Where everybody knows your name… or not, whatever you’re into.
Finding the perfect local pub is a bit like finding a partner. You’ll create shared memories together, you’ll be at your most vulnerable there and if you ever break-up it will be really awkward for your mutual friends.
When it comes to the perfect pub, different people like different things. One person’s Cheers is another ‘cheers, but no thanks.’
It’s been a tough choice, but here are the decisions from all of us JOEs.
Cian Murray – Roisín Dubh, Galway
This is a little bit like asking me who my favourite child is, except much harder because I don’t have children. If the walls of the Roisín could talk they’d tell you what an absolute gobshite I was during my college years.
But I’d make sure to tell them I’m sorry and I love them.
This is the place where I danced, I drank and I acted the maggot during the most formative years of my life. From Gugi’s Strange Brew nights to the Sunday night open mics with Shane and Keith and a little later Tracy, the Roisín was always the place to be.
Nowadays, I occasionally go back for stand-up comedy, gigs, great DJs or just to see familiar faces. This place is everything you could want from a local.
Honorable mentions – Bó Allen’s, Moate, Westmeath. Gertie Brownes, Athlone, Westmeath. The Orchard, Gleneely, Donegal.
Tony Cuddihy – O’Flaherty’s, Dingle
The best pint of Guinness in the country (though I’m sure the lads will beg to differ). The best live music in the country, with the pub’s owner Fergus bringing the house down most nights of the week, O’Flaherty’s is all the better for being slightly out of the way of Dingle’s baseball cap and hanging camera brigade.
A quiet, almost solemn spot during the day – you’ll struggle to hear a single word spoken as Béarla as Fergus chats to the locals – the place transforms at night and welcomes all souls from both home and abroad.
It’s magic, and like the best pubs it’s hard to leave behind. It’s also got a small replica of itself in the far right hand corner of the room as you walk in.
Honourable mentions: Fitzpatrick’s, Kilcrohane, West Cork. Tigh Neachtain, Galway.
Eric Lalor – McGettigan’s Letterkenny
I’ve been to the original McGettigan’s Irish pub out in Dubai for comedy festivals over the years and was always struck by how right they have got the quintissential Irish pub.
Many have tried and failed before, but the atmosphere, the layout, the live events and of course the food and drink are second to none.
I was a bit dubious that it could be replicated back in Ireland when I heard they had opened up a bar in Letterkenny. Much to my surprise and indeed happiness, they have replicated it to the letter!
The staff are always welcoming, the decor is Irish, but not in a diddly-aye-oh kind of way and that’s very much a good thing. Lots of pubs serve food, but McGettigan’s rise above the pack with their superb menu with delicious and affordable options everywhere.
It can be a haven of peace and tranquility at the right time, but also is a superb venue to watch live sports on their many TVs.
Honourable mentions: Left Bank, KilkennyCentral Bar, Navan, 5th On Teeling, Sligo
Conor Heneghan – The King’s Head, Galway
No more than anyone else, I probably could pick a dozen of my favourite pubs off the top of my head; give me a good pint of Guinness and some lively chatter and I’m happy out.
If I had to pick a favourite place in Ireland to go out in it would be Galway and probably my favourite of all the great pubs in Galway is The King’s Head.
For a start, it’s located right in the heart of Galway at the bottom of Shop Street and at the top of Quay Street so there are always a steady stream of local and regular folk going through the doors.
Given its location, it does get a little too crowded on occasion but most of the time, it meets all my criteria when I’m looking for more than a quiet pint on a night out.
Busy, but not too packed. Noisy, but not too loud. Good music and good pints and plenty of variation on the top shelf when you’ve had your fill.
And, most importantly of all for Galway, it’s dead handy for Supermac’s at the end of the night.
Honourable mentions: Páidí Ó’Sé’s, Ventry, Dunne’s, Carrick-on-Shannon, Kitty McGreals, Kiltimagh.
Colm Boohig – The Oval, Cork
A great little spot to head to on a night out before the true reveling really begins.
You’d easily pass The Oval without even realising, because it’s stuck in a corner and has possibly the most narrow entrance to a pub ever.
But once you’re in you’re treated to a very cool, old school bar, where the classics are played and the lights are dimmed to the perfect level.
If it stayed open until the wee hours I’d be there for the night, that’s the highest compliment I can pay it.
Honourable mentions: Sober Lane, The Crane Lane, East Village, The Rochestown Inn, The Woolshed (Cork).
Paddy McKenna – The Hi-B, Cork
I’ve only ever been once and I don’t think I want to go back. That’s only because I couldn’t top the night I enjoyed in The Hi-B in 2008.
My Corkonian buddy, Adrian Russell had long told me about a hidden gem bar where mobile phones were barred and the legendary Dick O’Sullivan tinkled the ivories every Tuesday night.
The Hi-B is not a place you can slip into. It’s a small room where everyone turns around to size you up when you walk in. The decor is minimal, the paintwork is worn, there’s no music or TV. You know straight away you’re in a special place.
The night I visited The Hi-B, the regulars reliably informed me that Dick (then well into his 80s) delivered a gem of a show. The Banks, Blackpool Girls, Spancil Hill – Dick was a beautiful player and a pitch-perfect singer.
Then he did requests. That was when the real magic started. If you knew the air, Dick could deliver the accompaniment. Everything from Queen to The Dubliners. When I lashed out Lovely Leitrim myself, Dick didn’t even need to ask for the key. In fact, the only time he got stumped was when an American girl launched into a song from Darby O’Gill And The Little People. Something about leprechauns and pots of gold. Even Dick had his blind spots I guess.
Honourable mentions: Conways’ Corner House (Leitrim), The Front Door (Galway), Crane Lane (Cork), Tig Coilí (Galway)
Joe Harrington – O’Connor’s, Salthill, Galway
I’ve only been to Galway around ten times in my 29 years on the planet but a pub on the walk out to the prom in Salthill ranks as my favourite in Ireland, that’s how special it is.
You walk into O’Connor’s and the first thing you notice is the sawdust on the floor, which is pretty different, but that’s just the start of the experience.
The ceiling in the bar is an organised clutter of the best thing you’d ever find it an antique shop.
It’s jammed with pots, pans, teapots, ornaments, musical instruments, fishing gear and it’s as if they’ve all been expertly placed by the world’s greatest interior designer. It’s perfect.
You add in a roaring open fire, insanely comfortably old chairs, the smoothest pint of Guinness you’ll ever drink and the finest trad musicians in the town doing their thing.
I know it all sounds a bit touristy but it’s 100% authentic and it’s the kind of place you could go in for one and end up staying there until closing.
Go there and you’ll never want to leave.
Honourable mentions: Seán Óg’ (Tralee), Kenny’s (Lahinch), Mutton Lane (Cork), Tom Barry’s (Cork), O’Connor’s (Ballyduff)
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