About O'Donoghue's
Nestled on Merrion Row, mere minutes from St Stephen's Green, O'Donoghue's is the legendary pub where The Dubliners honed their trad sound back in the 1960s. This is pure Dublin soul: sawdust-strewn floors, turf fire crackling in the corner, and spontaneous sessions erupting from cosy snugs. It's drawn everyone from U2 in their early days to tourists seeking that authentic Irish trad music fix in the heart of the city centre.
What to Expect
Expect rollicking traditional Irish music sessions twice nightly, every evening around 9:30pm and 11:30pm, with fiddles, bodhráns, and lilting vocals filling the air. The pub splits into a front bar for drinkers and a back room for gigs, packing in 300 souls on busy nights. Pints flow freely; the Guinness here is creamy perfection. Food is hearty pub grub like beef and Guinness pie, best enjoyed mid-session.
Insider Tips
Arrive by 9pm to snag a seat; it gets rammed quick. Stand near the musicians for the full immersion, but mind your toes amid the foot-stomping. Pair your visit with a daytime picnic in St Stephen's Green, just across the road. Skip weekends if you hate queues; midweek offers a more local vibe. Chat with regulars about Christy Moore tales; the stories are as good as the music. Venture upstairs to the rooftop terrace on warmer days. For live music in St Stephen's Green, O'Donoghue's delivers timeless craic that'll have you humming jigs for days.