Other entertainment in Ireland
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EJ Kings
A busy old pub established in 1852, EJ Kings has decent though fancy pub food, but it’s really the place to quaff some pints on a busy weekend night. Get a tip on the ponies.
reviewed
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Bierhaus
The imported beer here won’t insult your sensibilities. Good brews from across Europe are on offer along with Hooker. At night DJs provide a Euro beat.
reviewed
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Donnybrook Rugby Ground
Leinster has had similar fortunes to the national side – good, but not quite good enough. They have performed steadily in the European Cup, the premier provincial tournament that sees sides from the Six Nations countries play each other from December to May. The 2006 season culminated in a final that their great rivals Munster won. Leinster has done better in the lesser Celtic League (played against teams from Scotland and Wales), which runs from September to January, but mostly because everyone is gearing up for the European Cup. If you want to see them play, you can do so at the Donnybrook Rugby Ground. Tickets for both competitions are available at Elvery’s ((679 4…
reviewed
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Anchor Bar & Skippers Restaurant
The liveliest of Portstewart’s traditional pubs, famed for its Guinness and hugely popular with students from the University of Ulster, the Anchor serves decent pub grub, opens till 1am and has karaoke on Tuesday, quiz nights on Wednesday, trad Irish music on Thursday and live bands Friday and Saturday, plus DJ club nights from 9.30pm Thursday to Sunday. There’s also Skippers Restaurant, which serves more sophisticated dishes such as mussels in garlic and basil butter, roast duckling, and vegetable stir-fry.
reviewed
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Irish Rugby Football Union
The association with privilege has pretty much always been there with rugby, until the game decided to go global, kick its branding into a whole new gear and Dublin began witnessing some pretty successful local teams at both inter-provincial and international level. Irish rugby’s governing body, the Irish Rugby Football Union, has done a brilliant job of selling rugby outside its traditional domain, so much so that the game has finally generated a genuinely national interest.
reviewed
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Meetings
The Meeting of the Waters is marked by a pub called the Meetings, which serves food (mains €10 to €15) and has music at weekends year-round. There are céilidh (traditional music and dancing sessions) between 4pm and 6pm Sunday, April to October. There’s also a guesthouse attached (known as Robin’s Nest) with decent, clean rooms (single/double €45/75). Buses to Avoca from Dublin stop at the Meetings, or you can walk from Avoca, 3km south of here.
reviewed
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Leo’s Tavern
You never know who’ll drop by for one of the legendary singalongs at Leo’s Tavern. It’s owned by Leo and Baba Brennan, parents of Enya and her siblings Máire, Ciaran and Pól (the core of the group Clannad). The pub glitters with gold, silver and platinum discs and various other mementos of the successful kids. At Crolly, take the R259 1km towards the airport, and look for the signs for Leo’s.
reviewed
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Pod
The name is still the same, but the one-time legendary dance club (in Dublin terms, anyway) has been resized and incorporated within the confines of John Reynold’s newest entertainment venue, made up of three attached but separate rooms. The much smaller Pod is still home to club nights, ranging from Wednesday’s indie faves at Antics to the always excellent dancefest that is Pogo (Saturday).
reviewed
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Krystle
The favourite venue of many a Celtic cub, Krystle (annoyingly pronounced ‘cris- tal ’ by its snootiest devotees) is where you’ll most likely find the current crop of celebrities and their hangers-on, although you’ll have to wade your way through the huge main floor and gain access to the upstairs VIP lounge for maximum exposure. Chart hits and club classics are the mainstay.
reviewed
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Tigh Hughes
Exceptional traditional music sessions take place at the unassuming Tigh Hughes – it’s not uncommon for major musicians to turn up unannounced and join in the craic. Sessions start at around 9pm on Tuesdays. The pub’s just adjacent to the main street; turn right at the town centre’s little crossroads next to a bank, and it’s a couple of doors up on your right.
