If you don't drink, and specifically if you don't drink beer (or whisky), then Ireland probably isn't for you.
Before getting into drinking in Ireland generally, here's a quick list of my favorite Irish beers/liquors:
1. Guinness
2. Smithwick's
3. McGargle's
4. Jameson
5. Dingle Gin (ok, I know it's not a whisky or beer, but when in Dingle ...)
The pub scene in Ireland is so much fun. The people of Ireland are so welcoming and it doesn't take too many pints before you're making best friends. Speaking of pints, if you order "a pint" you're getting a Guinness. You'll notice pouring a Guinness is an artform. Pour it at the perfect angle, just enough, let it rest, then top it off. If you head to the Guinness Storehouse you can even get certified as an approved Guinness pourer, which means you're allowed to go behind any bar and start pouring. Ok, turns out that's not true, whoops! (I'd recommend purchasing entrance tickets to Guinness online beforehand.)
I'm sure it's at least in part related to the drinking culture, but the friendliness of the Irish really does stand out. A couple of us started a little pub crawl and by the end of the night we must have been 20 deep with locals all heading from one bar to the next together. We even made friends with the musicians at each pub. And I've got to say the musicians are truly a highlight of the pub experience. It's so fun heading into an Irish pub and hearing a lad singing Irish folk tunes.
There's a pub on every corner of the Temple Bar district in Dublin. Well, there's more pubs than just at every corner. There are a ton of pubs in Temple Bar. But for me one pub stands above the rest: The Merchant's Arch. Located at the end of the Ha'penny Bridge along the River Liffey, The Merchant's Arch is pub perfection. It's got live music, perfectly poured Guinness, and great bartenders. One night we ended up being the last to leave the pub and as can happen when you're closing down a pub, we weren't exactly on top of things and left a bag of souvenirs. Realizing our mistake the next morning, we headed to The Merchant's Arch on the off chance our souvenir bag was still there. Not only was it still there, but the owner recognized us immediately, gave us our bag, and accompanied it with a shot of Jameson "to help with the hangover."
While The Merchant's Arch tops my list of Irish pubs, a trip to Ireland isn't complete without taking in some smalltown pubs. For that, I'd recommend renting a car (don't forget you'll be driving on the left side of the road) and heading to Dingle on the west coast. Dingle is more of a Bed & Breakfast accommodations town, rather than luxury resorts. We booked one of the many cute cottages in town for under $200/night.
Find a Dingle pub with live music, grab a pint, and take it in. There's a good chance you'll be the only tourist in the bar, but since it's Ireland, they'll make you feel at home. O'Sullivan's Courthouse Pub is the perfect place for this experience, with the added bonus that the low ceiling will make you feel really tall.
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