Leinster (Louth)
Dundalk sits halfway between Dublin and Belfast and doesn't try to be either. The Spirit Store is one of Ireland's best small live-music venues, tucked into a former grocery on the quay. Muldoon's runs the old-school Guinness pour with mahogany fittings unchanged since the 1950s. Good weekend base if you're driving north for the Cooley Peninsula.
Written by Séamus O'Byrne · Aug 23, 2026Updated August 23, 2026
Click any pin for the editorial, address + our Guinness score. Zoom in to see the walking distance between rounds — most of these are within a 4-minute walk.
#1 — guinness quality
23 Bridge St, Dundalk, Co. Louth
10
/10 Guinness
Best for: Best pint of Guinness in Louth — the old-school pour
Mahogany, brass, tiled floor — nothing has been touched since the 1950s and it shows. Order a Guinness, wait properly, sit at the back. Locals only most nights.
#2 — trad music
George's Quay, Dundalk, Co. Louth
9
/10 Guinness
Best for: One of Ireland's best small live-music venues
Downstairs is a proper old grocery-turned-bar; upstairs is a 100-seat gig room where names like Damien Rice, Mundy, Duke Special all cut their teeth. Check the calendar — even a random Thursday will have something worth going to.
#3 — guinness quality
9 Dublin St, Dundalk, Co. Louth
9
/10 Guinness
Best for: Small, quiet Guinness — no music, no fuss
A locals' pub through and through. Two rooms, both wood-panelled, no attempts at charm. The pint is unhurried and correct.
#4 — trad music
50 Chapel St, Dundalk, Co. Louth
8
/10 Guinness
Best for: Gastropub with trad sessions Thursday-Sunday
The best food-and-music combination in town. Chef-driven menu, live sessions from 9pm most weekends. Book a table before 8pm.
#5 — beer garden
Roden Place, Dundalk, Co. Louth
7
/10 Guinness
Best for: Beer garden + craft beer selection
Modern, big outdoor space, wide craft tap list. Best summer-evening pick in Dundalk — proper garden, food from the kitchen, family-friendly early.
Skip the taxi rank and lock in your fare before you land.
Pre-book a fixed-price transfer
Our pickDriver waits at arrivals with your name, tracks your flight, and the price you see is the price you pay. English-speaking, fixed price. No surge, no haggling at 2am.
Check transfer pricesRenting a car instead? Compare rentals with free cancellation.Muldoon's (23 Bridge St, Dundalk, Co. Louth). Best pint of Guinness in Louth — the old-school pour. Our Guinness quality score: 10/10.
2 pubs on this list run trad-music sessions: The Spirit Store, Mo Chara. Most sessions start between 6pm and 9:30pm and are free to attend — buy a pint, listen.
Dublin Airport (DUB). Book fixed-price transfers before you land; the taxi queues at Irish airports can double your fare if it's a rugby weekend.
Weeknights (Tuesday to Thursday) — locals outnumber visitors, sessions are unforced, and you'll get a stool. Weekends fill fast from 8pm; St Patrick's Day + Guinness-brand event weeks are for tourists only.
5 — hand-picked from a longer shortlist. Every pub here has been visited; the Guinness scores are our own, published dated so you can hold us to them.