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Nothing says traditional like an old-style pub found in Ireland. Ireland boasts several in the various counties, as the tradition of meeting at the pub continues. These small “hole in the wall” type pubs are dedicated to giving residents and visitors alike, a meeting place where tall tales are shared.

The first of the top five pubs lies in the beautiful plain of the smoky mountain region, neighboring creameries, co-ops and racetracks. Several antiquedated monastaries line the wet county roads. The pub is Fethard, home to the successful thoroughbred stud in the world, “Coolmore Stud”. Tales of this amazing stallion continue to be told in the proud pub crowd. The smoke stained walls house pictures of revolutionaries, trophy yielding racehorse owners and members of the Bloody Sunday football team. “We wine you, dine you and then bury you” can be heard through the regular pub-goers of the area, as the pub also houses a restaurant and a good old-fashioned undertaker service.

Abbeyleix is home to Morrissey’s old-style pub. This pub features the old-time biscuit tin lids and old clocks that have been torn apart to build the walls that stand up between the seating areas. Along Morrissey’s old walls are shelves that boast products from the earlier days of Abbeyleix – large jars filled with candies, an antique slicing machine, Boyne Valley cornflakes boxes and the pub’s own Famous Tea, neighboring the scales where they weighed out the packages. The pub is dimly lit with lamps that are harbored on the ceiling and kept high by metal beams that run through the tavern. Visitors to Morrissey’s get a full taste of history when sitting on the old chairs and seating areas along the rough wooden bar.

At Clancy’s, Breda and Ger Clancy have kept the feel of the old Edwardian style pub as original as possible. Known as one of the best music pubs in eastern Ireland, Thursday nights Clancy’s becomes a meeting place for musicians. Fiddles, bodhrans, flutes and mandolins break the Irish night sky, and allow the background for a sing-along from visitors. Sheet music lines the tobacco stained walls of this pub although nobody seems to notice as they sit upon the benches and assorted chairs, moving with the flow of the music, and moving their feet to the beat of the traditional song choice.

Tigh Neachtain’s in Galway City and Thomas Conolly’s in Sligo are both found to be the good old-fashioned pub you would expect to find in Ireland. Wooden walls and tables give seating to the literary and musically inclined. Thomas Connolly’s is host to an old pot-bellied stove at one end of the pub. Tigh Neachtain’s is located on one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, making it a popular venue when wanting to enjoy an evening at the local pubs.

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