O'Donoghues Bar

"Stomping Along to Traditional Irish Music O'Donoghue's Bar, which dates back to the eighteenth century, is arguably the most famous pub in Dublin for traditional Irish music. The bar is lively, rammed with a mainly—but by no means exclusively—local crowd, and has a great, welcoming atmosphere. There is a huge beer garden, and on busy nights there will be someone serving the tables outside. The main draw, of course, is the live traditional music, which kicks off mid-evening seven days a week. Unlike many other venues that boast live trad and there is no sense that the music at O'Donoghue's is a performance put on for the tourists. In fact it's quite the opposite: you get the feeling the musicians are playing solely for themselves, and don't care whether you listen or not. Which is lucky, really—the night we were there the bar was so crowded, and the conversation so raucous, that you had to get really close to hear the music. If you're a fan of, or curious about, traditional Irish music, O'Donoghue's is definitely a place to check out. And make sure to keep your eyes open as well as your ears: such local musical luminaries as the Dubliners and Christy Moore have been known to swing by in the past! By AFAR Traveler , AFAR Contributor"

"Stomping Along to Traditional Irish Music O'Donoghue's Bar, which dates back to the eighteenth century, is arguably the most famous pub in Dublin for traditional Irish music. The bar is lively, rammed with a mainly—but by no means exclusively—local crowd, and has a great, welcoming atmosphere. There is a huge beer garden, and on busy nights there will be someone serving the tables outside. The main draw, of course, is the live traditional music, which kicks off mid-evening seven days a week. Unlike many other venues that boast live trad and there is no sense that the music at O'Donoghue's is a performance put on for the tourists. In fact it's quite the opposite: you get the feeling the musicians are playing solely for themselves, and don't care whether you listen or not. Which is lucky, really—the night we were there the bar was so crowded, and the conversation so raucous, that you had to get really close to hear the music. If you're a fan of, or curious about, traditional Irish music, O'Donoghue's is definitely a place to check out. And make sure to keep your eyes open as well as your ears: such local musical luminaries as the Dubliners and Christy Moore have been known to swing by in the past! By AFAR Traveler , AFAR Contributor"

"This is the spiritual home of traditional music in Dublin, a fine pub that, despite sounding large—its footprint includes an old-fashioned bar, an upstairs extension, a courtyard, and an annex—feels pleasingly intimate. It was here in 1962 that a rich-toned baritone called Ronnie Drew formed The Dubliners. More folk than trad, but along with the Chieftains (also founded in 1962) they became the most famous musicians of the genre, and so O’Donoghue’s reputation was cemented. Alas, The Dubliners are no more, but their music lives on here, all seven nights a week. Get here at 9 p.m. (or 5 p.m., if it's Saturday) to witness the kick-off: You'll see a few musicians wend their way through the crowd, taking a seat in the corner, and hear someone call for ‘a bit of whisht’ or ‘ciúnas’ (silence) while the bow is dragged slowly across the bridge of the fiddle and the sounds of a plaintive chord are heard. Over the next couple of hours, they’re joined by others until the ‘sesh’ is in full flow." - Fionn Davenport