability: High – The Cobblestone, Bonobo and The King’s Inn are all in the immediate area, with Walsh’s, The Belfry, L. Mulligan. Grocer, Hynes’ Bar, The Barber’s Bar and The Glimmer Man in Stoneybatter, and Fidelity and Frank Ryan’s not much further on…plus, all of Capel Street, too…
Local sites of note: Lighthouse Cinema, Jameson Distillery, St Michan’s Church, TUD Grangegorman
Haunted: The suit of armour looks far too recent to be haunted
Other notes: Main floor toilets
Socials: Instagram

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: The Hole in the Wall

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Exterior of The Hole in the WallStaying on a holiday theme, we venture out toward the Phoenix Park this week to visit The Hole in the Wall – a pub that may be better known for its Christmas decorations nowadays, but also one which has a much better claim toward being one of the oldest pubs in Dublin than a certain establishment that trades on this point. Ahem.

But first, the surroundings: the pub gets its unusual name from its proximity to the park, where in times past, British soldiers from the former Marlborough Barracks – now McKee Barracks – could avail of its drink through a literal ‘hole in the wall,’ and thus avoid leaving the Phoenix Park. The pub was known as The Blackhorse Tavern from the 1650s, and the core of the original building does seem to tally well with this sort of date. However, its claim to fame as ‘Europe’s Longest Pub’ is more recent; that’s a result of local cottages being knocked together to add on more and more space as it curves around the edge of the park. There’s also a shipping container coffee stall outside, and plenty of seating for better weather.

Christmas at The Hole in the WallInside, it can be absolutely packed at this time of year, both with decorations (similar to The Ginger Man) and with young visitors to Santa’s Grotto. The many and various rooms within the pub are quite narrow, so it can be a challenge to walk through if there’s a crowd, but it can be done – there are many small nooks and crannies and little benches to be found with a bit of looking around. The beer is mostly the usual suspects from Guinness and Heineken, at least on our visit; the tap for The Holer Pale Ale (previously brewed by Rascals?) was off, and so the only independent beer option was a bottled McCaffrey Irish Pale Ale from Brewmaster/Dundalk Bay Brewing Company, which was…fine. If we’re being nitpicky, it could use a bit of a spruce-up in the beer regard, but the decoration and speed of service with the large crowd was remarkable.

More decorations at The Hole in the WallBut The Hole in the Wall is a pub for life, not just for Christmas – there are also running and cycling clubs based here, and it’s a handy spot if you happen to be on this side of the Phoenix Park (though you’d have Nancy Hands – its sister bar – on the other end). Given how few truly ‘old’ pubs there are in Dublin, we’d love to see them lean into this aspect even more, but in an evidence-based way…we suspect there are some truly fascinating stories to be told here.

Where: Blackhorse Ave, Phoenix Park, Castleknock (part of Phoenix Park), Dublin 7, D07 V663
Access from the city centre: Buses 37, 38, 38A, 39, 39A, 70
Food: Pub grub
Sport: Major sports shown
TVs: A fair few around the pub
Music: Mostly MOR hits
Family-friendliness: Not just for Santa’s Grotto, but year-round at the usual times
Pub-crawl-ability: Low – Cumiskey’s Bar is nearby, but that’s about all in the immediate area; it’s a long way to Nancy Hands and Ryan’s of Parkgate Street on the other side of the Phoenix Park
Local sites of note: Phoenix Park, Dublin Zoo, Áras an Uachtaráin
Haunted: Could do with a good ghost story or two, given its age
Other notes: Dogs welcome
Socials: Instagram, Facebook

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Best Pubs for Christmas

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Christmas at The Hole in the WallIt’s December, it’s properly cold in Dublin, and while we already have our roundup of our Best Pubs for Fireplaces, it’s time to turn our attention to Christmas decorations. Most pubs around town get a pretty considerable glow-up for the holidays, and even some of the more low-key Old Man Pubs can be glimmery and sparkly at this time of year.

The Ginger Man at ChristmasAnd while the two clear front-runners in the Most Extra for Christmas race are The Ginger Man and The Hole in the Wall, there are plenty of excellent places to go if you’re looking for festive cheer (and maybe a bit of mulled wine or cider on top of your usual tipple). Most of the usual listicles that seem to repeat annually will name-check The Stag’s Head and Doheny & Nesbitt, and with good reason, but there’s a lot more to enjoy beyond the immediate city centre. The Flowing Tide and its sister pub, The King’s Inn, both have strong Christmas games, and Nancy Hands sparkles as well.

