St. Pintrick’s Day in Dublin
You have just landed in Dublin or you are planning a big trip for the St. Patricks Day festivities. So you are in need of a plan, well look no further, here is the We Love Pints St. Pintricks Day guide to the best pubs and pints in and around the St. Patricks Day Parade route. Welcome to our mini tour around Dublin’s fair city. Read on for our best Guinness and best pubs in Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day.
Now, this isn’t a list of every pub on the route of the parade nor are all of these pubs and pints directly on the route. There will be a bit of walking involved but not too much. So whether you are on the hunt for the best pubs in Dublin City on St. Patricks Day or you just want to get through as many pints and pubs as you can, this guide will get you on the right track. Even if you are just looking for a few nice spots to hit on the day, you are in the right place. We are going to start on the Northside of the River Liffey. The first few pubs we are going to mention are just a short walk from O’Connell Street. So lock yourself in, here’s our St. Pintricks Day guide to Dublin City.
First up is Cleary’s pub on Amiens Street. A short walk from Connolly Station. This is a great bar. An iconic spot that was frequented by Michael Collins back in the day. It is popular with the locals and it is full of history. It deserves a mention for its absolutely phenomenal pints of Guinness that are dished up by experienced bar staff. If you look around, nobody is drinking anything else. If you manage to tear yourself away from those belting pints of plain our next stop-off is a 5-minute walk up to The Celt on Talbot Street. They have a solid bar menu, Beef and Guinness stew always calls to me, get it into your beak! There are large screens for sport and live music every night of the week! If you are having a party, The Celt is available for group bookings. The all-important pint of Guinness has been fairly spectacular every time we drop by as well. You can read more about The Celt here.
As we depart The Celt and make our way up Talbot Street towards O’Connell Street, we swing a right onto Marlborough Street. The Confession Box is a small enough pub. There are seats downstairs at the bar and a few tables around it. If you venture upstairs you will find another small seating area. They have a great selection of Whiskey to choose from including their own branded whiskey which is fairly tasty. The ladies serving up the pints last time we were in dished up some absolutely sensational Guinness. We had to stay for a few. Great atmosphere here and you are just a short walk from O’Connell Street.
Next up is a lively little bar just down the other end of Marlborough. We can keep this short and sweet. Briody’s is a cosy little old-school bar. It’s another spot that is popular with the locals. There’s a nice atmosphere and some absolutely monumental pints of Guinness being served. We nearly left this off the list but sure you will be passing it anyway so why not stick the head in after the Confession Box and treat yourself to another creamy belter before we head over the bridge to the Southside?
Right you have just necked your last sip. Time to open up Google maps and search Mulligans Poolbeg Street. What a spot this is. You are always guaranteed a good pint of Guinness in here. This one pops up on all of your best Guinness lists and it does so for a reason, the pints are absolute creamdelamon. I have been in here regularly enough and anyone I bring with me fully concurs. So if somebody says “Mulligans Poolbeg Street Guinness” you should definitely listen. Mulligans for us is a must-visit.
If you have managed to pull yourself away from there our next stop is Bowes. Another one that is no stranger to the aforementioned best of lists. Again we would say this is definitely worth ticking off the list. You will find Bowes on Fleet Street a stone’s throw from Trinity College and about a 4-minute walk from Mulligans on a good day. If you are 9 pints deep it’s hard to know 🙂 A cosy pub with a nice relaxed atmosphere. Victorian decor and a good Whiskey selection. It might not have the most beautiful exterior but sure that depends on what you’re into. I love it for the record but don’t let the looks fool you either way. It is small enough so you might struggle for a seat but definitely get down there and get some pints into your beak.
As we continue our journey onwards we land at the edge of Temple Bar. We won’t be venturing down, well not to drink anyway. We are stopping at The Palace Bar, a Victorian bar with a stained glass skylight. Not as expensive as the pubs in the centre of Temple Bar. Great atmosphere, drop in on a Saturday evening and the place does be hopping. They do food if you are peckish, and they put on regular trad music sessions. Venture upstairs and you will be met by the Whiskey Palace a good spot for any of you Whsikey heads out there. If you are sticking to the pints, the Guinness is solid.
We are going to take in one more pub before we pause for breath. Take a few more sips and then we will be heading for page two of our St.Pintricks Day guide to the best pubs and pints in Dublin City,
We may as well take the stroll down Temple Bar as we set our sites on our next target which is The Ha’penny Bridge inn on Wellington Quay which is just on the outskirts of Temple Bar. As you bob and weave through the tourist trap don’t get sucked in anywhere, keep your eyes on the prize. We haven’t steered you wrong so far have we?
Right if you haven’t been dragged in somewhere for a €10 pint you will be at The Ha’Penny Bridge Inn. Again nowhere near as expensive as the pubs right around the corner and this is a cracking spot right on the waterfront, adjacent to Ireland’s iconic Ha’Penny Bridge. They run regular open mic nights and trad sessions. The staff in here are absolutely bang on the button and they won’t dish you up any muck pints of Guinness. You are in good hands here. If you are looking for the best pubs near Temple Bar, you won’t go far wrong with The Palace Bar and The Ha’Penny Bridge inn.
We are close enough to halfway through our guide. if you are reading this at home before you hit Dublin, go and pour yourself a can before we embark on part 2. On the other hand, you might be mid-pub crawl after necking a pint in each pub so far. So give yourself a nice pat on the back, get your coat on, and get out for some fresh air and on to the next one with you.
Head over to page two as we kick off the second half of our best Guinness and best pubs in Dublin on St. Patricks Day. You can follow our tour around every pub in Ireland here on our website as well as on our Instagram here
