Pubs of Ireland: The best places for perfect pours

Dublin’s Brazen Head has been pouring pints for 300-plus years. Photo: Anosmia

St. Paddy’s Day is rapidly approaching, and it’s a good excuse as any to book a last-minute jaunt to the Emerald Isle. After all, perfect pours—we’d hope, none of them green—await at pubs countrywide.

While exploring Ireland’s cities and rambling, rural landscape, be on the lookout for an abundance of dark, moody drinking dens—like these. They not only serve perfect pours, but also have quintessential experiences in store.

Clancy’s of Athy in County Kildare is a lauded, song book-adorned music pub on the island east side. It’s common to hear sounds of bodhráns, mandolins and fiddles emanating from the place. They’ve been going strong, in fact, for nearly five decades free of charge. On Thursday nights, settle in amid tobacco-tinged walls, grab a Guinness and listen when upwards of 25 musicians congregate starting at 9 p.m.

Set within a centuries-old waterside cottage, Moran’s Oyster Cottage in County Galway is sought for its seafood—and has been for over 250 years. Head to the restaurant for lobster with boiled potatoes and garlic butter, wild smoked salmon and fresh crab salad. But don’t forget to sample the beyond-fresh, local Gigas oysters, grown on a nearby bed by the owners themselves. Afterward, head to the traditional front bar for tight quarters tippling, Galway Hooker draft in hand.

When in Dublin, though, make fast tracks for Brazen Head, which has been on the scene for 300-plus years. Adding to its allure, Daniel O’Connell, Wolfe Tone, Daniel O’Connel and Robert Emmet are said to have planned the 1803 Dublin rising right here. What’s more, it’s just a short stroll from Christchurch Cathedral and the Guinness brewery. If luck is on your side, you may encounter live Irish storytelling, live musicians or games flickering on big-screens. One thing’s for sure: a single bite into the beer-bolstered beef stew, steamed mussels or beer-battered cod and you’ll feel right at home.

Tagged: Ireland, Uncategorized