O'Connell's is located on the east side of Eyre Square. It was once a grocery and a small bar but has been solely a pub since the 1970’s. The décor in O'Connell's is beautiful, having retained all original features including tiled floors, antique lighting, stained glass windows, solid wooden seating and an amazing pressed tin ornate ceiling in the main bar. Historic photos also line the walls. The pub is currently subject to a preservation order so it will be staying much the same for the foreseeable future. The long bar also displays a wide range of whiskies. The men’s toilets done in an outhouse fashion are also a blast from the past.

O'Connell's is a popular venue attracting a diverse crowd, although it is particularly popular with professionals especially in the early evening after work. It has undergone some expansion since it was sold in 2006. They now boast one of Galway City’s best outdoor beer garden and smoking area as well as more seating inside. The beer garden features lots of large picnic tables and wooden decking where it is easy to forget you are in the centre of the City. Parts of the beer garden are covered and heated so even in Winter you can a least pretend Ireland has a warm climate.They have also added an outside bar open on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7pm

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Operated by well known Galway Publican Ronan Lawless. The River Inn is located adjacent to  University Hospital Galway and also is close to NUIG, which ensures a good passing trade and is also the first place many Galway births are celebrated.

Open under the River Inn name since 1992, the focus has shifted towards its food trade over the last number of years although it still serves the surrounding Newcastle area as its local Pub. Food is served from 8.30am until late in the evening with a large menu available. The food is good with the daily specials at under €10. The River Inn has a loyal local following as well as being popular with students during term time. Live music can be heard at the weekend with Sunday night being the busiest.

They also have a small B&B/Guesthouse above the pub details of which  can be found on their website.

Overall The River Inn is a comfortable neighbourhood bar ideal for some good food or a few pints

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Located in Eyre Square, Fibbers gained nationwide notoriety in 2004 when it briefly challenged the smoking ban. The crowd is generally under 25 with Fibbers being popular among college students for its cheap drinks and loud music during the week. At the weekends the crowd remains young as well as attracting visiting hen and stag nights and Fibbers also draws a loyal following for live soccer matches which it shows on 1 large screen and numerous other tvs throughout the pub.

Upstairs they have a recently renovated private party room with a small dance floor and DJ booth.

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Coyotes opended in 2008 as a Themed bar and Club. The theme in question is American with 5 themes including rodeo bull and gangster lounge. Many will rememder the premises as Boo Radleys nightclub or more recently Saints and scholars. The layout has not changed inside but as you would expect there are alot of American flags, number plates and of course a bronco bull scattered around. As you might exect this has proved quite popular with students in Galway. The Club also has no cover charge except for special events.

Coyotes also holds weekly Karaoke and has its own singing competition called X Factor which has proved to be extremely popular in part due to a â?¬10,000 first prize.

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Fagan's sports bar is located in the basement of the Hotel Meyrick. As you can guess from the  name the emphasis is on TV Sports with 9 large screens scattered around the room. Complimentary snacks are served during games.

Fagan's is a really a story of two previous bars located on the premises- Tosh and O Flaherty's. Tosh was  a short lived exclusive cocktail and champagne bar. The decor from Tosh still remains so you have a Sports bar located in a a very modern  contemporary surrounding. O'Flahertys occupied the premises when  the Hotel was knowh as the Great Southern Hotel and the link has been remembered bynaming a chicken burger on the menu The Famous O'Flaherty's Chicken Burger??

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Nicknamed "Galways meeting place", The Skeff bar is part of the impressive Skeffington Arms Hotel. Situated on the west side of Eyre Sq, The Skeff is one of Galway's biggest pubs reputedly accommodating up to 1500 people on it's  several levels. It is beautifully and intricately decorated throughout with lots of wood carvings and elegant touches. There is also an impressive chandelier hanging in one of the bars and Victorian furniture scattered throughout.

There is lots of space with a six bars to choose from and there is plenty of seating to accommodate large groups together so it's a great place for parties. The Skeff has always been popular as a meeting place due to its central location and you can still often see anxious men waiting outside waiting for herself.

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The Huntsman Inn is a landmark pub located a 10 minute walk form the City Centre incorporating a bar, restaurant and guesthouse.The Huntsman is also close to both the Sportsground (Connacht rugby) and a plethora of College road B&Bs. 

