Trad Pubs in Dublin

For all instruments -- please read F.A.Q. before posting.
Post Reply
User avatar
mayo_piper
Posts: 307
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2005 1:36 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: Greensboro, NC
Contact:

Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by mayo_piper »

Hello,

Making a trip in June to Dublin and want to pop in at REAL Trad pubs - not tourist traps like Temple Bar.

Anyone care to make a quick run down of great trad pubs in Dublin City?

Thanks in advance!
"A man's only as old as the woman he feels..."

~Groucho Marx
User avatar
benhall.1
Moderator
Posts: 14797
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:21 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a fiddler and, latterly, a fluter. I love the flute. I wish I'd always played it. I love the whistle as well. I'm blessed in having really lovely instruments for all of my musical interests.
Location: Unimportant island off the great mainland of Europe

Re: Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by benhall.1 »

Three to get you going:

The Cobblestone - Smithfield. Easy to get to on the Luas (the tram system). This, in my opinion, is the top pub in the world for Irish trad. Run by Tom Mulligan, of the famous piping family, though he doesn't play pipes himself, as far as I know. There's something on every night, and all day from about 1:30 at weekends.

Hughes's - The Four Courts. One Luas stop before Smithfield. Something on every night. Choose from the main bar, where top class, paid trad musicians lead amazing sessions, or the more relaxed sessions in the snug, which are some of the friendliest sessions in Dublin (but also very good).

You can try O'Donoghue's at various times. Down near St Stephen's Green. It's famously where the Dubliners used to play. It's often touristy, but there's a lovely, friendly session in the back on a Friday lunchtime.


Other trad pubs are available. :)
PB+J
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:40 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a historian and the author of "The Beat Cop:Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music," published by the University of Chicago in 2022. I live in Arlington VA and play the flute sincerely but not well

Re: Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by PB+J »

I'll be there in may and looking for the same thing--thanks for the suggestions
User avatar
benhall.1
Moderator
Posts: 14797
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:21 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a fiddler and, latterly, a fluter. I love the flute. I wish I'd always played it. I love the whistle as well. I'm blessed in having really lovely instruments for all of my musical interests.
Location: Unimportant island off the great mainland of Europe

Re: Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by benhall.1 »

PB+J wrote:I'll be there in may and looking for the same thing--thanks for the suggestions
You're very welcome. :)
MKE_Chris
Posts: 59
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:12 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8

Re: Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by MKE_Chris »

I'll second those suggestions, also there's a new place that's opened up recently called Piper's Corner, not too far from those places on the North side of the Liffey. It was opened by piper Seán Potts and I believe there's music every night. Great beer selection too!
User avatar
benhall.1
Moderator
Posts: 14797
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:21 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a fiddler and, latterly, a fluter. I love the flute. I wish I'd always played it. I love the whistle as well. I'm blessed in having really lovely instruments for all of my musical interests.
Location: Unimportant island off the great mainland of Europe

Re: Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by benhall.1 »

MKE_Chris wrote:I'll second those suggestions, also there's a new place that's opened up recently called Piper's Corner, not too far from those places on the North side of the Liffey. It was opened by piper Seán Potts and I believe there's music every night. Great beer selection too!
I've played in there, twice. It's got a very different atmosphere from the others, at least from the two times I've been in. Very high standard. A younger vibe, if that's a fair comment.
PB+J
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:40 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a historian and the author of "The Beat Cop:Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music," published by the University of Chicago in 2022. I live in Arlington VA and play the flute sincerely but not well

Re: Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by PB+J »

Well I've been to Piper's Corner three times now. Friendly place. Met Sean Potts himself and heard him play. Last time I was there a ferocious young guy was leading a blistering high speed session on the pipes. There was a picture of the guy on the wall but I didn't get his name. Younger guys playing, younger crowd. It doesn't look anything like your stereotypical Irish pub. The musicians were complaining about the noise of the crowd. Guys on their way to and from other gigs would drop by. I may go again tonight.

Also caught a 1:30 pm lunch session at O'Donahue's. It looks exactly like your stereotypical irish pub. Older players, slower tempos, different tune selection. The only tune they played that I recognized was "tripping to the well." A bit more of a grumpy session. They were shooting the evil eye at loud italian tourists.

Thanks for the recommendations.

