The Best Pubs in Ireland

The cobbled courtyard and castle-like facade are your first hint that this pub has been around forever, and it genuinely has, with a tavern on the site since the medieval period. Inside, three low-ceilinged rooms are plastered with historical curiosities, which suits the atmosphere well enough that it never feels like a theme park. A classic old Dublin pub, full stop, and one that's earned the patina.

The Dubliners launched their career in the cramped spot by the front window, and that corner still fills with live traditional music seven nights a week. O'Donoghues is an old-school Dublin pub on Merrion Row, the stretch locals call the Royal Mile of traditional bars, near St. Stephen's Green. Pints, fiddles, and a room that has barely changed since the O'Donoghue family converted it from a grocery shop.