Ireland is home to some of the oldest pubs in Europe. From traditional thatched-roof drinking establishments to places that functioned as a bar, grocery store, and undertaker, every county’s oldest pub has a story to tell.
Across Ireland, there is frequent debate about what pub pours the best pint of Guinness, and where is the best place to enjoy a hearty meal on a rainy and windswept day. The oldest pubs in each county of Ireland have played host to royalty, dignitaries, curious visitors, and locals alike for centuries. There’s nothing quite so Irish as the awareness that you are just the latest individual to come in for a quiet pint by the fireside out of the wind and rain. Here are the oldest pubs in each of the island of Ireland’s thirty-two counties.
County Westmeath – the oldest bar in Europe
Sean’s Bar is not only the oldest pub in County Westmeath, but proven by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the oldest pub in Ireland and Europe, dating back to 900 AD.
Address: 13 Main St, Athlone And Bigmeadow, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 DW76
County Dublin – rebellion and music
The Brazen Head, founded in 1198, is the oldest pub in County Dublin and in Dublin City. It is a challenger to the claim that Sean’s Bar is the oldest pub in Ireland.
Address: 20 Bridge St. Lower, Usher’s Quay, Dublin, D08 WC64
County Kilkenny – history and witches
Kyteler’s Inn was established in 1324 by Dame Alice Kyteler, who escaped being burned as a witch. This is one of the most famous bars and pubs in all of Ireland.
Address: St Kieran’s St, Gardens, Kilkenny
County Meath – Guinness Christmas ad
The Cock, Gormanston, from the 1390s, was run by 21 generations of the McCabe family until its closure. This means that O’Connell’s of Skryne is the official title holder of the longest-running operational bar in the county.
Address: Skreen, Co. Meath, C15 EY76
County Waterford – nature walks
T & H Doolan’s, from 1400, was built against Norman walls in Waterford City, and was Waterford’s oldest bar until its closure in 2014 after three centuries of trading.
The oldest bar in Waterford is now Jack Meade’s Bar, which has its Old Bar and also a beer garden along with donkeys, ponies, and goats.
Address: Ballycanvan Little, Cheekpoint, Co. Waterford, X91 NY64
County Down – the longest license held in Ireland
Grace Neill’s, established 1611, holds the record as the longest officially licensed bar in Ireland. Originally called The King’s Arms and operating under that name for 400 years, this is also the oldest pub in Northern Ireland.
Address: 33 High St, Donaghadee BT21 0AH, United Kingdom
County Clare – an enterprising woman and poitÃn
Durty Nelly’s, from 1620, is a world-famous landmark beside Bunratty Castle. Legend had it that Nelly entertained many a man who passed by her toll bridge, and that she was given the recipe for poitÃn in a dream.
Address: Bunratty, Co. Clare
County Roscommon – longest family-run pub
Morahan’s Bar, established 1641, has been run by the same family for three centuries. It is the longest family-run pub in Ireland.
Address: Bellanagare, Co. Roscommon
County Antrim – oldest thatched pub in Ireland
The Crosskeys Inn, from 1650, is famous as the oldest thatched pub in Ireland.
Address: 40 Grange Rd, Toomebridge, Antrim BT41 3QB, United Kingdom
County Derry – from before the siege
The River Inn, from 1684, is also Derry City’s oldest sited bar, containing cellars dating to before the Siege of Derry. The Irish revolutionary leader Wolfe Tone was briefly held in its cellars.
Address: 34-38 Shipquay St, Londonderry BT48 6DW, United Kingdom
County Cork – a return to the original name
The Old Bear, known for centuries as The Gateway and briefly as Barbarella, established in 1698 as Ye Olde Bear, is one of Cork’s oldest standing tavern spaces and one of the best, most famous old pubs in Cork.
Address: 125 Barrack St, The Lough, Cork, T12 YY52
County Wexford – named for the famous poet
Thomas Moore Tavern, from 1730, was named after the famous poet and is framed by its original stone architecture. This pub was also originally called The King’s Arms.
Address: Cornmarket, Townparks, Wexford
County Offaly – Victorian fireplace and panoramic views
Luker’s Bar, from 1757, on the banks of the River Shannon, features a fully functional Victorian hearth fireplace.
Although the modern bar has a panoramic lounge overlooking the river, the old bar is intact. The fireplace is the only working one of its exact model in all of Ireland. This is one of the pubs in the middle of Ireland you need to visit.
Address: Cloniffeen, Co. Offaly, N37 XK75
County Fermanagh – pristine Victorian interior design
Blakes of the Hollow, established in 1887, is known for its pristine Victorian interior design. The Linnet Inn in Boho is a contender and has been in operation for 200 years, but its interior has undergone structural renovation several times.
Address: 6 Church St, Enniskillen BT74 7EJ, United Kingdom
County Armagh – the old gaol
The Hole in the Wall is the oldest pub in Armagh, dating back to 1615. It started out as a gaol and is named for a hole where people passed letters and food through to prisoners. It is reputedly haunted by a friendly ghost named Willy.
Address: 9 Market St, Armagh BT61 7BW, United Kingdom
County Carlow – old world bar
Reddy’s of Carlow, founded in 1768, was the oldest pub in Carlow but it closed its doors in 2025. Today, Corcoran’s Bar holds that title.
