Molly Malones

You'll spot this place easily enough on Union Street - it's the one with the green frontage and the sound of proper craic spilling out onto the pavement. Inside, it's all dark wood and brass fittings, the kind of Irish pub that doesn't try too hard but gets the basics absolutely right. The Guinness pours properly here (none of that rushed nonsense), and the food menu runs from decent fish and chips to Irish stew that'll sort you right out after a long day. Weekend evenings bring live music that ranges from traditional Irish sessions to local bands, and the crowd's a proper mix of students, office workers, and regulars who've been propping up the bar since the Thatcher years. It's not trying to reinvent anything - just solid pub fundamentals done well in the heart of the city centre.