reviewed
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South Pole Inn
The main reason to pause in Annascaul (Abhainn an Scáil), also spelled Anascaul, is to visit the South Pole Inn. Antarctic explorer Tom Crean ran the pub in his retirement. Now it’s a regular Crean museum and gift shop, as well as a cracking pub serving hearty dishes worthy of an explorer. Ask to have the ‘polar experience’.
reviewed
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Shamrock Rovers FC
The Hoops’ tale is a cautionary one: once the dominant club in Irish soccer, the team hasn’t won the league in years and it doesn’t even have a permanent home ground. It’s playing at Tolka Park pending the long-awaited construction of their own ground in Tallaght, which remains caught up in planning-row limbo.
reviewed
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Marine Bar
Sure, there’s good food at this two-century-old pub, but the real reason to stop by is the craic. Year-round, traditional sessions rock the place on Monday and Saturday nights, while locals contest the traditional Irish card game ‘45’ on Wednesday evenings (anyone can join in). There’s music every night (except card night) in summer.
reviewed
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QUB Student Union
The student union has various bars and music venues hosting club nights, live bands and stand-up comedy. The monthly Shine is one of the city's best club nights with resident and guest DJs pumping out harder and heavier dance music than most of Belfast's other clubs.
reviewed
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Creamery Bar
An old utility building has been converted into an agreeable pub right near the folk park entrance. It’s never going to be authentic, but it’s not a bad stop if you’re here. If nothing else you can learn about local culture from the food menu: eg chicken-nugget-like creations are called ‘goujons of chicken’ in Ireland.
reviewed
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Tipperary Racecourse
Tipperary Racecourse is one of Ireland’s leading tracks. It’s 3km out of town and has regular meetings during the year; see the local press for details. The course is within walking distance of Limerick Junction station. On race days there are minibus pick-ups from Tipperary town; phone for details.
reviewed
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Moorings
On the quayfront, live music and DJs perform regularly at the laidback Moorings, which has beautiful original timber cabinetry and a snug, and – sticking with the nautical theme – the Anchor Bar. The latter is also a good spot to catch sport on the big screen.
reviewed
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Mermaid Art Centre
An art gallery, theatre and cinema. The theatre puts on excellent gigs and modern, experimental-style plays, while the cinema shows art-house movies almost exclusively. Call to check prices. The art gallery has constantly changing exhibitions featuring the latest Irish and European works.
reviewed
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Harbour Bar
A strong contender for Ireland’s best pub, here you can enjoy an excellent pint of Guinness in a quiet atmosphere of conviviality. There is a separate lounge with velvet curtains, assorted paintings and cosy couches. Sundays see the gay and lesbian community chill to some terrific DJs.
reviewed
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PJ O’Hares
This is a classic, stone-floor pub with a blazing fire. There’s music most nights in summer and the owners have recently opened a restaurant (mains €13 to €20) upstairs serving excellent oysters and the likes of steak-and-Guinness pie and shellfish linguine.
reviewed
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Shelbourne FC
Premier League champions in 2006, Shels was ignominiously booted out of the top division straight afterwards for financial irregularities, lost all its good players and spent all of 2007 struggling in Division 1 – which is really the second division.
reviewed
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White House Pub
A classic right in the centre, this corner pub has good seating outside (under a rare tree) and a good beer list. On some nights it has live acoustic, on others it helps lead a rebirth of local poetry through readings (www.whitehousepoets.blogspot.com).
reviewed
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Library Bar
Trendy bar/club with a small patio sheltered by shrubs where you can text your crew to come join you. A few books really are placed around the edgy, moody interior, with lots of primary-colour backlights behind the bar. Open till 2am at weekends.
reviewed
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JJ Harlow’s
Untouched until recently, the front bar at this old-world pub still has shelves full of provisions and hardware items, though it has lost much of its original character. The modern back bar hosts regular live music including bluegrass and jazz.
reviewed
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St Patrick’s Athletic
Four league titles in the 1990s, and one since the turn of the century…the Saints are an accomplished club whose ground is known as the Stadium of Lights, in tribute to the infinitely more impressive ground once played on by Benfica.
reviewed
