Pub Spy: The ten best pubs of 2024 bar none

He’s getting more cantankerous as the years go by and there’s still no mention of him retiring or calling it a day.

Of course, why would he want to retire when he gets paid to go drinking every week? Most people in Ireland would love his job.

We’ve covered the 26 counties again this year and chosen our Top Ten favourite pubs for 2024.

It should be obvious, but every year we hear the same complaints from customers who feel their favourite pub should have featured on the list, so we feel the need to highlight the obvious just to avoid any confusion.

Our Top Ten is based on pubs we actually reviewed between January and December 2024.

If your favourite pub doesn’t feature, then perhaps it’s as simple an explanation as we didn’t review it this year!

If we didn’t review it, feel free to let us know that you deem it worthy of a visit and Pub Spy will guarantee the team of Commandos will check it out.

So here’s the list, in no particular order, of Pub Spy’s Top Ten favourite pubs of 2024

1. Uncle Tom’s Cabin Blackrock, Co. Louth

What a way to kick off the year! Our first outing of 2024 was to Blackrock, just outside Dundalk, and we had a great time at Uncle Tom’s Cabin on the coast.

The pints of Guinness cost €5.50 and we had a great few hours in the company of Kevin the barman.

A section at the rear of the pub is a treasure trove for sporting enthusiasts; whether you like football, darts, pool or boxing there’s something here worth seeing.

A brilliant atmosphere, good pints and welcoming staff – what more would you want?

2. Halfway House Walkinstown, Dublin 12

For nostalgia alone, the Halfway House earned its place in Pub Spy’s heart in 2024.

We hadn’t been here for nearly 20 years but we won’t allow that to happen again.

Our Rural Commando is still talking about it and says this is where tourists should be directed to from Dublin airport, not Temple Bar.

This is where you will meet the real Dublin folks and hear the real Dublin accents and stories.

A pint of Guinness at €5.80 was a little on the steep side, but we let it slide on this occasion because we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the black stuff was just pure cream.

3. Manzor’s Clane, Co. Kildare

Having featured in Pub Spy’s Top Ten of 2014, we are delighted to include this boozer a decade later as part of our greatest hits of 2024.

If you’ve been to Manzor’s pub then you’ll know why it continues to make our list of favourites time and time again, but if you haven’t managed to visit yet we strongly suggest you do.

A beautifully decorated and well run pub with creamy stout for €5.50 served by excellent staff and surrounded by a fun loving Kildare crowd.

Our Old Commando would call here every week if we let him. Keep up the good work.​

4. MacSiúrtain’s Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo

With the exception of the shrine to all things Manchester United, this is one of our favourite pubs in Mayo.

The atmosphere was brilliant and always has been each and every time we’ve visited, and at just €5 the pints were considerably cheaper than most places in Ireland these days.

TVs, projection screens, dart boards, poker machines and jukeboxes — you name it and they have it.

You’re sure to be entertained when you call to McSiúrtain’s and if it’s not by the TV, it will be by the barflies that call it their local.​

5. Sportsman’s Killarney, Co. Kerry

The Sportsman’s pub in Killarney had a sneaky edge over some of the competition around Ireland in that Pub Spy absolutely adores the Kingdom.

It’s just a different way of life down these parts and Pub Spy and the team simply love to visit.

The €5 pint of Guinness, the fantastic atmosphere and the hospitality that is afforded to you is second to none.

We always enjoy the banter with the passionate locals and we rarely find a bad pub in Killarney. Keep up the good work, and we’ll call again.​

6. The Shantully Inn Crossdoney, Co. Cavan

We don’t know how we ended up in Crossdoney and we’re not sure we’d ever find our way back to it (without the guidance of a satnav) but we really enjoyed our visit to this busy boozer in the middle of nowhere.

It was fantastic to see a rural pub enjoying such a terrific trade and the furnishings throughout were of the highest quality.

There’s a huge car park adjacent to the pub and the pints of stout were costing €5.30.

There’s a B&B available here too and next time we might have to avail of it.

7. Sean O’Donohue Abbeyknockmoy, Co. Galway

What a lovely little village we visited during the summer, and it was a pleasure to spend time in the company of the elderly and experienced barman who we assumed was the owner. He served us pints of Guinness for €5 and he kept the Old Commando talking about GAA for most of the night, vowing the Galway men would bounce back from their final defeat to Armagh. This was such a cosy pub where the bar staff treated everyone superbly. We loved the atmosphere and the country vibe that we encountered.

8. Birchall’s Crumlin, Dublin

This pub captured the Old Commandos heart as soon as he read the sign on the front door stating ‘Over 23s’ and ‘no children please’.

If they increase that to over 35s it would make him even happier.

The pints of Guinness set us back a whopping €6.10 but they were well received by all our Commandos.

Designated parking is available right outside the front door and they also serve food if you’re feeling peckish.

9. Brady’s Maynooth, Co. Kildare

Pub Spy and the team are no strangers to Brady’s pub in Maynooth and we were lucky enough to enjoy a visit here as recently as October.

While the pints are costly at €6, most of our conversation on this trip was about just how good of a town Maynooth is, arguably one of the best in Ireland with Brady’s one of its main institutions.

The atmosphere was top class and, as usual, the bar was absolutely packed to the rafters, but it was still easy to get a drink with the professional bar staff they have working here.

A lovely pub in a lovely town and we’ll make it our business to return.​

10. John Kehoe South Anne Street, Dublin

Home sweet home — there’s just nowhere quite like John Kehoe’s pub on Dublin’s South Anne Street at Christmas time.

In fact, you can call here any time of the year and you’ll have equally as nice a time.

A good blend of locals, tourists and shoppers all stop off here for a relaxing drink and the atmosphere never diminishes.

It’s a haven for many and Pub Spy always loves to pay this famous old establishment a visit.

With the pints of stout costing an eye-watering €6.80 you might want to wait until payday before calling in, but one or two won’t break the bank!