Lonely Planet is back with another list of the best and this time it’s the top 20 pubs in Ireland – with just five watering holes in Munster getting the nod.
According to the iconic travel guide, these pubs are the best in the country for pints, music and ‘the time of your life’.
Pub-come-music-place De Barra’s Folk Club in Clonakilty was the only Cork-based pub to make the list, which the authors of the article describe as ‘like entering a museum of musical history’.
Cork’s lovingly nicknamed Carnegie Hall has been home to many musical talents, including Damien Dempsey, John Spillane and Christy Moore (who coined the Carnegie Hall simile), and its walls are adorned with musical instruments and memorabilia.
Also on the list is The Moorings in Dungarvan, Co Waterford. This beachfront cabin has been described as a “slice of heaven on a sunny day.” Located along the Waterford Greenway, the pub also offers a fabulous seafood chowder, which former Chapter One chef Eric Matthews described as “the best chowder in the world”.
Dick Mack’s pub in Dingle, Co. Kerry was also mentioned, as was its adjacent, recently restored 19th century brewery. As a dual-purpose pub, you’ll find beer and a fine selection of whiskeys in one half of this iconic pub and a leather shop in the other. They even sell their own merchandise, a true mark of legendary status.
In County Clare, O’Loclainn’s Irish Whiskey Bar in Ballyvaughan is also a Lonely Planet must-see. They particularly appreciated the range of whiskeys on display, which now number in the hundreds.
Finally, a relatively new establishment, Mother Mac’s in the city of Limerick, ensured that Treaty County got its due. The popular public house only opened in December 2015 but quickly became recognized as the home of craft beer in the city. The building dates from the late 1700s and it is one of the few pubs in town that does not have a television.
