10 late-night dives worth the night across Ireland, editor-ranked. All Ireland guides.
Grogan's Castle Lounge ★ 4.7 · Dublin
south-city-centre · 15 South William Street, Dublin 2, D02 H336
Grogan's Castle Lounge on South William Street has been Dublin's literary refuge since the 1970s when Paddy Kavanagh and Flann O'Brien drank here. No music, no TV.
Tip: Order the cheese toastie, it is the entire kitchen and it is excellent. The art on the walls is for sale, ask the bar staff if you spot one.
The Long Hall ★ 4.7 · Dublin
south-city-centre · 51 South Great George's Street, Dublin 2, D02 DV74
The Long Hall on South Great George's Street in Dublin is the Victorian-refurbished 1881 pub backing onto Dublin Castle, with carved partitions and a long snug.
Tip: Order a Guinness at the front bar, the back room with the chandeliers is the photograph everyone takes. No food, no music, no nonsense.
Tigh Neachtain ★ 4.7 · Galway
latin-quarter · 17 Cross Street Upper, Galway, H91 F9F7
Tigh Neachtain on Cross Street Upper is the Latin Quarter dive bar that educated visitors miss; the 16th-century stone interior, gas fires, cash-only pints.
Tip: Cash only at the bar; a pint of Guinness and a toasted sandwich before midnight is all you need. The snug by the fire fills fast on cold evenings.
Doheny & Nesbitt ★ 4.6 · Dublin
merrion · 5 Baggot Street Lower, Dublin 2, D02 F592
Doheny & Nesbitt on Baggot Street Lower in Dublin has been the Leinster House crowd's pub since 1828, Victorian partitions and the Doheny Snug at the front.
Tip: The Doheny Snug at the front is the original confessional-style booth, ask the bar staff if it is free, it is the room you want for two.
Kehoe's ★ 4.6 · Dublin
south-city-centre · 9 South Anne Street, Dublin 2, D02 NY88
Kehoe's on South Anne Street in Dublin has been pulling pints since 1803, with stained-glass doors, mahogany snugs and a 19th-century interior kept like a museum.
Tip: The upstairs lounge is the old proprietor's living room kept as a bar, ask the staff if it is open, it is the prize seat.
Mulligan's ★ 4.6 · Dublin
south-city-centre · 8 Poolbeg Street, Dublin 2
Mulligan's on Poolbeg Street has poured pints in the same Dublin building since 1854, drank in by James Joyce and John F. Kennedy, an unspoiled Trinity-side dive.
Tip: Order a stout at the back bar, the Joyce Room snug holds two at a push and is named for the Counterparts arm-wrestle scene set there.
The Stag's Head ★ 4.5 · Dublin
south-city-centre · 1 Dame Court, Dublin 2, D02 TW84
The Stag's Head on Dame Court in Dublin is the 1895 A.J. McLoughlin Victorian pub James Joyce drank at, with stag-themed stained glass and carved wood snugs.
Tip: Walk down the alley off Dame Lane, the back entrance avoids the front pavement crowd. The upstairs cabaret hall hosts comedy most nights.
McSwiggin's Bar ★ 4.1 · Galway
eyre-square · 3 Eyre Street, Galway, H91 E4T1
McSwiggin's on Eyre Street is Galway's great democratic dive: a warren of dark-wood rooms and gas fires where students, tourists, GAA supporters.
Tip: The back room is the best place to find locals on a midweek evening; the GAA match Sundays are the most evocative occasions and the cheapest pint in the city centre.
The Bodega ★ 4.0 · Cork
City Centre · 44-45 Cornmarket Street, Cork, T12 W27H
Cork's most consistently packed late-night bar and club hybrid, housed in one of the city's finest Victorian buildings on Cornmarket Street. Also home to the Old Town Whiskey Bar.
Tip: Ask for the whiskey bar inside - it is a genuinely spectacular room that most visitors miss by staying on the main floor
Billy Byrnes Bar ★ 3.9 · Kilkenny
john-street · 39 John Street Upper, Kilkenny, R95 K091
Billy Byrnes on Upper John Street is Kilkenny's most committed old-school local pub, trading on a no-frills atmosphere and Smithwick's on tap for generations.