With a birthday on St. Patrick’s Day, it only seemed fitting to have my 30^th birthday in Ireland! So that’s what my husband and friends did in 2017. To do a post about our entire trip would be so many pages long and no one wants to read that much! So I’ll chunk out my trip in different categories so I can get more in depth on some pieces.

First and most important post is of course “where are the best Irish pubs in Ireland?!”

Dublin:

Guinness Brewery: Yes, I know it is touristy BUT completely worth it! Even locals recommend you go here at least once. I am from Wisconsin, where our small towns usually comprise of 4 bars and a church and this brewery is unlike any that I have been to before. It is multi-level, with attractions at every level, entertainment, food, a view and the chance to pour your very own Guinness.

The Bank: This bar/restaurant used to be a legitimate bank in the late 1800s! Now it is an iconic and delicious bar and restaurant. I had the best fish and chips here, even better than London… The bathrooms are bank safes and reservations are required if you want to eat.

The Brazen Head: So…this is the oldest pub in Ireland, est 1198…need I say more? But on a serious note, it is a beautiful venue with different bar areas within the building and food in some rooms.

The Church: This place was so cool! Such good drinks and multiple levels of restaurants…a very fun find and I highly recommend!

Galway:

We only stayed on Galway one night (very much regret that decision), so my night shenanigans are a little fuzzy. However I can tell you: explore Quay St which turns into High St. and walk the town center square. Quay Street at night is especially cool with the lights! Also, don’t hesitate to try to win at the hang for 100 second contest that may be in the middle of the street. 🙂

Because everyone in Ireland is so incredibly nice, we met a bunch of people in Galway that we ended up barhopping with all night. AND because my memory is fuzzy, I reached out to them to see if any of them have better memories of that night. Luckily one did remember the names of all three bars we went to, so thank him for this section of the post!

The Dail Bar: This is a fun, busy bar where you just might meet some crazy Irish and Canadian folk to party with the rest of the night. 😉

Quays Bar: Another super busy bar with usually good music. This was a younger, very outgoing crowd.

Taaffes Bar: This was our final bar of the night. We somehow snagged a table near the front and had the BEST time. We had such a good time, I may have forgotten a lot of the details of this bar…

Dingle:

Dick Mack’s: Who doesn’t like multiple use spaces? Here you can get a belt made while you listen to some music in one of the rooms in this historic house turned bar.

Foxy John’s: Where you can get all the drinks and hardware supplies you need. Dingle has another fantastic multi-use bar!

O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub: Best live music in Dingle and one of the only ones open past midnight…that is a rarity in Ireland.

The Blue Zone: We had some good pizza here and listened to some awesome jazz music. This definitely has a more New Orleans vibe but a cool place to check out for sure!

Killarney:

Pub wise I didn’t find any place too noteworthy here EXCEPT… (all you LOTR fans will appreciate this, and if you don’t know what LOTR is, I can’t help you):

The Shire: Lord of the Rings themed bar with decor, music, drinks and food. I could literally spend hours here…

In conclusion:

While this was a drink themed post, there are many amazing reasons to go to Ireland which I will get into in later posts.

I hope you enjoyed my boozy tidbits and please leave a comment with your favorite pub in Ireland so I know where to go next time!!