I absolutely love Dublin. Spending time in Dublin Pubs sipping Guinness and listening to live music is one of my favorite things to do. Ireland seems to be filled with talented musicians. Most pubs have live music, and I was eager to settle into a pub and listen every night. It was the perfect way to enjoy the local culture while relaxing after a day of sightseeing.
The other thing I love about pubs in Ireland and the UK is that they are so pretty! They all seem to be decorated with flags and flowers. It is as if they are all trying to outdo each other.
Temple Bar is the area known for pubs in Dublin. It is a bit touristy, and the pub called The Temple Bar is one of the most popular. It is also one of the prettiest pubs in the city. I love the bold red paint.
One thing we were warned about is theft in the Temple Bar area. Many of the pubs had signs reminding patrons to keep an eye on their belongings. I just put my credit card, my room key, cell phone, and a little cash in the pockets of my jacket so I had less to worry about.
We happened to arrive in Dublin the day of the hurling championship (we had never heard of the sport, but it is a BIG deal in Ireland). Whenever there is a major sporting event in Ireland it is tradition to decorate the pub with balloons in the colors of the two teams. I didn’t get any photos of this, but it was something we won’t forget because as soon as we arrived in Dublin our cab driver started explaining hurling to us and showed us videos, and our cab even passed the winning teams bus with the players holding their trophy. The streets behind us filled with cheering fans, it was really cool – and something locals were a bit jealous of when we told them.
The Quays Bar was our favorite. It is definitely touristy, but it had the best live music. A local musician named Dan Elliot was playing and he created musical medleys that mixed Ed Sheeran with Eminem. It was so fun!
One thing we noticed was the massive piles of empty kegs outside the bars! The staff told me that this pile is just two days of empty kegs.
If you want to see even more photos of pubs, you can check out this post about London Pubs!
