The 5 Best Pubs In Ireland |
Posted: November 20, 2019 |
The thing about stereotypes is that they all have a little bit of truth in them. They may not be the most accurate or flattering ways to describe a person, a place, or a people, but it's impossible to form a stereotype without first having something to base that stereotypical issue around. With Ireland, one of the major stereotypes is that the population enjoys a drink. It is, after all, the birthplace of Guinness (even though some people try to dispute that fact). Drinking is just one of the stereotypes about Ireland that exists in the public consciousness. Think of Ireland, and you'll likely also think of lush green hills, and little leprechauns playing the fiddle while trying to hide their pots of gold over the rainbow. Cliches about the country like that mostly come from the world of mobile slots. 'Rainbow Riches,' one of the most popular mobile slots on website like Rose Slots, makes liberal use of that iconography, much to the occasional displeasure of Irish gamblers who've had to put up with a lifetime of similarly-themed games. Even in the mobile slots, though, you'll still find plenty of beer turning up as symbols on the reels. It would seem that some stereotypes can't be avoided, and if we can't avoid them, perhaps we should embrace them instead! The truth is that Ireland is full of fantastic pubs, and has a beer and whiskey scene that rivals any other location anywhere on the planet. We know a thing or two about the best places to drink on the Emerald Isle, and this is our take on where you should head if you find yourself thirsty in the country! The South Pole Inn, Annascaul Naming a pub in Co. Kerry after the South Pole may seem like a strange idea until you find out who founded and opened it, way back in the 1920s. That was the legendary Irish Antarctic explorer Tom Crean, who also has a mountain and a glacier named in his honor. Plenty of memorabilia from Crean's travels is inside the pub, from maps to photos and sculptures. The Crean family influence is still there in the pub to this day - the best drink it has to offer, which goes by the name of Expedition Irish Ale, is brewed by the great man's granddaughter. While it may look like a novelty pub because it goes so far with the South Pole theme, it's the genuine article. There's nowhere else like it in the world. Charlie’s Bar, Cork The appeal of Charlie’s Bar is all about the raucous atmosphere. If you’re looking for somewhere to sit and have a quiet pint while you read the paper, you won’t find it here. It both looks and feels like the sort of place that pirates may have gathered to spend their ill-gotten gains centuries ago, and the fact that it’s sat right on the water’s edge doesn’t do much to dispel that nautical feeling. Entertainment inside its walls feels like barely-organized chaos; fiddlers and other musicians seem to turn up and start playing without notice, and seemingly without being booked. There’s live music from traditional Irish bands on almost every night of the week, and it also serves one of the best pints of Guinness anywhere in the country. Mulligan’s, Dublin If you want to get to the cultural heart of Ireland, you have to go to Dublin. It might be a modern city these days, and it has the price plan to go with it, but there are still nooks and crannies that haven’t been touched by the 21st century. Mulligan’s was built in 1782, and virtually nothing inside it appears to have been changed since. It might be considered too traditional for some tastes - there’s no music, no television, and no pool tables. We imagine the introduction of any electrical items at all met with some resistance when it was suggested. We said that Charlie’s Bar served one of the best pints of Guinness in the county, but Mulligan’s arguably serves the outright best. There’s apparently a theory as to how it should be poured, and the staff will be happy to demonstrate for you. Beach Bar, Aughris Ireland doesn't do beaches the same way the rest of the world does. Almost everywhere else, beaches are full of sunbathers and ice cream vendors. In Ireland, they're romantic places that teeter on the verge of being slightly sad and wistful. Aughris has a beach like that, and it has a bar to go with it. This is an old Irish cottage that still has all of its original features and its thatched roof. There's decades-old fishing equipment on the shelves as if someone's going to come back one day and claim it. All of the ale is locally sourced (and often quite strong), but the star of the show is undoubtedly the landscape around it. You get a perfect panoramic view of West Sligo if you sit on the tables outside the pub, including the picture-book castles and hills. JJ Hough’s Singing Pub, Banagher The vines on the outer walls of this pub grow so thickly that we don't know if they're slowly tearing it apart, or they're the only thing holding it up. JJ Hough's Singing Pub is a relic of a forgotten age, and it's full of the charm and wisdom of the years. If the walls of this place could talk, they'd regale you with tales all night. Accessible by boat from the River Shannon, it takes the 'singing' aspect of its name very seriously. It's run by a musical family, all of whom have a different talent they'd be happy to show you on request. We've heard tales of one of the barmen asking a patron to pour pints for him while he played the spoons, with his aunt accompanying him on the piano. Some of the yellowing posters on the walls are decades old, and if you spend too long inside, you'll begin to feel like you've traveled back in time. We mean that in the best possible way.
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