Pub for mid afternoon break in Dublin

You can hear music all day at the Temple Bar and pubs near there. I would not recommend eating there, and a pint of Guinness at 10 euro is a bit off putting. However, the crowded atmosphere is fun and the music decent.

As for variety of local beers, that is hard, most pubs only have the Guinness lineup plus Heineken and Coors Light.

As for a decent suggestion, on the edge of the Temple Bar, near Christchurch, is Darkey Kelly's. They serve a variety of beers, including a line-up they have brewed for them. So lots of variety, a nice pub, they do not have music usually until evening, but check. The food though is very good, they actually partner with a nearby restaurant for their food, the fish and chips is better than most, and they serve a good range of dishes.

Closer to Temple Bar is The Porterhouse, they were one of the first brewpubs in Ireland, and made their name with their Oyster Stout. They serve a range of their own beers, plus craft beers from around Ireland, so a good variety. The food is respectable, but again, no music until later, again, check their website and socials.

I would add Devits pub Maybe a 5 minute walk from temple bar area w traditional music 7 nights a week and the best Guinness stew in Dublin

We took a taxi to the Cobblestone Pub in the late afternoon, and were treated to music from locals who all just happened to stop in with their instruments for a drink and to play a while. Some came and some went, and others showed up. That was clearly a regular situation at The Cobblestone. PBS had a show on Dublin in the past year that included an interview with the owner, and they talked about the history and reputation of the music at that pub, which brought back fond memories of our visit. I’m not sure that there’s much food available, but some kind of snack should certainly be available to go with the drinks.

Cyn, looks like Cobblestone Pub is just a 13 minute walk from 14 Henrietta Street museum which we plan to visit, though from the map it looks like it may not be a great walk, along a highway, maybe.
rongedde and Paul, some great suggestions, thank you

RangeDDE, I'm boggled to hear what you said about Devitts. It's my very favorite pub in Dublin. My great-great grandfather was Patrick Devitt, lived not far. So in my optomistic little mind, it's gotta be his pub. I choose to believe that. Anyway, I've been there in 2024 and 2026, the bartender even gave me another Devitts hat, and I've already got the t-shirt. As you said, they do have the best Guinness stew, I've had it several times and loved it. The live music is upstairs and we sure enjoyed what we heard there., but probably just in the evenings. To get there, it's just a 10 minute walk south on Camden Street.

We also liked the Brazen Head, good pub food, and such an interesting, ancient pub. Actually, we toured the Guinness Storehouse, then took a horse-drawn carriage to the Brazen Head for lunch.

Closer to Temple Bar, on College Green, is "The Bank on College Green". Definitely not a pub, more of a nice bar/restaurant, but it used to be an incredibly ornate bank. You could get a snack there and just enjoy looking the place over. Walk in, make a left, and sit at the far table by the space heater if it's cold out. And there's a replica of the Book Of Kells by the door.

Jules, we’d been at the Kilmanhaim Gaol, and used the taxi to reach the Cobblestone from there. Didn’t really spend time exploring the neighborhood around the pub, or the streets to get there or back to our rented apartment, so I can’t offer any knowledge of how walking would be. We were one table away from the music, though, couldn’t get better than that!

The Cobblestone has music from noon on. It's actually more organized than it looks, with flutes on Monday, slow players on Tuesday, fiddlers etc. (Not the actual days in the last sentence). I don't think they have food.

The Brazen Head has a Sunday session at 3pm.

Most of the music you'll hear in Temple Bar (the area, including the Temple Bar) is duos singing "favorites". Sessions are rare. Temple Bar is trying to clean up its act, but IMHO, it has a long way to go. You can view the interior of The Temple Bar on
https://www.earthcam.com/world/ireland/dublin/?cam=dublinpub for a taste.

When you know what days you're there, plug that into thesession.org although it's not a complete inventory by any stretch.

jjgurley Very helpful! I will plug in my dates!

I highly recommend Davy Byrnes Pub, located a very short distance from Trinity College on Duke Street. If you are familiar with James Joyce and his most famous novel Ulysses, you will know that James Joyce frequented Davy Byrnes Pub and a couple of chapters mention that in the novel. Bloomsday, June 16th each year, attracts hundreds of people to this pub. Even if you are not into history, Davy Byrnes Pub has great food, vibe and drinks. However, it does not offer live music and (at least when I was there in 2018 and 2022), offered the traditional Irish Pub literary food and drink atmosphere.

