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McDaid's
One of Dublin's best-known literary pubs, this classic boozer was Brendan Behan's 'local' (until he was barred) and it still oozes character. The pints are perfect, and best appreciated during the day when it's not full of our type. Thankfully, there's no music - just conversation and raucous laughter.
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Messrs Maguire
This über -bar and microbrewery is spread across three levels, connected by a truly imperious staircase, and is a disconcerting mix of young and old, intimate and brash. Its own beers are worth contemplating, but not on the weekend when the place is absolutely jammers.
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Morrison Bar
This is the north side's version of the Octagon Bar, only far more difficult to get into if you don't look the part. If you haven't spent a fortune on your outfit (or managed to fake it), forget it. You wouldn't have enjoyed the luxurious John Rocha-designed dark-oak and cream interior, the views over the Liffey, the suave and sophisticated clientele. Nah, you didn't miss much.
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Mulligan's
This brilliant old boozer was established in 1782 and has barely changed over the years. In fact, the last time it was renovated was when Christy Brown and his rowdy clan ran amok here in the film My Left Foot . It has one of the finest pints of Guinness in Dublin and a colourful crew of regulars. It's just off Fleet St, outside the eastern boundary of Temple Bar.
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National Concert Hall
Leaden acoustics and a none-too-aesthetic conversion of University College Dublin's old lecture hall are the main criticisms levelled at Ireland's premier orchestral venue, but the cream of the classical crop perform here throughout the year as part of a rich and various programme of concerts and recitals. There's also a series of excellent lunchtime concerts (around €9 ) from to on Tuesday, June to September.
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Nealon's
The warm and cosy decor of this traditional pub is matched by the exceptionally friendly staff. It's a bit of old Dublin on a street getting ready to take off, so catch it while you can. There's live jazz on Sunday.
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Neary's
One of a string of off-Grafton St, classic Victorian boozers once patronised by Dublin's legless literati, Neary's is a perfect stop-off day or night. It combines great service, a bohemian atmosphere and attractively worn furnishings, and is popular with actors from the nearby Gaiety Theatre .
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New Theatre
Sitting above the left-wing Connolly Books, this refurbished little theatre puts on a pretty palatable fare of 'fun' plays and in-your-face work that might challenge social conventions but will hardly disturb the more serious critics.
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No 4 Dame Lane
This two-storey designer bar took forever to get going - one of the pitfalls of trying to manufacture cool - but once it did it really took off, especially at weekends, when clubby kids and young professionals dressed as clubby kids try to hold a conversation above the loud DJ-led music. Upstairs is even louder, but that's OK, because - judging by some of the conversations we eavesdropped on - the music is often better than the chat.
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O'Brien's
The unofficial HQ of media types and advertising execs, old-fashioned O'Brien's is the embodiment of all the aspirations of the Celtic Tiger, a place where prosperity and forward-thinking can flourish amid the powerfully nostalgic reminders of a time gone by. Which pretty much means that O'Brien's hasn't changed its decor all that much, but the bathrooms are absolutely spotless.
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O'Donoghue's
Once the most renowned traditional music bar in all Dublin, this is where the world-famous folk group the Dubliners refined their raspish brand of trad in the 1960s. On summer evenings a young, international crowd spills out into the courtyard beside the pub. It's also a famous rugby pub and the Dublin HQ for many Irish and visiting fans.
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O'Neill's
A labyrinthine old pub near Trinity College, O'Neill's dates from the late 19th century, though a tavern has stood on this site for more than 300 years. The odd combination of students and stockbrokers lends a chaotic air. Good pub grub is also on offer.
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Octagon Bar
This swish bar at the Clarence Hotel (owned by U2) has a domed skylight and lots of timber panelling, but not much character. It attracts a mixed crowd (many of them tourists lured by Bono's cachet, plus the odd celebrity) and can be a comfortable place to drink when everything else in Temple Bar is packed.
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Old Stand
Refreshingly unreconstructed, this is one of the oldest pubs in Dublin and seems to be just sauntering along at the same pace it was 10 years ago, as if the whole Celtic Tiger thing never happened. It's named after the old stand at Lansdowne Rd Stadium, and is a favourite with sports fans and reporters.
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Olesya's Wine Bar
With over 100 different wines available by the glass and about 400 by the bottle, this lovely wine bar is perfect if you fancy a liquid evening but want to avoid a crowded pub. Take a seat, order some wine and wash it down with something from the accompanying menu, even though we were disappointed with the size of the cheeseboard.
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Oliver St John Gogarty
The best thing about the sessions at this popular Temple Bar watering hole is not that it's ram-packed with tourists or that the 'craic' is slightly manufactured, but that the sessions run virtually all day from , making this the only place you'll hear trad before nightfall. And it's pretty good stuff too.
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Olympia Theatre
This beautiful Victorian theatre generally puts on light plays, musicals and pantomime, but also caters to a range of mid-level performers and fringe talents that are often far more interesting than the superstar acts - this is one of the best places for a more intimate gig.
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Oval
This is a great little pub, where young and old come together in conversation and rich, creamy pints go down a treat. The Tardis effect is evident once you walk through the door: it is much bigger than it looks from the outside, spreading over three floors.
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Palace Bar
Some of the best traditional music in Dublin can be heard at the excellent sessions laid on in the gorgeous upstairs lounge of this venerable boozer. If you want to hear the real deal in the city centre, this is the place.
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Patrick Conway's
This gem of a pub has been lining up drinks since 1745 and joyous fathers - including Colm Meaney's character in The Snapper - have been skulling celebratory pints at its bar since the day the Rotunda Maternity Hospital opened across the road in 1757. Upstairs is the fantastic Boom Boom Room, one of the best places in the city for good live music.
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Pavilion
One of the most enjoyable drinking experiences in town can be had on a pleasant summer's day on the balcony of the Pav, the cricket pavilion overlooking Trinity's playing fields. Grab a beer and a sandwich before settling down to enjoy the spectacle on display: a cricket match or just the other punters getting drunk and trying to play Frisbee.
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Pavilion Theatre
Like the Draíocht Theatre and Civic Theatre , this modern space in the seaside suburb of Dun Laoghaire offers a dynamic programme of theatre and performance art.
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Peacock Theatre
Work by up-and-coming writers and more experimental theatre is staged in the Peacock Theatre adjoining Whelan's.
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Peter's Pub
A pub for a chat and a convivial catch up, this humble and friendly place is more like Peter's Living Room, and is one of the few remaining drinking dens in this area that hasn't changed personality in recent years, or gone chasing the new money.
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Point Depot
The premier indoor venue for all rock and pop acts playing in Dublin, this 8000-capacity warehouse closed its doors for a major facelift in 2007. It will reopen at the end of 2008, and we only hope that it manages to fix the problems that made it one of the most unsatisfactory venues to see our favourite gigs, mostly because the stage was so bloody far away.
