No visit to Ireland is complete until you sample a nice creamy pint of the black stuff, for when you stay here you’re never too far from a pub! Irish pubs are renowned the world over, so while in Ireland make sure to pop in and check out the real deal…

It’s really no wonder that Irish people love their pubs. They’re a great meeting place to have a conversation with an old pal, chat over a coffee, enjoy some lunch with friends, watch a match on TV or just slowly sip a pint while reading the evening paper. At night, people come here to socialise and unwind with a few drinks and most pubs have live traditional Irish music so you can sit back and be entertained.

Pubs in Ireland have a unique atmosphere and ambience that cannot be found anywhere else. Your pub experience will be all the better if you mingle with the locals, who you’ll find to be very friendly and sociable. Typical phrases that you might hear in an Irish pub include; “Sláinte” which is a toast to say “Good Health” and “the craic” which means fun.

Traditional Irish pubs are a hit with visitors to Ireland, but there are also plenty of trendy bars, disco bars, super-pubs, not to mention a healthy array of nightclubs, so when the pub calls ‘last orders’ you can hit the dance floor!

If you’re a night owl in serious need of some dancing, partying or socialising then you’ve come to the right place, as Ireland has a legendary nightlife scene. You’ll find disco bars and nightclubs in most towns and cities. If in the capital, head to the renowned Temple Bar area - it’s crammed with pubs, clubs and restaurants - all the right elements for a great night out!

The drink of choice in Ireland is Guinness - which we probably now consider to be our “national drink”. You can also enjoy favourites such as Heineken, Budweiser, Carlsberg, Harp, Murphy’s and Smithwicks. The average price of a pint is about €3.50 but expect to pay more for it in cities.

Pubs can serve until 11.30pm Sunday to Thursday and until 12.30am on Friday’s and Saturday’s. Most pubs turn on and off their lights to tell customers that it’s last orders and you definitely know it’s time to go when you hear the barman shout ” have you no homes to go to?!!”

Socialising in Ireland has taken on a new dimension since the introduction of the smoking ban. Now smoking is not allowed in pubs, which has in turn created a cleaner and more sociable atmosphere. But don’t worry if you’re a smoker, as you’ll find most pubs have a smoking shelter, smoking hut or a beer garden.

If you have kids in tow bear in mind you’ll have to head away early as children aren’t allowed in the pub after 10pm in the Summer and 9pm in the Winter.

Have you experienced an Irish pub? Maybe you did a pub crawl of Temple Bar or shared a pint with the locals in one of Ireland’s picturesque villages? We would like to hear what you thought of our Irish pubs …