Ireland–One Pub at a Time

As many of you know already from my report on Dingle Brewing Co, I’ve just returned from southwestern Ireland.  Purely in the name of science and to satisfy your questions, I thought I’d “investigate” the pub scene on the emerald isle….and here’s what I found.

As you might expect and as the photo above illustrates…Guinness is god in Ireland.  No matter which pub you stroll into, there will not only be Guinness on draft, but multiple handles of Guinness (even some that are lighted handles).  From our tiny hometown pub in Blackwater Bridge to the big Durty Nellys in Bunratty, Guinness & Guinness/Diagio brands dominate.  Thankfully the pours are not only generous imperial pints, but the pours were always perfect, including the clover leaf head (see photo).

And how much does a pint cost in Ireland? 

Well it varies a bit, but for the most part a stout (Guinness, Murphy’s or Beamish) will cost between 3.60 and 4.00 Euros which translates to $5.00 – $5.60 in our currency….and an ale, lager or cider cost slightly more.  Most pubs followed the Vintner’s Federation of Ireland guidelines (see photo) for their pricing and quantities.

Ireland is a draught culture so other than Bulmers Cider, wine or Lucozade (an Irish version of our energy drinks), I rarely saw a bottle on the bar.  They do seem to stock bottles, but no one seemed to buy them.  The grocery stores stocked some bottles also, but most of what I saw going out the door were the the 20oz large cans of Guinness Draught (about 15.00 Euros for an 8-pack

0 and these were very popular on the island for hiking and even sitting on the beach (as you can see).

As far as draught, beyond Guinness, Murphy’s and Beamish, we also saw quite a bit of Bulmers, Smithwicks, Kilkenny (my favorite), Carlsberg, Heineken and even Budweiser…the last three being BUL (Brewed under license in Ireland) beers.  As far as traditional craft beer or hand-drawn beers there were unfortunately very few in the areas we traveled…only the soon to open Dingle Brewing Co and a fantastic little pub we found on the Dingle peninsula called the Tig Bhric.  The Tig Bhric translates to the house of Brick (a family name according to the bar-keep) and it was one of my favorite pubs of the trip (see photos).  They had a hand-pumped Irish dark ale and a real peat fire raging in the fireplace.  All in all a wonderful place to get out of the rain and share a cask conditioned ale.

So what were the pubs like?  Well of course they were amazing, fun and most of all welcoming, but what better way to show off what they looked like than in pictures…

	Murphys Pub in downtown Dingle…
	South Pole Inn in Annascaul(another favorite of mine).
	O’Neils Blackwater Tavern (our home pub).  Note that this photo is taken from my bedroom window
	Teddy O’Sullivan’s Pub near Kilmackillogue Pier
	O’Neill’s Bar & Restaurant in Allihies
	McCarthy’s in Castletownbere  Our pal Peggy pointed out that McCarthy’s still had the original divided women & men sections of the pub.
	The Bridge Bar on Valencia Island.
	Durty Nelly’s in Bunratty (yes that’s the castle in the background).  These guys had a great scheme to let you pour your own Guinness (for more Euros of course)

These were just a few of the pubs we visited, and there are many many more.  All in all, Ireland is one of my favorite places in the world to raise a pint.  Whether in a city pub in Dublin, or the rural confines of County Kerry, you’ll not find a friendlier pub culture….Cheers to Ireland.