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Dublin Nightlife - Dublin Bars Pubs Nightlife |
 If there’s one thing Dublin isn’t short of - its pubs, clubs and restaurants. Dublin is simply teeming with them, especially pubs. And the great thing about pubs in Dublin, compared to Irish pubs overseas, is that they’re REAL! Trying to pick out the best of the best is, quite frankly, impossible, so we’ve just included a selection here based on our own experience and -more importantly - the recommendations of people who live there and use them regularly. If you want to be organised, then join one of Dublin’s famous pub crawls. The Backpacker Pub Crawl, for example, is run by young people for young people and takes place from 8pm in front of Trinity College front gates (Thursday to Sunday nights in winter and every night in summer).
Temple Bar, with some 24 bars and more than 70 restaurants/cafes, is by far the most popular place for nightlife with visitors offering everything from the traditional to the trendy. In the evening it’s really buzzing, particularly in the summer; I’ve never seen so many nuns, policewomen and nurses and ‘learners’ in one street (yes Dublin is the in place for weekend hen and stag parties). So you do have to watch out for those who haven’t ‘learnt’ how to hold their drink. |
 One of the best known (and busiest) pubs here has to be The Temple Bar, which is famous for its impromptu live music, excellent service, middle beer garden and great selection of whiskies. Other landmarks in Temple Bar include the Auld Dubliner, Buskers Bar, Cassidy’s Bar, Vathouse and Oliver St John Gogarty in Fleet Street, well known for its traditional Irish music and dancing. The Grafton Street area is quieter than Temple Bar; still very lively but attracting a slightly different crowd. Try The Bailey here, a cool, modern, trendy bar for the beautiful people (if you want to meet some!) and Café En Seine in Dawson Street, which has marvellous art deco décor, including a Louis 1Vth bust and glass atrium and French hotel lift. Both are on the expensive side, but worth a visit.
For classic Irish pubs, offering a traditional welcome, superb pint, good music and great atmosphere, recommendations include John Kehoe’s on South Anne’s Street, Mulligan’s on Poolbeg Street, McDaids in Harry Street, Doheny &Nesbitts on Baggott Street ( a popular pre and post Lansdowne Rd match haunt), and Ron Blacks, The Dawson Lounge in Dawson Street - the smallest pub in Dublin (there’s also a big Ron Black’s up the road, which is probably one of the biggest pubs in Dublin!).
With new licensing laws, a growing number of pubs now have music and late bars, serving until 2.30am, bridging the gap between pubs and clubs. Again the choice is massive, and they do tend to be more expensive. Nevertheless, check out Dakota in South William Street, very cool establishment with a particularly long bar; Ron Black’s (the big one!); The Odeon in Harcourt Street, formerly a railway station this has been described as having Fawlty Towers type service, but very cheap wine; and the stylish Kobra Bar in Russell Court Hotel, Harcourt Street.
Check out some more: Bars and clubs in Dublin
Clubs come and go in Dublin - so there’s always somewhere new to check out. Generally open from pub closing hours til 3am, expect to pay around Euros 5-15 for entry and the usual inflated prices for drinks. You must be over 18 and bring ID if you’re age might be in question. The latest ‘in’ place drawing the young and beautiful is the Krystle Night Club at the Russell Court Hotel, which is only open from Thursday to Sunday. Other popular venues include Boomerangs and Club M in Temple Bar, Lily Bordello and Dandelion just off. Grafton Street, The Sugar Club on Leeson Street, and Tripod in Harcourt Street. Renards on South Frederick Street is Dublin’s first jazz and supper club with a capacity for 150 and offering a top class menu and late bar. The night club is open Thursday through Sunday. The George, at the bottom of Georges Street, is Dublin’s most famous and oldest gay bar and nightclub. It has operated for 22 years as a gay venue, despite homosexuality being illegal in Ireland until 1993.
So what about eating in Dublin? Well there’s fantastic food to be had in many of the venues mentioned above, along with restaurants to suit every occasion, budget, and taste. Whether you want Irish Stew or Indian, Boiled Ham or Bouillabaisse, you’ll find it here. Recommendations include Shanaghan’s on the Green, a popular American style steakhouse and seafood restaurant; One Pico, owned by Irish chef Eamonn O’Reilley, serving modern European food; Les Freres Jacques French/Seafood restaurant in Temple Bar; and The Unicorn Café & Restaurant in Merrion Court - which has been serving the finest Italian food for more than 60 years and is famous for its antipasto buffet. One of Dublin’s newest additions is Floridita, in Irish Life Mall, Abbey St, which aims to support and export the best of Cuba offering a mix of music, cocktails, cigars and cosmopolitan Cuban and Latin American cuisine. |
 Finally, a quick word about two of Ireland’s greatest exports. If there’s one thing you can be sure of finding in Dublin, it’s a bloody good pint of Guinness - after all, it originated here, at St James’s Gate Brewery in 1759 (a tour is well worth doing). What makes Guinness so distinctive is the roasted barley which remains unfermented and the thick creamy head, a result of a nitrogen mix being added during the serving process. Guinness is the best-selling alcoholic drink of all time in Ireland, and probably one of the best marketing success stories of the last century.
Irish whiskey has had a turbulent history but has made a real comeback on export markets in latter years - mostly blends, but increasingly single malts that match the very best from Scotland. Jameson is one of Ireland’s best known brands and was originally distilled in Bow Street, Dublin. Now restored to its former glory, a guided tour is a great way to experience the true ‘spirit’ of Ireland.
While Jameson (now part of the Pernod Ricard portfolio) has a fantastic reputation, there are plenty of other whiskies emerging from small independent distilleries, rooted in history, that simply should be tried - and a number of bars, including the Temple Bar, are now actively promoting them. |
 Look out for The Irishman 70 and The Irishman Single Malt, The Tyrconnell (named after a racehorse who won the Irish Classic in 1876 at 100:1), Connemara Peated Single Malt, Greenore, a rare single grain (maize) whiskey, Kilbeggan 15 YO (you can purchase the latter two by the bottle in the VIP section of the Krystle Night Club), Clontarf Single Malt and blend, and Knappogue Castle Vintage Irish Malt.
And lastly..because I happen to be a fan…if you’re more a vodka drinker then try Boru ultra premium vodka, named after the legendary King Brian Boru who united Ireland in 1014. Distilled (five times) in Ireland, Boru is clean, crisp and absolutely what good vodka should be.
As the say..Dublin is a fantastic ‘craic’ - enjoy it. |
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