Best Irish Bar You've Been To??

Big Nasty · 27-02-2010 06:59PM

Audacious wrote: »

Has to be the Corkonian in Cologne. If theres a match on all the expats come flooding in for expensive bulmers and to shout at the tv

Are you for real? I was in that dirty hole a few years back, it's just off Cathedral Square. More like an '80's pub in Manchester.

27-02-2010 07:30PM

Finnegans Wake in Edinburgh. We had some craic in that place over two separate weekends in Edinburgh in summer 2005. What a day we had watching the great Galway vs Killkenny hurling semi-final there in 2005. Our second weekend was planned more or less to watch the match in Finnegans after the craic we had there on our first weekend.

BraziliaNZ · 27-02-2010 07:39PM

Alex Quaint Robot wrote: »

Finnegans Wake in Edinburgh. We had some craic in that place over two separate weekends in Edinburgh in summer 2005. What a day we had watching the great Galway vs Killkenny hurling semi-final there in 2005. Our second weekend was planned more or less to watch the match in Finnegans after the craic we had there on our first weekend.

it burnt down a year or two ago

Jello · 27-02-2010 08:19PM

Went to one in Brussels called Celtica I think, the pub itself was nothing amazing but they had pints of a pretty nice beer for €2 during happy hour, and 'happy hour' lasted for 12 hours

There were no clubs open that night so we went back to it, the place was jammed full of young Belgians with dance music playing, was pretty fun.

Went to another in London for the Ireland v Scotland match in last year's six nations called Waxy O'Connors which was also a good laugh.

tolosenc · 27-02-2010 08:38PM

De Danú in Toulouse is one of the best bars in Toulouse, Irish or not. I'd recommend Dubliners there aswell. The Melting Pot - not so much, and Mulligans only if you're a bit of a Fenian.

La Fontana de Oro in Madrid is really good too. And Johnny Fox's in Vancouver.

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV · 27-02-2010 08:43PM

the oddest place i've come across an irish bar was on gili trawangan , a tiny island north of Bali, Indonesia , the middle of nowhere. the biggest irish bar i've seen on the smallest island i've ever been on! great menu and great drinks, grat memories of drunken girls dancing on the bar every night

spurious · 27-02-2010 08:51PM

Another mention here for Nic Nowego in Krakow.
Nice breakfasts too.

Ickle Magoo · 27-02-2010 08:56PM

Went to a lovely Irish bar in Mexico - flags up and posters of Irish scenes, Pogues playing, warm guiness, green tequila - just on a random snow white beach surrounded by turquoise water. It was a bit surreal tbh but the best bar I've been to, Irish or otherwise!

cock robin · 27-02-2010 09:33PM

Lynch's in Jacksonville (Florida) it had everything including drunk patron's, violence and a raid by the local police. just like home.:D

Vorsprung · 27-02-2010 09:52PM

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV wrote: »

the oddest place i've come across an irish bar was on gili trawangan , a tiny island north of Bali, Indonesia , the middle of nowhere. the biggest irish bar i've seen on the smallest island i've ever been on! great menu and great drinks, grat memories of drunken girls dancing on the bar every night

Tír na nÓg - run by a couple from Clontarf. Great place, was there last July. So cheap, and loads of hot Scandies!

There's a place called the Dubliners in Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, near the Panamanian border. The place was run by a few Rastas who were off their heads on weed. There no Irish music, or pictures, or random Irish trinkets, but there was an upside down Irish flag on the wall.

Joe Cool · 27-02-2010 10:27PM

Rocky Sullivan's on Lexington Avenue in New York.

Aidric · 27-02-2010 10:30PM

Toulousain wrote: »

De Danú in Toulouse is one of the best bars in Toulouse, Irish or not.

Is that Trevor Brennans place?

tolosenc · 27-02-2010 10:56PM

Aidric wrote: »

Is that Trevor Brennans place?

Yep. Student nights on Tuesdays are brill.

Flamed Diving · 27-02-2010 11:36PM

Irish bars are rubbish.

Easily_Irritated · 28-02-2010 03:11AM

The Muddy Farmer in Auckland... they literally bought and emptied a pub at home and shipped it out.

There are many MANY others... but Father Teds is good too.... they have Bulmers, Tayto and club orange.. Mmmmmm

Bonito · 28-02-2010 04:13AM

http://www.sullivanvitamins.com/images/4450-butlers-jameson-irish-whiskey-truffle-bar_500x500.jpg

OutlawPete · 28-02-2010 04:18AM

Bonito wrote: »

http://www.sullivanvitamins.com/images/4450-butlers-jameson-irish-whiskey-truffle-bar_500x500.jpg

If there ever comes a thread called:

"The most awful jokes you found to be funny.."

You'll win it with that, Bonny me lad :pac:

Bonito · 28-02-2010 04:22AM

OutlawPete wrote: »

If there ever comes a thread called:

"The most awful jokes you found to be funny.."

You'll win it with that, Bonny me lad :pac:

/goes to create thread.

Well. I seen IvySlayer (slaver?) post earlier why go to an Irish bar on hols.

Well. My experience is. All the english and northern girls go to these said bars on hols and frankly, they do be gaggin' for the Irish fellas :cool:

/'nuff said.

EI111 · 28-02-2010 04:28AM

Vorsprung wrote: »

The place was run by a few Rastas who were off their heads on weed. There no Irish music, or pictures, or random Irish trinkets, but there was an upside down Irish flag on the wall.