Although it has an old look it was built in the late 1990's following the complete demolition of the old Huntsman.The premises has a small street look to it with each part looking like an individual house. Inside however the decor is quite contemporary with polished wood floor and leather couches. The tables are well spaced out leading and there is also a long bar.

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If you Like Hard Rock then you will love Sally Long's.Since 1988 Sallys has been bringing metal and hard rock to the Galway Pub scene. The huge mural on the gable wall of Sally's firmly nails its colours to the mast regarding their musical tastes. Such legends as Axl Rose can be seen in this wonderfully detailed homage to past and present musicians.

It is not unusual to see a line of tourists across the steet trying to capture the perfact image of this masterpiece. Inside the theme is continued with another mural with more Rock legends depicted in "The Last Supper" scene. Aside from that the pub is well decorated a long bar and some nice low tables at the front looking out onto the street.

Sally's is also amoung a dying breed of pubs to have a pool table, located in the back of the pub. They also have a Jukebox which is very popular with patrons.The clientele is a broad mix with young rock music lovers as well as bikers and Galway locals.

Kelly's is an unusual mix of the old and new. Renovated extensively after the previous incarnation The Living Room closed in 2009, Kelly's is a traditional looking pub albeit in a slightly brighter colour. Keeping some of the Living Rooms' strong points such as a decent food menu served all day, Kelly's has added a live music/club venue as well as adding the, now essential,  smoking area.

The lunch menu is now one of the best in town especially the selection of warm salads including our favourite the warm spiced beef. However vegetarians are also extremely well catered for including the soup of the day which is always a vegetarian option.

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The Cottage Bar in Lower Salthill is housed in a beautiful building which has been carefully renovated over the last few years. Taken over by new owners in 2006, the Cottage bar now has a somewhat bohemian feel. The Pub itself is divided into four distinct rooms but they each have an emphasis on comfort with comfortable leather seats and a large wood burning stove in one of the rooms.

The Cottage Bar is part of a new wave of pubs offering an extensive drinks menu with beers, wines and ciders from around the World. There is also a large emphasis on food here with a brilliantly exotic salad and tapas menu served throughout the day.

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Kelehans of Bushypark is located on the outskirts of Galway City in the Moycullen Road. It serves food all day including a very popular daytime carvery. Kelehans has many good points including a pool table, function room and one of the best outdoor patio areas in Galway which has a fantastic view onto the river Corrib.

Inside the decor is dark and old fashioned but has a really comfortable feel and is very spacious. At night there is a strong local trade from the surrounding suburbs. There is plenty of parking at the rear and kelehans is ideally located for those stopping off on a journey if you coming to or from Moycullen or Oughterard. As well as the carvery they have a decent bar food menu plus the usual sandwich selection.

Located at the corner of Cross street and Middle street, the Dail Bar opened its doors in November 2008. Although it bears the same name as the bar in Ireland's House of parliament, the reason for the name is because "Dail" translated means  a place where people meet to discuss, debate and talk.

The Pub is owned by John Mannion who also owns The Front Door and Tom Sheridans in Knocknacarra. The link between the pubs is easy to identify  with the decor following the trend of dark wood and ornate detailed decoration throughout the pub. This pub was previously known as Ti na Nog and the transformation is pretty amazing. As well as being totally refurbished and redesigned inside, a very comfortable smoking area has been aDail Bar Logodded upstairs.

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Opened in Summer 2008, Salt House is a modern bar offering a wide selection of World beers and wines. The premises itself has seen many name changes and has been called "The Weigh Inn" and "Zulus" in the last 5 years alone. The interior has undergone a revamp with an open plan layout and a nice paint job. An open fire completes the transformation. The focus is on a relaxed atmosphere and plenty of international beers.

The Salt House is part of a stable of pubs and restaurants which include The Cottage Bar Salthill and Mustard restaurant. Like these venues the emphasis at the Salt House is on comfortable surroundings and a wide choice of beverages with a range of over 70 international and domestic beers.

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Krcma (pronounced Krutch Ma) opened it's doors in 2005. For all you who are wondering, the name translates to English as Pub. As we are not familiar with Slovakian Pubs we can't tell you if it matches up but the owners are Slovakian and the food menu is suitably eastern European. Krcma has carved out a successful niche for itself attracting not only foreigners living in Galway but also curious locals who have grown to like the place. Krcma bills itself as a bar and restaurant with the menu being mostly eastern European. The dishes are hearty and the prices are good value.

