Entertainment in Ireland
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A
Blue Note
This jazzy pub-cum-dance-bar has a great summer beer garden and usually no cover charge.
reviewed
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B
Café en Seine
A tidy jazz band for Sunday brunch and some Big Band Swing on Monday nights fill out the musical menu at one of Dublin’s biggest and most wildly extravagant bars. The Belle Epoque décor make it easy to imagine that you’re actually at one of F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald’s decadent parties.
reviewed
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C
Gravediggers (aka Kavanagh’s)
The gravediggers from the adjacent Glasnevin Cemetery had a secret serving hatch so that they could drink on the job – hence the pub’s nickname. Founded in 1833 by one John Kavanagh and still in the family, this pub is one of the best in Ireland, virtually unchanged in 150 years. In summer time the green of the square is full of drinkers basking in the sun, while inside the hardened locals ensure that ne’er a hint of sunshine disturbs some of the best Guinness in town. An absolute classic.
reviewed
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D
Monroe’s Tavern
Often photographed for its classic, world-weary facade, Monroe’s delivers traditional music and ballads, plus it remains the only pub in the city with regular Irish dancing. A pizza joint buried within turns out good pies.
reviewed
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E
Kelly's Cellars
Kelly's is Belfast's oldest pub (1720) – as opposed to tavern; see White's Tavern – and was a meeting place for Henry Joy McCracken and the United Irishmen when they were planning the 1798 Rising. The story goes that McCracken hid behind the bar when British soldiers came for him. A bit rough around the edges (a description that could apply to some of the regulars too), it remains resolutely old-fashioned, but pulls in a broad cross-section of Belfast society and is a good bet for impromptu traditional music sessions.
reviewed
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F
Botanic Inn
The ‘Bot’ is the second pillar of Malone Rd’s unholy trinity of student pubs, along with the ‘Eg’ and the ‘Welly Park’ (Wellington Park). The latter has sadly been renovated into airport-departure-lounge anonymity, but the Bot is still a wild place, with dancing in the upstairs Top of the Bot club Wednesday to Saturday (people queue down the street to get in), live acoustic music in the Back Bar on Monday and Wednesday, and big-screen sport when there’s a match on.
reviewed
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G
Church
We don’t normally go in for superpubs, but this one deserves a mention. Irish patriot Wolfe Tone, who was baptised here, and Arthur Guinness, brewery founder, who married here, might have conflicting views on the fate of this remarkable early 18th-century church. The glorious restoration features an enormous organ and historically important wall plaques and inscriptions. Expect a well-heeled crowd.
reviewed
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Auld Dubliner
Predominantly patronised by tourists, ‘the Auld Foreigner’, as locals have dubbed it, has a carefully manicured ‘old-world’ charm that has been preserved – or refined – after a couple of renovations. It’s a reliable place for a singsong and a laugh, as long as you don’t mind taking 15 minutes to get to and from the jax (toilet).
reviewed
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An Teach Beag
This intriguing pub, out back from O'Donovan's Hotel, has all the atmosphere necessary for good traditional music sessions. You might even catch a scríocht (a session by storytellers and poets) in full flow. There's music nightly during July and August, and on weekends for the rest of the year. Check out the historical plaque at the start of the alley – times have changed…
reviewed
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I
Market Bar
This fashionable watering hole is run by the same guys as the Globe around the corner. Little would you know this beautiful, airy Victorian space was a sausage factory in a former life.
reviewed
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J
Gaiety Theatre
Opened in 1871, this theatre is used for modern plays, TV shows, musical comedies and revues.
reviewed
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K
Séhán Ua Neáchtain
Painted a bright cornflower blue, this 19th-century pub, known simply as Neáchtain's (nock-tans) or Naughtons, has a wraparound string of tables outside, many shaded by a large tree. It's a place where a polyglot mix of locals plop down and let the world pass them by – or stop and join them for a pint.
reviewed
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University Concert Hall
Permanent home of the Irish Chamber Orchestra, with regular concerts from visiting acts, plus opera, drama, comedy and dance.
reviewed
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De Barra's
A marvellous atmosphere, walls splattered with photos, press cuttings, masks and musical instruments, plus the cream of live music every night of the week (starting around 9.30pm) make this a busy pub.
reviewed
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Brogan’s
Only a couple of doors down from the Olympia Theatre, this is a wonderful old-style bar where conversation – not loud music – is king. The beer is also pretty good.
reviewed
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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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M
Sheridans on the Docks
This waterfront bar is a chic yet relaxed spot for cheese platters from the family's cheese shop, Sheridans Cheesemongers, as well as wines by the glass and boutique beers.
reviewed
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N
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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O
Joe Watty's Bar
This is the best pub in Kilronan, with traditional sessions most nights and rather posh pub food (noon to 8pm) from June to August. Turf fires warm the air on the 50 weeks a year when this is needed.
reviewed
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Voodoo
This vast club is the centre of Letterkenny's nightlife. Check the website for events.
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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Q
Ice Bar
Not to be confused with the Dice Bar in a taxi – practise your elocution because the bars are worlds apart in every sense. Young, single 20-somethings with infinite disposable incomes come here to see and be seen, making this either the most sought-after destination in town or somewhere to avoid like a bad dose of plague. Flash your convertible-beemer car keys at the door for speedy access. The all-white chichi interior with central chrome and marble bar is softened by some lovely, specially commissioned wall hangings by Irish artists. Vodka-based cocktails are the house speciality.
reviewed
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Strawberry Hall
Strawberry Hall alone makes it worth the trek to the Strawberry Beds, a totally unspoilt bit of countryside. The Strawberry Beds run alongside the northern banks of the Liffey between the villages of Chapelizod and Lucan, roughly along the western edge of the Phoenix Parkand, and is one of the city's most beautiful getaway spots. Have drinks at the utterly wonderful Strawberry Hall, reputedly Dublin’s second-oldest pub and one of the best-kept secrets in town. This place alone makes it worth the trek.
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
