29 Best Nightlife in County Clare, Galway, and the Aran Islands, Ireland

With the most eye-catching facade on High Street, if not Galway City, the King's Head is dripping with 800 years of history with its association to the execution of King Charles I. Staff are charming and a cúpla focal (a few words in the Irish language) will put you in good favor. There are trad music sessions nightly.

Behind the subtle, light-yellow timber-front entrance, this whiskey and tequila bar is a long warren of Victorian-bar idiosyncrasies, with lofty ceilings, barrel tables, two-story-high whiskey cabinets that manifest like the love child of an old west saloon and a traditional Irish pub. The evening entertainment reflects the same hybrid, with jazz, blues, acoustic sessions, and the occasional bit of reggae offered back-to-back with trad-music sessions. It's the best place in town for a refreshing cocktail, and the antidote to an overindulgence in ballads and fiddles.

Fans of musician Ed Sheeran will instantly recognize the interior of this landmark pub as the location of his "Galway Girl" music video with actress Saoirse Ronan. Trading since 1942, this generous-size tavern in Salthill is a firm favorite with visitors who browse through the pub's vast collection of paraphernalia, from farmyard tools and grandma’s garters (hanging over a hearth) to a life-size statue of the "Quiet Man," John Wayne. Its impressive collection of whiskey is showcased on an imposing shelf behind the bar counter.

This bright-blue, mural-scarred pub is in the hub of Galway's medieval center and the core of its beating heart. For more than 120 years its mahogany snugs and alcoves have given patrons refuge from the city's infamous mist and rain while its stock of more than 130 brands of whiskey has fueled heat through their veins. Predictably, it's buzzing on the weekends.

Cross O'Brien Bridge and take the first left to find this Irish-speaking social club–pub, which is a great place to hear traditional music, watch (or join) dancing and language classes, and hear the Irish language in use. Non–Irish speakers are very welcome. Open weekdays only.

Enter through a side alley door to this large landmark pub that has served and entertained locals for decades, right in the town center. Musicians appear to crawl out of the handsome woodwork nightly and perform impromptu to an appreciative audience. Bar food is available.

On the corner of the main street, this sandstone cottage, with its low roof, is the place to cozy up for a post-surf pint. Traditional food is served until 9 pm---specials are on a chalkboard, and there's live Irish music on weekends.

Brimming with character, the low ceilings and stone flooring of this popular haunt next to Bunratty Castle draw back to earlier centuries. The pub was formerly known as "the Pike" (short for "turnpike") due to its role as the tollgate for the arched stone bridge that connects it to the other side of the Ratty River. Clients clamor at the small bar for service where bar food and heartier restaurant-style portions are available. Recent additions include a large canopied dining area on the local bridge.

Durty Nelly's is bang in the middle of the well-beaten tourist trail, so expect as many visitors as locals.

Set in the village's main (and only) street, popular Gus O'Connor's has tables outside near a stream and live music every night after 9:30 in the summertime.

Gin is having a moment in Ireland right now and nowhere is that more evident or celebrated than Hyde Bar and Gin Parlour, where you will find more than 500 brands of gin, featuring flavors from potato to rhubarb to "Unicorn Tears." The bold interior, with electric-blue and shocking-pink furnishings and larger-than-life wall murals, comes as a surprise after entering the classic ivy-clad doorway. There's also a good selection of craft beer and the old reliable beverages. By day, this is a hugely popular brunch spot.

Located right off the pier, Joe Mac's is a good place for a fireside pint while waiting for the ferry home.

Located on the hill outside the village, Joe Watty's is the hub of Inis Mór's entertainment, with regular music sessions and reliable food.

Knappogue Castle's banquet is a feast of quaint pageantry with an inoffensive menu that still has a broad appeal. However, the setting on hilly pastures in a medieval limestone tower house in County Clare is sublime. Entertainers strum harps and sing old favorite Irish melodies and generally earn the €63 price tag for a night of poetry, sentimentality and innocent fun. There's an elegant walled garden by the west side of the building and the castle has an intriguing backstory ever since it was constructed in the 15th century by the McNamara clan---and it's available to rent on Airbnb.  

This Victorian-style bar, close to Ennis Friary, with a traditional plate-glass shop front with brick, timber, and bric-a-brac finishes, claims the title of the town's oldest pub. It serves bar food in its Storehouse Restaurant until 9 pm and offers live traditional music regularly from 9:30 pm.

Popular with locals, McDermott's is a great spot for soul-warming live music and traditional fare. They have live music nightly early spring to late autumn, and weekends in winter. Note: it's sometimes closed during the day in low season.

Across the road from McDermott's, McGann's is the smallest of Doolin's three famous pubs and has been run by the same family for 70 years. Breakfast is a highlight, so luckily, McGann's offers B&B, too (must book ahead).

Behind one of the most charming facades in Ennis is McHugh's Bar, the town's hub for craft beer. Order a pint of its own brand, Western Herd, and settle in for the occasional, impromptu music session. Tapas are available from Thursday to Sunday.

A popular Galway City pub with a restaurant upstairs, McSwiggan's has everything from church pews to ancient carriage lamps contributing to its eclectic character.

A large and handsome street-corner pub, Monroe's has free music nightly from 9 pm and regularly hosts impressive rock acts. Quality bar food and a friendly service add to the appeal.

Cocktails, beer, and wine are served in this tiny bar on a quiet street just beyond the city center. It has a DJ and live entertainment, plus student night on Wednesday---and a very loyal LGBTQ customer base.

No Ballyvaughan trip would be complete without this old-timer's pub, with its epic collection of whiskey brands. Set in a tidy building near the village square, with one eye on Galway Bay, O'Lochlainn's is a family business that opens every night from 8 pm (when the farming day is over) until late. Its intimate dark-wood interior is a throwback to the 1930s, when it was a store and local tea blender.

Fans in the know say this is the place to head for the best in traditional music on the Aran Islands.

Husband-and-wife team Birgitta and Peter Curtain offer their own craft beer and innovative food sourced from their neighboring Burren Smokehouse store in the quirky Roadside Tavern just off the main street of Ireland's matchmaking capital, Lisdoonvarna. The pub, owned by generations of Curtains, has regular trad sessions and guaranteed banter from Peter. Hobbit enthusiasts are particularly welcome, as the premises is home to the Burren Tolkien Society.

Open for 150 years, Taaffe's is bang in the city center and hosts regular trad-music sessions that start from 5:30 pm.

Arrive early to get a seat at this tiny bar to the west of Claddagh; its two floors can get crammed during nightly trad sessions.

The O'Connell Street door to the Old Ground Hotel leads directly to the Poet's Corner, a spacious, popular bar with pub grub in the day, and regular traditional music sessions on weekends from 9:30.

Behind the simple facade, this Gothic bar is a surprising labyrinth of rooms across three stories, kitted out with furnishings from a medieval church, including pews, a giant organ, and altar. There are regular rock and country sessions.

A legend in its own right and a serious venue for stand-up comics, silent discos, emerging rock and traditional bands, the Róisín Dubh often showcases big, if still-struggling, talents.

Known for its traditional-music sessions in a village famed for its céilí band, Vaughan's has been a local favorite for years. Its claim to fame is a cameo appearance in the television series Father Ted. Set-dancing sessions are held in the barn every Sunday at 9:30 pm.