Colm Dalton from Fenit, County Kerry, is on a mission to visit every Irish pub in the world. We caught up with him to find out all about this epic pint-fuelled adventure.
Some people travel to experience new cultures while others visit new countries to see bucket list landmarks. However, one Irishman has a different travel goal – to visit every Irish pub in the world.
Ireland’s pub culture has captured the hearts of people around the globe. Today, you can find Irish pubs in far-flung destinations like New York, Sydney, and even Uganda.
But how do they live up to the pubs here in Ireland? Irishman Colm Dalton has taken it upon himself to find out by visiting every Irish pub in the world.
A mission hatched from an office conversation – exploring the world, one Irish pub at a time
Colm Dalton is an English Lecturer from Fenit, County Kerry. Currently living in London, he spends his time off exploring new destinations in search of the world’s best Irish pubs.
Starting the mission back in 2017 following a conversation with a co-worker about what they’d do if they won the lottery, the Irishman devised a plan to visit every Irish pub in the world.
Over the past eight years, Colm has travelled to 47 different countries and visited an impressive 97 Irish pubs. “This puts only a few thousand left to do. Which is fine, there’s no rush,” he explains.
What makes an Irish pub – good Guinness, GAA, and road signs?
During his adventures, Colm has visited all kinds of Irish pubs, from authentic and traditional watering holes to gimmicky bars and tourist traps.
We asked him about his criteria for what he considers to be an Irish pub. He explained, “It’s definitely the feel of the place, so I suppose a combination of things.
“Something that shows it’s genuine. Old Guinness taps, Irish music, GAA on the TV, and pictures of noted Irish people. And good service, of course.
“Some great ones were opened by people who visited Ireland and wanted to replicate what they saw. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!”
He also noticed a few common threads running through Irish pubs abroad. “They all seem to have indoor road signs to Irish places,” he explained.
“There must be a lucrative business in smuggling Irish road signs abroad. This might also explain why rural Ireland is so badly signposted.”
The good, the bad, and the downright weird – every genre of Irish pub
Having visited almost 100 Irish pubs around the world, Colm revealed the best and worst spots he’s found so far. The Auld Shillelagh in London or Patrick Foley’s in Ghent, Belgium are both “beautiful spots” and “very authentic”, he explained.
He was also impressed by the authenticity of the Irish pubs he visited in Italy, explaining, “I did a pub crawl in Rome of all their pubs in one day and The Fiddler’s Elbow was a great spot.
“The UK ones are very real, as they were opened by immigrants. Same as the US.”
On the flip side, he said, “The worst….. there’s been a few. But I wasn’t gone on Gecko Irish Pub in Belgrade or Guinness Ireland Pub in Sarajevo.
“They were Irish-themed, but the theme was mostly take your money. I didn’t stay long.”
Not always a smooth journey – the hiccups of travelling
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the Irishman as he attempts to visit every Irish pub in the world.
From travelling to remote locations only to discover that the pub he wanted to visit no longer exists to struggling with language barriers and communication, Colm has faced many challenges along the way.
We asked what his weirdest experience has been so far, and he recalled a time when he tried to catch a tuk-tuk to an Irish pub in Jakarta.
“In Jakarta, a city of 30 million people, I was trying to get a tuk-tuk to an Irish Pub there. The driver had no idea what I was on about, he didn’t speak English so I had to translate ‘Irish Pub’ through extensive gesturing and mime.
“After two hours in the rush hour traffic, the poor man dropped me back exactly where he had picked me up. He had no idea where the pub was.
“I got another taxi and I found it hidden in a shopping mall. Good times.”
Bringing it back home – the best Irish pubs in Ireland
While Colm has enjoyed visiting Irish pubs around the globe, there really is no place like home. So, we wanted to find out where he’d go for a pint while back in Ireland.
He said, “I would go for Tigh Neachtains, Galway City. It’s the pinnacle of an Irish Pub, it’s a labyrinth of snugs and bric-a-brac.
“And Foxy Johns, Dingle – half pub, half hardware store. Mighty.”
Still, that isn’t to say there aren’t a few things the pubs in Ireland could learn from their counterparts abroad. Colm remarked, “Some Irish pubs abroad have table service, which is pretty classy if you can get it.
“And some allow you to pay at the end like a restaurant… which is a bit dangerous.”
What’s next? – new adventures and his first book
Having enjoyed quite the adventure over the past eight years, we wanted to find out what the Irishman is planning next on his mission to visit every Irish pub in the world.
“Once I reach the magic 100 pubs abroad I’d like to put them all in a book. There’s a range of countries and cultures.
“I always write about the country when I travel, see what their relationship with Ireland is like, how the cultures compare, the history etc.
“Each trip is totally different, and you never know what you’re going to get!”
Destination-wise, there are a few places that Colm is still pretty excited to visit.
“The Faroe Islands is one I’m really keen on,” he said. “I also need to visit Africa. Nigeria is a big Guinness country, so maybe there.
“And there’s one in Fiji, which might be the most isolated, which would be fun to check out. And the one in the foothills of the Himalayas.”
Where to follow Colm’s Irish pub journey – discover the best Irish pubs in the world
If you want to follow Colm’s journey, you can read about each trip on his website publicanenemy.com
Otherwise, you can keep up to date with his travels on his Instagram account @publicanenemy. Here, the Irishman posts the highlights of his mission to visit every Irish pub in the world, including his popular series on Irish pub of the week.