Ivory Coast bar maybe?

bnt · 28-02-2010 12:52PM

I actually worked in a new O'Neill's in North London for about six months, from before it opened up. We knew it was a chain outlet (Bass), but they really did make an effort e.g. whiskey specialists came and taught us about Irish whiskey, which I'd never had before, and I discovered that I liked John Power. Guinness reps came and showed us how to pour correctly, and explained why the gas is crucial to the quality of the drink, etc.

That was back in in the 90s, before I moved to Dublin, yet I still say that the best Guinness I've ever had was a pint that I poured for myself, in London, after the bar closed for the night. It was never going to be a permanent thing for me, back in the days when the air turned blue from the smoke and my hair smelled like an ashtray every night. I was in the IT business, and left when I got a job offer for about 5x what I was making in the pub.

brummytom · 28-02-2010 01:11PM

There's some good ones round Birmingham - obviously, the Irish Centre. I was in one Friday Night, the Anchor. There was folk singing, trad music by kids from the Comhaltas, and a bit of Irish dancing. But it didn't feel contrived... it felt 'real' if you know what I mean? It's a real pub, none of the bicycles on the wall shit

The Black Rose/Roisin Dubh in Boston, MA; is a great place aswell.

Dont be at yourself · 28-02-2010 01:20PM

Stevecw wrote: »

That would be O'Neills, i'd say, great spot. Was there on a stag and went in for 1 or 2 to watch a match in the afternoon. Ended up staying there till the end. Had everything pool tables, big screens, great women and loads of beer!! Best thing about Frankfurt as the city itself is not up to much.

O'Reillys, it is. Awful pub, zero personality. Massive screens, pool tables, 50 different sports on at once, and full of stag and hen parties. In a kip of an area too.

In Frankfurt, both the Irish Pub Bornheim and McGowans are much nicer. Better crowd, better atmosphere, friendlier staff and good, cheap food and drink.

There was a great one in Kyoto, but I believe it's been taken over since - Taigh's Irish Pub. A friend and I had just touched down, our bank cards weren't working anywhere, and the owner - who didn't know us from Adam - offered to give us a dig out, rang the wife etc to see if she could help. Spent Christmas Day there too!

Salzburg has a good one too. The back of the bar is actually built into a cliff. You can drink in a cave!

milnerrm · 28-02-2010 01:22PM

the Four Deuces in the Sunset district in San Francisco is a great Irish bar...

BuachaillAbroad · 28-02-2010 01:30PM

Agreed on Celtica in Brussels-cheapest drink in the centre of Brussels on the weekend & it's open till all hours.

There's also a cool little "Celtic" cellar bar in Brussels called La Porte Noir-great music, beer & the bar staff are crazy-were giving me & a few friends free mead all night cause we were Irish.

Best Irish bar's I've been to in Europe are the Black Stuff in Luxembourg (feels exactly like a country pub at home & has great German beers), The Shamrock Bar in Munich & Samuel Beckett's (I think that the name) in Budapest.

With the new European GAA season starting soon, will be hitting some Irish bar over here!

Seaneh · 28-02-2010 01:38PM

O'Connors in Pamplona is good.

The Harp was handy because it's at the bottom of Calle San Nicolas (You have NEVER seen anything like san nic during San Fermin!).

There's a really nice one just off Sol in Madrid that does a savage bangers and mash, great for the auld hungover belly so it was, can't remember the name though.

Aussie Sean · 28-02-2010 01:41PM

dave 27 wrote: »

the irish centre in playa del ingles, probably on of the best place to head out to!

Bejaysus and Begorrah!!! The good old Randy Leprachaun!! Sept 95 in that place will be forever imprinted in my memory and probably still to this day on my liver!! That trip coincided with the Dubs last All Ireland win. The place was packed to the rafters for the occasion but they only had a Radio relay so it was a tad surreal looking at a pub full of drunk Dubs staring into space as they listened to the action.

Sean

ItsAWindUp · 28-02-2010 01:46PM

Me and a mate found one in Portugal, "Happy" hour (In inverted commas because it's usually home to depressed drunks) was from 9-5, 50c for half a pint and €1 for a pint. Man that was some fortnight!

zootroid · 28-02-2010 01:48PM

The drunken poet in Melbourne

It actually looked like an Irish pub (no telly or radio, and played live music at night, local acts, not tributes to the pogues or anything), guinness was lovely, and it was run by a girl from Kilkenny.

In fact it's the only Irish bar I've been in abroad where you could forget you were abroad for a moment.

JONJO THE MISER · 28-02-2010 01:54PM

The International Bar in Fairbanks Alaska, run by 2 Settled Irish traveller brothers, a real old and dirty pub but full of old Irish Americans.

Ollchailin · 28-02-2010 02:57PM

Only one person here has mentioned my favourite, McSorley's in New York. Not only is this place not like any other "Irish" pub, it's unlike any other pub at all, at least that I've been to anyway. It's there since 1854, unlike most other Irish bars that were built when Ryanair was set up.

You can only buy ale there- light or dark (and when I say light I mean colour, not calories). They're served in little steins and you have to buy two steins in one go so that'll make up your pint. I think it's the two steins for 6 dollars.

They don't have a cash register, they throw the money in a box and they take orders from people on a little notebook.

I've been there a few times and the barmen and owners are so nice, all Irish (at least the ones I met were). They still cover the floor in sawdust- it's only a small pub, but has a really interesting history (history is on the website www.mcsorleysnewyork.com). Women have only been allowed in the pub since 1970!!

I'd definitely go there if/when I visit New York again anyway.

Best Irish Bar You've Been To??

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