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Pubs
of Ireland
Our
pub listings are divided up according to location. To see what's
available around the country, choose the region or town of interest
from the drop down menu below.
 If
you wish to add comments on any pub you have visited, email us at
ireland@softguides.com.
Don't forget to make use of our currency
converter. For Dublin, a comprehensive pub guide is available
at Softguide Dublin,
which can also be downloaded
onto PalmOS and Windows CE devices to accompany your journey. The
service is soon to extend throughout Ireland!
Irish
Drinking Habits
Ireland has a great
and enviable tradition of pubs, or public houses, of repute
which traditionally took the place of the centre of the community
offering groceries and supplies and the odd vet's clinic as well
as evening entertainment, drink, music and dance. Pubs are to be
found anywhere in the country, a density of local population being
no requirement at all.
Apart form the traditional
style prevalent throughout the country, recent years have seen an
explosion of modern affluent stylish pubs in urban areas attracting
seemingly endless numbers of young people. City centre pubs are
invariably crowded in the evenings. Many offer music or live entertainment
like comedy, but this is by no means a prerequisite for a crowded
establishment. All
pub hours have recently changed under a new Licensing Act. On Thursday,
Friday and Saturday, last orders are at 30 minutes after midnight.
Last orders for the rest of the week are 11.30pm
Stout,
of course, is the favoured local tipple: Guinness must be
sampled on any trip to Dublin while Beamish and Murphy's are the
requirement in Cork. The quality of stout varies considerably throughout
the country, with some pubs more famous for a good pint than others.
Just why this is so seems to be one of Ireland's great mysteries,
but it does leads to one Ireland's great excuses - the inevitable
'bad pint' being blamed for the aftermath of all manner of excesses.
Expect
to pay upwards of £2.80 for a pint (the standard measure,
just over a half liter) of any lager, ale or stout, with stout being
the cheaper. A half pint measure is referred to in Ireland simply
as a "glass". Bottled beers are also the norm, but are
relatively more expensive at over £2.80. A short of spirits
will cost over £2.50, and expect to add the cost of a mixer.
Urban areas are considerably more expensive than rural.
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