The Pub itself is big with multiple levels. Many will remember some of the previous pubs that have operated here such as Scruffy Duffy's. There are two pool tables which are becoming more of a rarity these days in Galway Pubs. Large gigs such as reggae and house music nights often take place at Krcma and the size means they can easily  accomodate large crowds.

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O'Connor's "famous" Pub in Salthill bills itself as the first singing pub in Ireland. The veracity of the "famous" tag and the claim to be Ireland's first singing pub is open to debate but  it would probably easily win the title of the most decorated pub in Ireland.

On entering O'Connors you will be astounded by the the number of articles hanging from every possible inch of space. Old Gaslights, farm implements, crockery, photos, weighing scales and a near life size statue of John Wayne (in The Quiet man) are scattered throughout the Pub. It is possible to get totally disorientated in here and you can start to wonder what year it is as you are transported to years gone by.

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Lohan's Bar & Restaurant in Salthill is well known in Galway for the quality of its food and service. Operated by the Lohan family who bring a wealth of experience to the business having operated several Pubs in the past including the fondly remembered Lisheen Pub on Bridge Street which was knocked down to make way for The Living Room Pub.

Lohan's opens early with breakfast served from 8am and food right throughout the day until 9pm. The menu concentrates mainly on Traditional Irish dishes such as Guinness & Beef Stew, Bacon & Cabbage and hearty sausages & mashed potato. Other lighter seasonal dishes and seafood are also available although if we have one criticism it is the lack of vegetarian options for those of you so inclined. However it is only a small matter as the food quality, service standards and  reasonable  prices combine to make Lohan's one of the best places in Galway for a meal.

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McAlindens is another one of the Galway Pub scenes hidden gems. Located in a beautiful building with a cut  stone facade on one of Galway's oldest streets, Mcalindens is bursting with character. Inside you will find one of the longest bar counters in Galway, stretching from the front to the back of the pub. There is also lots of comfortable seating along the wall. Mcalindens is a local bar with a loyal clientele which ensures a friendly relaxed atmosphere. It is especially popular during the day when Horse racing fans check out the tv to see if their bets have paid off.

Although the Mcalindens have long gone, you may be lucky enough to hear stories of their tough stance on music or singing which wasn't favourably looked upon and might have resulted in your removal from the premises.

McAlindens also has a large smoking area/beer garden which has its own tv  underneath a covered area. This is one of the best beer gardens in Galway City ideal for lazy summer days.

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Sheridans On The Docks is no longer trading at New Dock Road as of Thursday last, the 27th of May. The landlord repossessed the building on the night of Wednesday the 26th.

he lease we had on the property specifed that we must hold our ordinary licence and our early morning general examption licence. We however chose never to open our pub as an early house. On May the 30th 2008 the law changed, stating no general exemption could be renewed if not in operation. The landlord chose to use this clause in our lease as grounds for repossession. He also chose to take this action one week before The Powerboat Festival and the start of our busy Summer season.

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Busker Brownes encompassing The Slate House bar and Kirby's Restaurant is located on Cross street in the heart of the City. It is housed in an historic building tracing its origins back to 1615. Over the years it has served as a meeting place for the Tribes of Galway, a Convent, barracks and a bakery. Nowadays it is an impressive pub with medieval stonework side by side with contemporary furniture.

The pub is impressively designed with several bars and floors. Indeed from the outside it looks deceptively small but once inside you have many options such as The Slate House Bar towards the rear which can also be accessed from Kirwanâ??s lane. There is also another bar upstairs. Buskers really comes alive at the weekends when DJs keep the place pumping. The clientele is well dressed and also gets a good age spread.

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The Blue Note located in the West end of the City has an atmosphere all of its own with DJ's playing here several nights a week. The pub is unusually laid out with much of it a covered outdoor smoking area which has increased its popularity. Indeed it has in our opinion one of the best smoking areas in the City and you can easily forget you are outside at all.

The crowd here are mostly under 30 and you can be sure you won't see anyone wearing a check shirt even on a Saturday night. The Blue note is a popular pre-Club venue especially at the weekends.

The atmosphere is always pretty good with a chilled out vibe even if the music is pumping. The Blue Note is definitely worth a visit if you are in the West end of Galway City.

