Stats and facts on Irish pubs

Dublin's Brazen Head claims a hostelry has stood on its site since 1198. The present building, a former coaching inn, dates from the mid-1750s.

Kyteler's Inn in Kilkenny is named after Dame Alice Kyteler, who was accused of witchcraft in 1324 and fled. Her maid Petronilla was not so lucky, and was burned at the stake.

Beside Bunratty Castle in Co. Clare, Durty Nelly's claims to have been serving since 1620.

From 1927, city pubs had to close between 2.30 and 3.30pm on weekdays, a break known as the Holy Hour. From 1962 it applied only in Dublin and Cork, and the Intoxicating Liquor Act 1988 finally called time on it.

For over 90 years, pubs had to stay shut on Good Friday. A 2018 Act lifted the ban, and on 30 March 2018 pubs opened legally on Good Friday for the first time since the 1920s.

On 29 March 2004, Ireland became the first country in the world with a comprehensive national smoke-free workplace law, and the ashtrays came off every pub table.

On 31 December 1759, Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease on a disused brewery at St James's Gate, Dublin, for 45 pounds a year.

Between 2005 and 2025, 2,205 Irish pubs closed, about one in four. Every county lost pubs; Limerick lost the biggest share (37%) and Dublin the smallest (1%).

Many Irish pubs were also shops, and a few still are: Foxy John's in Dingle sells hardware, and Dick Mack's, open since 1899, shares its floor with a leather shop.

When pubs were largely male preserves, the snug, a partitioned nook with a hatch to the bar and frosted glass, was where women could drink in private. It was also handy for business deals, and even matchmaking.

The 1927 Act let a handful of pubs near markets and docks open early, usually from 7am, for dockers, traders and other early workers. These are the early houses, and Dublin has allowed no new ones since 1962.

Under the 1927 Act, a genuine traveller who had slept at least three miles away (five in the cities) could be served outside normal hours, a famous loophole until it was repealed in 1960.

In a group, everyone takes a turn buying the round, and leaving before you've bought yours is poor form. At a session, musicians gather informally in the pub, and the etiquette is not to play along to a tune you don't know.