Pub Crawl - need an explanation

A pub crawl generally means is going from pub to pub to pub, having a drink at each one.

I participated in the Dublin Pub Crawl last fall. You are correct in assuming that it is a walking tour from one pub to another, listening to music at each and also buying a drink in each (only if you want, as this is not required). The group is large -- mine was around 25. You hear one or two songs at the first couple of pubs and many more songs at the last place. For my money, I wouldn't do it again. You'll have the chance to hear much better music in a much less crowded environment a couple of times later on during your tour. As I recall, it started somewhere around 7:30 or 8:00 and lasted a couple of hours. There's a website where you can make reservations if you decide to go. I believe the website is listed in the RS Ireland book. I can't verify this, as I gave my book to a friend.

if it is an organised Pub Crawl then they will take you to several different places were you will get a drink in each place, should have reserved tables for you and sometimes an organised meal or snacks.have you got any links to the Pub Crawl/
been on a few pub crawls in my time .

I was typing as Patricia was posting,I doubt the organised crawl could do anything that you could not do yourself.

It depends on the Pub Crawl and the person running it. The descriptions so far are pretty basic, but some pub crawls are more like walking tours, the guide gives some history on the pubs, sights along the way, tells you about the drink options or maybe even focuses on local or microbrews, maybe tries to get you involved in the music or dancing. Part of the appeal is doing it as a group and meeting people, having a fun night out. I guess you would need more info or see some reviews to be able to make a better decision...or just do it on faith.

Another thing to consider is the target audience, the one you mention is probably geared for the typical Tour taker, in some cities pub crawls are just organized binge drinking events for the college crowd, but those usually start about 10:00 and go into the wee hours.

I booked the Traditional Irish Musical Pub Crawl and the Literary Pub Crawl because I wanted the experience, and it sounded like fun. I have read good reviews about these crawls on this site and trip advisor. I wanted to see the different pubs, learn about their history, hear some music, and on the literary crawl learn about the Irish authors. One crawl I'll be going with my daughter and one on my own.

Have you had the opportunity to check their websites? It will explain the experience and you can reserve online if interested.

I have:
musicalpubcrawl.com
dublinpubcrawl.com (for the literary pub crawl)

I did the Musical Pub Crawl. We went from pub to pub listening to various performers play great songs. We drank a little, and then walked to the next pub. Repeated. Finished up about 10 pm, maybe 11 ish.

It was fun. Don't remember it being overly expensive when I did it. They do limit it to a specific maximum number of people which is what you are reserving. If there are extra spots available (no shows or whatever) you can still join at the starting pub, but they are usually completely sold out.

Thanks all! I think we will meander around the pubs and check them all out. I don't think I can handle the wee hours in the morn anymore! Lol

I did not mean to imply that the Pub Crawl you are looking at goes late in the evening, just that some do...you can usually tell by the start time (7 or 8 vs 10 pm). If I were considering it, I would consider whether you would rather a relatively quiet evening with each other trying out a couple of pubs or you want to engage with others socially.

We followed that recommendation last year on our Heart of Ireland tour. It was in Dublin and at the end of the tour. We were traveling with another couple and both of us felt that we had better experiences in Dingle. I think it would have been a good learning experience if we started in Dublin and had not been to so many other excellent pub/music experiences. The pub crawl in Dublin gives a nice introduction to the cultural aspects and importance of music in Ireland.

My husband, son, and I did the Musical Pub Crawl mentioned in the Rick Steves guide this past May. We met upstairs at Oliver St John Gogarty’s in Temple Bar. Everyone with whom we spoke--lots of Americans--was there because of the recommendation in the Rick Steves guidebook. (Not a bad thing, merely an observation.)

Gogarty's served as the meeting place only. After tickets were sorted out, we followed two guys who were to be our musicians to an empty room upstairs at another bar. The performance was as much comedy show as musical show, and we enjoyed it, but it is not what we were expecting. I had thought we would be going from bar to bar hearing whatever musicians were playing at each particular location. Our two performers told us a bit about traditional Irish music and the three traditional instruments, but only had a Bodhrán with them. (However, we did see a performer later in Dingle who played the Irish bagpipes--Uilleann pipes, I think--and the explanation we had received via the pub crawl came in handy.)

After we listened to the performance for a while at the first location, our group was moved to another empty room at another bar, and the same two musicians performed.

You can read about the pub crawl here: https://www.musicalpubcrawl.com

Hi Linda - We are taking the Best of Ireland Tour in October, so I'll be interested in your experiences. I had an uncle who enjoyed touring pubs in Ireland and I'm looking forward to some pub crawls. I love dark beer, but cannot drink as much as I used to. So I'm hoping I can split a brew with my partner at each pub - that way, we'll last longer!

Cheers!

Garrison