The Cat & Cage at the holidays

But if you do find yourself in the city centre proper, The Oval and JR Mahon’s are both extremely festive, as is The Bank Bar. But we tend to prefer staying a bit further away from the Christmas shopping parts of Dublin, once the crowds appear (though you can’t beat TP Smith’s if you’ve been trapped in the shops on Henry Street or in the Jervis Centre – they do a great job with the decorating, too). With that in mind, we always consider The Bald Eagle or The Cat and Cage top-notch for holiday cheer, but without the same level of frenzied shoppers looking to sit down to rest. Doyle’s Corner is also festooned with wreaths, and for a more modern, minimal-but-festive vibe, The Big Romance and Caribou are both good spots in which to relax.

Tiny tree and pint at The Big Romance

For those looking for a Santa visit, he does appear (early and often) at the aforementioned Hole in the Wall, but also makes visits to pubs like The Two Sisters – one to keep an eye out on the socials and book ahead if that’s more your speed than a 12 Pubs of Christmas crawl. And, of course, if you are setting out on a 12 Pubs quest, please be mindful of the pub staff and your fellow pub-goers; by all means, have a good time, but don’t get messy or unpleasant.

If it’s a special holiday beer you’re looking for, we don’t get a huge number of them, and even fewer will be available in pubs – there is almost nothing in the broader ‘winter warmer’ category, much less a special Christmas ale, and even something globally-available like Sierra Nevada Celebration will only appear here and there, at pubs like The Porterhouse or Tapped…you’re better off looking into a bottle shop like Craft Central and stocking up on the seasonal stuff to have at home with your Late Late Toy Show viewing.

But whether it’s a post-shopping decompression pint or another get-together after the corporate holiday party, there’s a festive Dublin pub for every taste.

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Grainger’s Cafe Bar

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Exterior of JJ Grainger's by nightDublin – indeed, Ireland – is not over-endowed with glorious (or even ‘fine’) train stations. Having recently visited Antwerp, with its beautiful Antwerpen Centraal, well….we have no equivalent. Many (if not most) of our Irish train stations don’t even have a bar, much less anything on the continuum between the wonderful Stalybridge Buffet Bar in Greater Manchester to the renowned Peronas Travel Bar in Vilnius. Connolly Station no longer even has its own in-station pub, as Madigan’s – one of Dublin’s few pubs with an alleged ‘active haunting‘ – has now been closed for some months, with no indications of reopening any time soon, if ever.

A pint of Trouble Dark Arts on a table

Fortunately, for those waiting for their trains near Connolly, there are alternatives to the mid or absent train station pub, starting with Grainger’s Cafe Bar (aka JJ Grainger’s). Built in the 1830s – with the nearby railway bridge (and, naturally, station) appearing some decades later – the pub has been in the same family since 1928. And while the bar area itself is quite small, it’s well-formed: dark wood, bar seating and some cosy tables. And there’s even good beer – a nice selection that included Trouble Dark Arts (one of our favourites), plus Ambush, as well as Hope’s Underdog and their Paddy’s Barleywine, a real surprise. Add in a Rascals tap or two – and there was at least one working – and this may now rank as one of the finest independent beer lineups in Dublin, now that Underdog has, sadly, left us. Your usual Guinness and Heineken options were available, too.

A Hope Paddy's Barleywine The staff were also friendly and welcoming – how many pubs would put on the ‘Airwolf’ theme when asked to do so (not, it must be said, by us, but we did enjoy it)? And while it’s true that this part of Dublin still has a bit of a ‘reputation,’ something we’ve discussed in our entry on The Morris Bar, just a bit further along Talbot Street, the positive energy in Grainger’s is further evidence that things are, gradually, improving.

And in any event, a quick pint here before a train from Connolly has much more to recommend it than sitting there with a poorly-brewed tea – allow yourself a little bit of extra time to relax in the pub before heading into the station.

Where: 51 Talbot Street, Dublin
Access from the city centre: Buses 14, 15, 27, Luas Red Line, Luas Green, 20-ish minute walk
Food: Breakfast, pub grub
Sport: If they happen to be on at the time
TVs: A few screens here and there
Music: Top-class ’80s tunes on our visit, from Squeeze to Julian Cope
Family-friendliness: Early on, before a train? Why not?
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Molloy’s, Mooney's of Abbey Street, The Morris Bar, Kimchi Hophouse, MeMa's, The Sackville, The Big Romance, The Flowing Tide, The Palace Bar, Piper's Corner, JR Mahon’s, The Oval Bar, Urban Brewing, The Brew Dock, Mulligan's and The Confession Box; also not too far from The Silver Penny if you must visit a ‘Spoons
Local sites of note: Connolly Station, O'Connell Street, The Spire, The Portal, GPO, Busáras, Connolly Station, Abbey Theatre, Gate Theatre, NATIONAL WAX MUSEUM, Ha'Penny Bridge
Haunted: Can it take in the poltergeist from Madigan’s?
Other notes: Basement toilets – not ideal from an accessibility perspective
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