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the thirsty traveler

The Irish Umbrella

The Irish forecast is as follows:

“There are two types of weather in Ireland: raining and going to rain.”

“The weather in Ireland is 3 days of rain followed by 4 days of rain.”

“You must wear a scarf, sun glasses, and a rain jacket because you may need all three in fifteen minutes.”

Now, I heard recently that Ireland has the best umbrellas in all the world: the Irish umbrellas. After an almost entire year in Ireland, I can safely say, this statement is absolutely true. Curious yet?

In order to keep out of this year-around miserable weather, most of us on this Emerald Island spend a huge chunk of time under the best umbrellas yet…the Irish pubs!

Here are a list of my top 10 favorite off-the-beaten-path pubs in Dublin:

1. McGary’s Pub – Harold’s Cross Road. Great free pub quiz every Wednesday night. Pizza and a Pint for 12 euro!

2. Rody Bolands – Rathmines. Fun traditional pub in a really great young area in south Dublin. It is far from city center, but walking down to this area is a great way for tourists to see how locals live.

3. Paddy Cullens – Ballsbridge. This quaint pub hides amongst the embassy area of Dublin. Ballsbridge is a bustling area full of businessmen, politicians, and working men/women. This pub also hosts specials for rugby matches.

4. The Barge -Ranelagh. A GREAT pub by the canal. It is a local pub, especially for after work drinks. On nice days, you can drink by the canal and so it gets packed with locals inside and outside. Also a great place to watch sporting events on the big screens!

5. TapHouse – The Triangle. This is a boutique part of Dublin and the pub serves great craft brews.

6. The Living Room – North Dublin. This is a huge bar with a great outdoor area in the back that connects you between three amazing pubs.

7. The Capitol – Aungiers Street. This is a great bar with amazing drink specials. 5 Euro cocktails every day and Thursdays & Fridays from 5-8 it is 2 for 6 Euro. More centrally located.

8. Flannery’s Pub – Camden Street. Every time I have been to this bar, I have had a truly memorable experience! It is always a blast and the people who frequent are usually great craic. Camden street is a really popular bar area for locals. Despite being centrally located, drinks are cheaper than Temple Bar, taste better, and there are less tourists here.

9. The Long Stone – Townsend Street, right by Trinity College. This bar is a quintessential Irish pub! It is centrally located, but frequented by more locals than tourists. A lot of young folk go there and often will host fun pub quizzes or other charity events.

10. The Pavilion (The Pav) – Trinity College Dublin, Pub. After the year of academics that I have had, I am a regular customer of the Pav! The Pav is for Trinity students and in the evenings is always packed with students from around the world. It is great to get a pint and sit outside on the rare nice day to catch a cricket match or people watch!

This list is not exhaustive and if you still wanted more, please feel free to message me and I would be happy to give you more Irish Umbrellas to visit during your stay in Dublin.

Beers you must try: GUINNESS, Smithwicks, O’Hara, Galway Hooker

What are your favorite pubs in Dublin?