The Brazen Head, mentioned in this post, is also an outstanding choice with an amazing history (oldest pub in Ireland, etc). Having dinner here is a great choice; when I was there we also booked the popular storytelling event on the upper floor, "An Evening of Food, Folklore and Fairies". However, it is about a mile walk from the Trinity College area.

Should you be traveling outside Dublin and looking for the best concentrated selection of traditional Pubs, I recommend Dingle. You can do a live music pub crawl from one to the other without going 2 blocks.

Jules, I have an assignment for your husband:

Obviously, try the Guinness, much better than anything out of a can or bottle in the U.S.
Then try a Murphy's.
Then try a Beamish.

Repeat the previous three steps until you know which one you like best. It may not be the Guinness.

@GoGators, yes, we will be in Dingle

@travelerguy, I'm sure he'd be happy to take the assignment. So many great ideas, I'm glad that I posted this.

If you'll be in Dingle you can have a pint of Murphy's at Murphy's Pub. Don't know if the two are connected, but I had a meal and Murphy's stout there and watched Hurling on the telly.

During a music session ant Sin é in Cork City, I was instructed by a slurring local that "you drink Beamish in Cork City, Murphy's in County Cork, and Guinness in the rest of Ireland".

"you drink Beamish in Cork City, Murphy's in County Cork, and Guinness in the rest of Ireland".

jjgurley, thanks for a wonderful quote. Now I'll have a question to ask folks next time I'm in an Irish pub. It will be great research.

… Then there’s Irish cider. Bulmers is the most commonly found, but Stonewell (from County Cork) is drier, with a more complex flavor. Less dry, and sweeter, is Orchard Thieves.

There are pubs all over the central area. Unless there are musicians you are unlikely to meet anyone Irish in this location.

Cyn, cider, awesome!
Toby, we are not staying in the area, but it’s close to places we are seeing. Do you have any recommendations?

The Brazen place is OK, can't remember the others. This was just after the first week in country and I was beyond burned out by the pub scene, so not really the one to ask. Couldn't wait to get on the plane frankly. The Gaol mentioned is quite good and sells out days/weeks early, they release some tickets at 9:15 am day of. It's one of the few reasonably priced attractions in Ireland.

So, toby, what you’re saying is, “Go to Jail!” ;-)

@Toby, we've just got two full days in Dublin and not going to Belfast, so I don't think we'll fatigue of pubs. In planning this trip, I haven't found Ireland to be more expensive than any of the other places we've been in the last year. Lodging and restaurants are indeed pricey, but we found the same in Australia, England, Hawaii and Scotland. In terms of the attractions, a BnB owner suggested the Heritage card. WOW, that will saves us a lot. Turns out a lot of the places we will visit are a part of the card. Not sure if we'll have time for the Gaol, but it is on the Heritage card. I do recall reading your trip report. I can't say that I've disliked any place as much as you disliked Ireland, yet so many say that Ireland is one of their favorite places. To each his own.

After visiting about 15 countries in Europe and liking each immensely it wasn’t on the radar I would find one to be a dog. I even left out bad stuff out of my trip report, the bloody noontime fistfight right off Grafton St we witnessed and the hotel owners who accused our travel partners (twice!) of not paying their bill then not apologizing about being wrong, Then some shouting, husband to wife, and father to son. A violent edge to the country.

To each his own I guess. Ireland reminded me of Nebraska, pretty enough and there’s stuff to, but is it worth sitting up all night on a plane?

Not really understanding your objective, Toby. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However, I've paid for and planned the trip. You did compel me to count the countries in Europe that I've visited (20). Some spoke to me more than others, but we enjoyed them all. I've entered each with a positive and friendly attitude, and I will do the same with Ireland.

Incidentally, I witnessed a man berate his wife/girlfriend and throw her out of the car and drive off in St. Louis, MO. Once, we observed a man at a farmstand near Hastings, MN, abusing the woman he was with. We called police. Sadly, there is violence in many places.