About this place

If I could say that I have a favourite pub in Dublin, O’Neill’s is probably it. It has everything I want: convenience, superb food & choice, space, live music at night, beautiful interior, friendly familiar bar staff, mouth-watering choice of Irish beers. And on top of that it is the pub in Dublin where I bump into the most friends – associates from Kerry, an uncle from Cork, or even someone from my home county of Donegal!

It claims to have a history spanning around 300 years. Notice that I said ‘claims’ – ‘claims’ made in pubs are to be swallowed with caution, and that even goes for the pubs themselves. What is true is its undoubted connection to Dublin city for a long, long time. That’s something that it has achieved pretty effortlessly, situated, as it is, a stone’s throw (and I do mean an actual stone’s throw) from Grafton St and College Green – a major reason why I’m an aspiring regular.

You can get great food, music, beers, atmosphere, and staff in many pubs in Dublin city centre, but rarely will you be able to find all of that in one place. Add to that that O’Neill’s is one of the very few pubs in Dublin where you can get a proper traditional Irish music session. It’s not the case for every music session there, but the odds are in your favour.

You can see that I’m quite a fan, as are those fellas who give awards of excellence to pubs and restaurants. It’s a quintessential staple pub on my pub crawl, naturally, and anytime I finish a walking tour, I’m immediately drawn to O’Neill’s.

And you will be too.