It’s hard for me to think of something more authentic to visit in Dublin, than the wealth of Irish pubs in all sizes, shapes, and varieties of characters within. There really is something for every person and every taste. Right as we began chatting with our cab driver from the airport, we learned that the sightseeing hotspots locals recommend are not art museums or monuments, but rather the historical pubs that pride themselves on having the “best Guinness in town” or the “best fish & chips”. Stepping foot into these watering holes, indulging in an authentic Irish meal and a great beer, listening to the live music, and just taking in the experience of it all is, without a doubt, my top Dublin must-see. The first pub we made our way to once we stepped foot on Irish soil was, of course, a recommendation from our new best friend and cab driver. My initial question to him was a simple, “What is the first meal that we should have in Ireland?” and his response was a 30-minute, jam-packed guided tour and history lesson on the most authentic and famed Irish Pubs and the best places to stop in for everything from fish and chips to beer to cakes….oh and the answer to my question was Irish Lamb Stew. After we learned that we would have to wait upwards of an hour to check into our hostel, we started our weekend pub tour with a trip down to street to Oliver St John Gogarty's where we inhaled Irish Stew, brown bread and a nice, cold Guinness.
The older men playing music in the pub, stopped in the middle of one of their songs to comment on a site they weren’t quite used to: 3 young girls with a full food spread and a pint each.
Apparently most of the women tend to stick to the ½ pint, but us American girls missed that memo-and decided to drink like the men. After continuing to chat with us, asking where we were from and what brought us to Dublin, the men continued on with their music; incorporating Boston into a few of their songs to make us feel welcome and welcome we did.
Later that day we ventured to The Brazen Head to see what beer tasted like within the four walls of the oldest pub in all of Ireland, dating back to the 12th century!
We stumbled across several other great pubs throughout the weekend, including The Quay, which had everything we could ask for: great beer and Irish cider, live band playing everything from The Beatles to Galway Girl, and an Irish audience that could not get enough of it. I do still love my Irish pubs back in Boston (aka Flanns!), but I must say that the Dubliners do have quite a solid handle on the whole “Pub” thing…
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