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The Crane is a renowned Irish traditional venue situated in the West end of Galway City. Traditional music is on the menu here seven nights a week. This corner pub has a beautiful Victorian facade from the 1800's, Consisting of two levels, the bar on the ground floor is a local favourite while upstairs comes alive every night for music sessions at 9.30.

Even though the Crane is tucked away in the West end of the City it is the first stop for many music lovers on their visit to the City due to its reputation as a live music venue. Over the last number of years the Crane has branched out to include a wider selection of music such as roots, blues and singer songwriters.

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Taaffes is one of Galway City's best known bars. Located right in the Heart of the City on Shop Street, Taaffes has been operating as a pub for over 150 years. The building itself has been here for much longer dating back at least 400 years. Architectural evidence on its upper floors and rear smoking area make it as old as the nearby Kings Head.

It is best known for its Traditional Irish music and there are sessions here at 5pm and 9.30pm from April-October and at 9pm the rest of the year. There is plenty of seating along the walls but its busy here seven nights a week so get in early if you want to sit. The atmosphere in Taaffes is great with a good mix of locals from around the County and also plenty of tourists squeezing in. There is never any cover charge and some of Irelands best traditional musicians including Sharon Shannon has played here.

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Tig Coili is situated on Mainguard Street at the end of Shop Street. This cosy pub is well known for its nightly Traditional Irish music sessions. During the summer months you will  see people overflowing from its front door. As a traditional Irish pub experience Tig Coili­ has it all, great atmosphere, music and craic.

The music sessions are year round with local and travelling musicians joining in.This family run pub even have some great musicians of their own who often will be playing themselves when they are not needed behind the bar. They usually donâ??t use any amplification here so people usually crowd towards the front where the music is played. It gets a good mix of locals and tourists. On sunny days it's a good place enjoy a pint outside in their seated area on the street.

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The Roisin Dubh located on Dominic Street in the West end of Galway City is one of the most respected music venues not only in Ireland but in the World. Roisin Dubh is a Gaelic term meaning Black Rose in English. It was the symbol of Ancient Druids from the area and also a famous political song in Irish History.

Pronounced Row sheen Dove, the list of people to have played in this intimate venue is astounding. Greats such as Ray Manzarek, John Paul Jones and Steve Earle have all played here as well as Irish legends such as Christy Moore, The Frames, The Saw Doctors and Andy Irvine.

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The Kings Head is one of the best known pubs in Galway. The first stop for many visitors to the City, it is also one of the busiest pubs in Galway.It takes its name from the fact it was given to the executioner of Charles 1. In the intervening years the premises has served many purposes with a Pub first occupying part of the building in 1867.The Kings Head is a beautiful premises with lots of period features including a fireplace dated 1612.

This is a big pub set on multiple levels including the Ruby Room on the top floor which is used  for a variety of  intimate Gigs including regular comedy slots by such greats as local resident Tommy Tiernan. The ground floor has a stage and covers bands perform 7 nights a week.The Kings Head also regularly hosts lunch time theatre.Current highlights include Thursday night when No Banjo, an eclectic bunch who play a bluesy rock country mash up.

The Kings Heads is popular with students during term time and  is a tourist mecca during the Summer.The clientele is quite young especialy at the weekends.Food is served practically all day and is reasonably priced. They have a good selection of Traditional Irish dishes as well as homemade Pizzas and a very good coffee selection.

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Monroe's dominates the skyline in the west end of the city. Although seeming gigantic from the outside, once inside it has a warm intimate feel. The pub only operates on the ground floor which is open plan and full of comfortable seating.Upstairs is a a separate Live music venue naturally enough called Monroes Live. Monroe's Tavern has a rustic feel with open stone fires, stained glass features and wooden flooring.

The main bar is one of the longest in Galway City with lots of high chairs to perch upon for an evening. Live music is played here seven nights a week. Monroe's has a solid reputation as a home for traditional Irish music. Every Tuesday night they have Traditional Irish set dancing which you can join in on if you are confident enough. This is the real deal with locals and tourists really mixing in a great atmosphere.

Monroe's is busy every night drawing people from all walks of life. They also serve award winning food here all day from their own kitchen as well as serving pizzas from the adjoining pizza take away. Monroe's is a great place to relax with a pint and some food and your Galway pub experience will not be complete until you have sampled its unique atmosphere.

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