Mulligan's On Poolbeg Street

This one is a must see if you are into traditional pubs. Behan drank here (of course he drank everywhere) and so did Joyce, who set part of a story in Dubliners here. John F. Kennedy also spent time here when he worked in the press; this one has been a big hangout for the fifth estate for decades.

The Mulligans were publicans from 1782 onwards and came to this location (already the site of a pub) in the mid 1800s. Its no longer in their family.

This one is a wee bit off the beaten path, though not by much. Its on the south side of the Liffey, just east of Trinity College, Grafton Street, Temple Bar and all that. Poolbeg is a street you'd miss if you weren't looking for it. As a result this one is quieter then McDaid's or Davy Byrne's which are right off of Grafton. When I visited for a pint there were a couple of fellows at the bar and a young couple sitting in a corner. No music. No TV. No idea that I had not stepped back one hundred years in time. Lots of nooks and crannies and a dusty old sunlight streaming in feel to it.

No idea how it might be on a Friday or Saturday night but if you want a traditional Dublin pub experience I can't think of a better place to start. Its glorious.

Mulligan's website includes a map and some lore and here is another site that has some nice pictures of the interior.

Neary's

Oh my this one is a beauty. Like a lot of the old traditional pubs found in Dublin's city centre this one is just off of Grafton Street, tucked away on a quiet sidestreet.

A lot of what I began to expect as I toured these old pubs. Beautiful inside with a wonderful bar, lots of dark mahogony and polished brass. Staff dressed to the nines.

A few little differences to note. You can get yourself a Beamish here which is unusual. I think I found only two or three places that served a stout other than Guinness. The LCBO used to have Beamish until just a few years ago and its one that I miss. Had myself a nice pint.

The other thing - no TV. No music. Just conversation. Even a lot of the great pubs I went to had a TV or two. This place is perfect in its simplicity.

Just a terrific place to sit and have a pint.