4 Best Nightlife in The Southwest, Ireland

With its selection of more than 60 Irish and 30 Scottish whiskeys and a vast range of Irish craft beers, this family-run traditional bar in the town center is an excellent spot for discovering Ireland's distilling and brewing traditions. A favorite of local and visiting musicians, it hosts live traditional sessions Monday to Thursday in season, with live contemporary music every Friday night.

Part cobbler's shop, part bar, this tiny pub has been quenching thirsts since 1899. Offering a quintessential Dingle experience, with music nightly and a big selection of whiskeys. It has its own food truck and microbrewery by the beer garden, where tours and tastings take place daily in the taproom.

Informally known as "the sweetshop Pub" this much-loved Killarney landmark, bang in the center of town, dates from 1870 and was recently given an inspired makeover. The sweets are still there in jars, but one side of the pub now serves coffee, cakes, and light snacks, while the other is a regular pub. Both sides of the establishment are decorated with a fascinating collection of memorabilia. It's a great place to meet the locals.

This fascinating landmark pub was built by local hero Tom Crean (1877–1938). Crean enlisted in the English navy at the age of 15, and served on three expeditions to Antarctica—the Discovery (1901–04) and the Terra Nova (1910–13), both under the command of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, and the Endurance (1914–16), where he was second officer to Ernest Shackleton. Crean himself failed to reach the South Pole on any of these expeditions, and named his pub so that in his retirement he could go to work at the South Pole every day.

Memorabilia at the pub fill in the details of Crean's Antarctic adventures. Famed for his amazing strength and resilience, he walked 56 km (35 miles) through an Antarctic blizzard to bring help to his colleagues, with only two bars of chocolate and three cookies for sustenance. For this he received the Albert Medal for Bravery. On another occasion he survived a 15-day journey across 1,280 km (800 miles) of ocean in an open boat.

Today the South Pole Inn offers heartwarming fare and a selection of local craft beer along with the usual brands.