Great Pubs of Dublin: An Irish Bartender’s Picks

If, or should I say, when you win Lite Rock's Workday Getaway of a Lifetime Trip to Dublin, Ireland, you will certainly want to sample some of the culture the Irish are famous for.  By "culture", I mean a pint or two of Guinness in a local bar, or pub as they say on the Emerald Isle.

By the way, if you still haven't told us why you would like to go on this trip to dublin, which includes concert tickets for a rare concert with Billy Joel; you can not win if you do not play!  Tell why you want to win now!

Thanks to John Cummins, who has been a bartender for nearly 15 years, most of those in Dublin. He is in fact, as the name might suggest, Irish. He is equally fond of drinking Guinness, drinking songs, and telling stories about drinking Guinness and drinking songs. . You can see much more in his "Bartenders Guide to Pubs and More" here.

Here's his guide to how to drink in Dublin...

1- Bowe's: on the East side of Fleet Street, in that little block between Westmoreland Street and D'Olier Street. The staff are friendly and fun, the Guinness is consistently the best in the city (yes, better than it is at the brewery), there's a real, unamplified acoustic traditional music session on a Sunday night, they have a range of craft beers on tap, lovely toasted sandwiches and a selection of over 100 whiskeys from around the world—really, what more do you want?

2- The Palace Bar: Also on Fleet Street, but this time on the West side of Westmoreland Street, closer to Temple Bar. This place is great for a daytime pint—it tends to get really crowded at night or when there's a sports game on though, which makes it difficult to get a seat. They have a wide range of Irish craft beers and a good selection of whiskeys, including their own Palace Bar whiskey which you can purchase by the shot or, should you wish to, by the bottle.

3- The Long Hall: South Great George's Street. Lovely old cozy pub with wonky floors and a back bar that looks like it was made out of some old glittery disco balls. Doesn't open until 4 p.m. most days. Gets crazy-busy on Fridays and Saturday. Definitely worth a visit though.

4- Toner's: Baggot Street. Another place that crowds up on a Thursday/Friday/Saturday evening. Tasty pints. Also, as the sign behind the bar points out, it's a Museum Bar. I don't exactly know what this means but I like the sound of it.

5- The Dawson Lounge: Dawson Street. The smallest pub in Dublin. Also the place where you can find me behind the bar. Big enough to hold me, you, and 32 of our closest friends.

Of course, half the fun of being here is finding your own special places. I do recommend stumbling blindly into pub basements you don't know. Good things can come of it.