Irish Pubs and Irish Bars Locations Locator Map and Directory

Background

A public house, usually known as a pub, is an establishment which serves alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises, usually in a homely setting. Pubs are commonly found in English-speaking countries, particularly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

In North America, drinking establishments with a British or Irish name or theme are called pubs as well; the appellation "pub" itself is often a component of this theme. Although the terms may have different connotations, there is no definitive difference between pubs, bars, taverns and lounges where alcohol is served commercially.

In contrast to England, Ireland's pubs usually bear the name of the current or a previous owner, e.g. Murphy's or O'Connor's, and traditional pub names are absent. Famous traditional pubs in Dublin which have the characteristics outlined above include O'Donoghue's, Doheny & Nesbitt's & the Brazen Head, which bills itself as Ireland's oldest pub (a distinction it shares with several other pubs). Some pubs are named after famous streets such Sober Lane in Cork which is named after Father Matthew's Hall of Abstinence. Individual pubs are also associated with famous Irish writers and poets such as Patrick Kavanagh, Brendan Behan and James Joyce. Superficially there is little difference between an Irish pub and its English counterpart. However, closer scrutiny will reveal some differences. Pub frontages are generally plainer and less ornamented than their English counterparts, and hanging signs are absent, with the name of the pub or proprietor being displayed above the door. The use of the term "bar" for a pub is more common in Ireland than in England. The social and economic role of the pub in Ireland has changed considerably over the last century. Prior to the 1960s and the arrival of supermarket and grocery chains in the country; Irish pubs usually operated as a 'Spirit grocery', combining the running of pub with a grocery, hardware or other ancillary business on the same premises (in some cases, publicans also acted as undertakers, and this unusual combination is still common today in the Republic of Ireland)[3][4]. A well-known pub in Abbeyleix, Morrisey's, is representative of the traditional spirit grocers. Spirit groceries first appeared in the mid 18th Century, when a growing temperance movement in Ireland forced publicans to diversify their businesses to compensate for declining spirit sales. With the arrival of increased competition in the retail sector, many pubs lost the retail end of their business and concentrated solely on the licensed trade. Many pubs in Ireland still resemble grocer's shops of the 19th Century, with the bar counter and rear shelving taking up the majority of the space in the main bar area, apparently leaving little room for customers. This seemingly counterproductive arrangement is a design artifact dating from prior operation as a spirit grocery, and also accounts for the differing external appearance of English & Irish Pubs. Spirit Grocers in Northern Ireland were forced to choose between the retail or licensed trades upon the partition of Ireland in 1922, and this pub type can no longer be found there.