Also my Air B+B hosts invited me out to a small session at The Blue Light, up in the hills. That was fun and they talked me into playing a tune on guitar once he retuned it to standard. "Stompin' at the Savoy" sounded a bit odd, but they liked it
User avatar
benhall.1
Moderator
Posts: 14797
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:21 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a fiddler and, latterly, a fluter. I love the flute. I wish I'd always played it. I love the whistle as well. I'm blessed in having really lovely instruments for all of my musical interests.
Location: Unimportant island off the great mainland of Europe

Re: Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by benhall.1 »

PB+J wrote:Last time I was there a ferocious young guy was leading a blistering high speed session on the pipes. There was a picture of the guy on the wall but I didn't get his name.
Sounds like Tadgh Mulligan to me.
PB+J
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:40 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a historian and the author of "The Beat Cop:Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music," published by the University of Chicago in 2022. I live in Arlington VA and play the flute sincerely but not well

Re: Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by PB+J »

benhall.1 wrote:
PB+J wrote:Last time I was there a ferocious young guy was leading a blistering high speed session on the pipes. There was a picture of the guy on the wall but I didn't get his name.
Sounds like Tadgh Mulligan to me.

No I just found out it was Seán McKeon.
User avatar
benhall.1
Moderator
Posts: 14797
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:21 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a fiddler and, latterly, a fluter. I love the flute. I wish I'd always played it. I love the whistle as well. I'm blessed in having really lovely instruments for all of my musical interests.
Location: Unimportant island off the great mainland of Europe

Re: Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by benhall.1 »

PB+J wrote:
benhall.1 wrote:
PB+J wrote:Last time I was there a ferocious young guy was leading a blistering high speed session on the pipes. There was a picture of the guy on the wall but I didn't get his name.
Sounds like Tadgh Mulligan to me.

No I just found out it was Seán McKeon.
Ah. OK. When I've been in sessions with him, he's been fairly restrained, and, you know, rattling on a bit, but not particularly fast. And a lovely fella, too. (So is Tadgh, by the way - a real gent.)
PB+J
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:40 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a historian and the author of "The Beat Cop:Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music," published by the University of Chicago in 2022. I live in Arlington VA and play the flute sincerely but not well

Re: Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by PB+J »

benhall.1 wrote: Ah. OK. When I've been in sessions with him, he's been fairly restrained, and, you know, rattling on a bit, but not particularly fast. And a lovely fella, too. (So is Tadgh, by the way - a real gent.)

Well I'm a poor judge, I'll admit. But he did seem very gracious
PB+J
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:40 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a historian and the author of "The Beat Cop:Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music," published by the University of Chicago in 2022. I live in Arlington VA and play the flute sincerely but not well

Re: Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by PB+J »

I have to go back there tonight, because I realized this morning that I'd left the other night without paying! I sent them an email saying that I thought I'd walked out on the check and that I'd be in tonight to pay up. Sean was very gracious about it.
Ketil
Posts: 325
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2010 1:28 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Location: Halden, Norway

Re: Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by Ketil »

Last time I visited Dublin I went to a very nice session upstairs at Devitts on Camden street. I have come to believe there's probably grand sessions around on "secret locations" for the locals to enjoy without tourists. And I don't blame you. My last visit at the Cobblestone was not very pleasant. Too crowded and too noisy (the punters, not the music). But will of course go there again on my next visit.
Ketil
User avatar
pancelticpiper
Posts: 5298
Joined: Mon Jul 10, 2006 7:25 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Playing Scottish and Irish music in California for 45 years.
These days many discussions are migrating to Facebook but I prefer the online chat forum format.
Location: WV to the OC

Re: Trad Pubs in Dublin

Post by pancelticpiper »

I visited Dublin for my first time in April of last year (2018).

We stayed on the North side- everyone was appalled- and we tended to visit Northside pubs like Cobblestone and Pipers Corner.

The sessions were as described here, pretty much. Cobblestone had a large group, mainly older gents, and featured much singing, as far as I could see all done by one guy. The songs were long and told intricate stories- not the sort of thing I expected at a session.

The Pipers Corner session was small: a wonderful uilleann piper, a fiddle or two, I can't recall what else. The music was of a high order, reels and jigs and no singing.

It being April neither pub was crowded and there were relatively few tourists.

We did cross the river and venture into the dreaded Temple Bar area, which was as tourist-laden as we had been told. There was a leprechaun- we saw him outside the pub window, with Spaniards and Italians taking his photo.

If you saw a gent looking like my avatar there, it was me.
Richard Cook
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle
Post Reply