Address: Castle Hill, Carlow
County Cavan – one of the last two-story thatched pubs
Gartlan’s Traditional Thatched Pub in Kingscourt is the oldest in Cavan. It is one of the only two-story terraced thatched pubs left in Ireland.
Address: Lower Main St, Dunaree, Kingscourt, Co. Cavan, A82 A0D9
County Monaghan – the favourite pub of the poet
Daniel McNello’s is the oldest bar in Monaghan, established in 1710. It was the favourite pub of renowned poet Patrick Kavanaugh.
Address: Candlefort, Co. Monaghan
County Sligo – recent All-Ireland pub of the year
Thomas Connelly in Sligo Town holds the longest commercial trading license from 1780. It won the All-Ireland Pub of the Year in 2023 and was visited by Charles Stuart Parnell.
Address: 1 Markievicz Rd, Rathquarter, Sligo, F91 HC04
County Tipperary – live webcam to enjoy the atmosphere
Corny’s Bar, established in 1742, is the oldest bar in Tipperary, and one of the oldest in the Republic of Ireland.
Address: 24-34 Upper Church St, Bohercrow, Tipperary, E34 XK53
County Tyrone – a labyrinthine bar
Tomney’s in Moy is over 250 years old, but it is difficult to establish among all its labrynthine rooms and passageways which area started as the public house.
Address: The Square, Moy, Dungannon BT71 7SG, United Kingdom
County Donegal – Ireland’s most northerly pub
The Olde Glen Bar in Carrickart is rumoured to be from 1798, but Farren’s Bar in Malin Head has meticulous paperwork dating back to 1825, and says that verified paperwork beats rumour anyday.
Address: Slievebawn, Malin Head, Co. Donegal, F93 FX56
County Galway – 800 years of history
The King’s Head claims this title, as it is located in a building dating back to the 13th century. However, the building was originally a burgess house and mayoral residence, only becoming a pub centuries later.
Address: 15 High St, Galway, H91 AY6P
County Kerry – a living museum of old rural Ireland
The Shanty Bar in Ballyfinnane is the oldest pub in County Kerry, having started life as an illicit shebeen (unlicensed drinking establishment) and did not receive an official license until 1940!
The Ashes Pub in Camp is a challenger for the title, but that is due to the age of the building dating back to the 1700s.
Address: Ballyfinnane, Firies, Co. Kerry, V93 N825
County Kildare – highest altitude pub in Kildare
Brennan’s Kilteel Inn, founded in the early 1700s, is the oldest in County Kildare. Once a border of the English Pale, it is also the highest altitude pub in Kildare, at 700 feet.
Address: Main Street, Kilteel Lower, Kilteel, Co. Kildare
County Laois – bar, grocer, undertaker’s
Morrissey’s Pub, which opened in Abbeyleix in 1775, was also a grocery store, an undertaker’s, and a bar.
Address: Knocknamoe, Co. Laois, R32 T1X8
County Leitrim – family-run pub and tea room
The Stanford Village Inn in Dromahair is the oldest pub in County Leitrim, where you can also enjoy Afternoon tea.
Address: Main St, Drumahaire, Dromahair, Co. Leitrim
County Limerick – best pint of Guinness in Limerick
JJ Bowles is the oldest pub in Limerick, established in 1794. Its beer garden offers views of King John’s Castle, and is known to have one of the best pints of Guinness in Limerick.
Address: 8 Thomondgate, Thomond Gate, Limerick, V94 HK74
County Longford – best bar in the county
Duignan’s Tallyho opened in 1875, and remains the oldest pub in the county where you can walk in and order a pint seven days a week. It has been named the best bar in the county by prominent travel guides.
Address: New St, Townparks, Longford
County Louth – bed and breakfast in the castle’s shadow
Taaffes Castle Bar is the oldest, as its building dates back to the 1300s, but the longest-running pub is the Carlingford Arms, which opened in 1715.
Address: Newry St, Liberties Of Carlingford, Carlingford, Co. Louth
County Mayo – grocery store, pub, wine merchant, funeral home
Mellett’s Emporium in Swinford has been operating under the same family name since 1797.
However, since the premises operated as a grocery store, funeral home, and wine merchant for many years, there is a question about whether it technically qualifies as the oldest pub.
Campbell’s at the Reek, however, was opened as a pub, and opened in 1740. The reason for the discrepancy is that Mellett’s operated continuously while Campbell’s changed hands, closed, and had other purposes during those years, while Mellett’s remained open in an unbroken line.
Address: Market St, Swineford, Co. Mayo, F12 D5W8
County Wicklow – glamping and camping
The Dying Cow near Tinahely was founded in 1798 and is the oldest pub in Wicklow. When it was founded, only people ‘travelling with purpose’ could drink alcohol on a Sunday night, leading the revellers to claim they were visiting a dying cow.
Today the bar also offers glamping and camping along the Wicklow Way.
Address: Unnamed Rd, Co., Co. Wicklow
The island of Ireland is rich in history and the public house has a very long and storied existence in every county.
The warmth of a turf fire, the craic, and the flawless pints of Guinness poured means that Ireland’s oldest pubs have been welcoming people home for a very long time. Enjoy exploring the stories of Ireland while discovering these pubs and wandering back through history.
