O’Donoghue’s Merrion Row

At 15 Merrion Row, O’Donoghue’s is a pub bound to the history of Irish folk music. The house itself says Paddy and Maureen O’Donoghue took it over in 1934 and that it became a meeting place for musicians including The Dubliners in the 1960s. That history does not turn every evening into a reenactment: today visitors find a working bar, with drinks, conversation, photographs and sessions advertised every day.

The official programme starts at eight in the evening from Monday to Thursday, earlier on Friday and Saturday, and runs through Sunday. The bar’s opening time is not the music’s starting time; keeping them separate prevents a mid-morning arrival in expectation of a session. Another O’Donoghue’s operates on Suffolk Street: this itinerary requires 15 Merrion Row on the map. The official site shows a drinks list and guest rooms, but anyone needing food should check directly rather than assume that every pub serves dinner.

Visitors often value the music, conversation and character of the place; some describe crowds that make it hard to get close to the players. A session changes with the musicians present and is not a performance with assigned seats. The official phone number is +353 1 660 7194. Near St Stephen’s Green, the location suits a walk through the southern city centre; arriving before the advertised music slot helps more than assuming a seat will remain once the room is full.