Irish Pubs in Manhattan: The good, the great and the Guinness

My fascination for Irish pubs has been commented on or documented in many a story over the decade from Baku, Buenos Aires, Bangalore, Brooklyn and Barcelona. That's just the "B" list. Never checked my "A" list. Irish bars and pubs are found in most cities around the world. In Dublin, there are over 600 of them. You can always expect a warm welcome, friendly bar staff, the Guinness, stout and Kilkenny. Couple this with the locals, ex-pats, homely food, and sometimes great music; and you're sure of a great night out.

So, from my visits and feedback from locals, here are the top Irish pubs in Manhattan. Some didn't have Guinness; most didn't have music but I still met new people and enjoyed "a New York?state of mind" as Billy Joel would say. In no particular order:

The Dead Rabbit

A grumpy man meets us at the obscure door of a massive old complex that hundred plus years ago would have been on the waterfront, but not now. This is not an old pub, in fact, it's only a couple of decades old. A great job has been done to convert the old building into a pub with five bars. Old English music pumps loudly and the bar is busy. We soon get a table but are told we have 90 minutes and then the table has to be released. After about ten minutes of waiting, I go and find someone to help and explain that I don't mind the limiting of my time but they have to get their act together. It's a?good food pub so we ordered?bangers and mash and cod and chips washed down with some "black stuff". Prices look twice that of London and tipping is mandatory irrespective of the service quality. This establishment has been listed as one of the top fifty bars in the world.

The Full shilling

Quite a modern bar. Nothing much to shout about. But great location.

The Irish Punt

Very quiet. Lovely polished black long bar with friendly staff and cheap prices.?

Ulysses

Located in the Financial area with lots of outdoor seating. Very lively with lots of city workers drinking, especially during the happy hour which can be as early as 5 pm and go on to 7 pm.

Fraunces Tavern

This is not truly Irish but imports Irish beer. History abounds, some say it's the oldest tavern in Manhattan. Friendly staff, slightly over-priced drinks. See my write-up on my blog. (https://thewhingingpome.online/fraunces-tavern-1719-sons-of-the-revolution-new-york/)

An Beal Bocht

Translated from Irish this means "The poor mouth". This is not an old Irish pub but gets great reviews. Got within two miles of the place then the plan changed.

Mc Sorley’s Old Ale House

With locally made beers, cheap prices, packed with people and noise, this pub is worth one visit. See the short write-up on The Whinging Pome's Facebook page.?(https://www.facebook.com/TheWhingingPome/posts/3071507053081565)

Petes tavern on O’Henry’s

This 1864 tavern may get into my list with amazing food, though Italian. A massive photo selection and friendly well-trained staff.

O’Haras, the nearest Irish bar to Ground Zero ,has two bars and a restaurant.

Prices are reasonable and the staff are real fun. The pub is adored on every wall with badges of fire?and police?department's not just from New York but?from around the country/ world. Fifty feet away is the ladder/ engine ten?station where fire?officers were first on the scene on 9/11. There are memorials on the wall to those lost their lives. In the two?plus decades that O’Haras?has been open its busiest day was the twenty year anniversary?of the twin?towers being hit. It was an amazing emotional day for us to witness.

It's no surprise that there are a number of write-ups and rankings on Irish pubs in New York. Murphy Guide, Time Out, Jimmys New York guide, Guinness Ranking to name but four. To be sure, it would not surprise many people that 129% of people living in Manhattan claim they have Irish descendance! 4-5 million Irish immigrants arrived from Ireland between 1820 and 1930 to the USA.

There are only 4.9 million people living in Ireland today and 31.5 million Irish descendants in the USA?

Guinness is a real must for an Irish Bar, it is the most successful alcohol brand in the world making this special "black stuff" in fifty countries. I noted in many Irish drinking places in Manhattan they don't carry it. Some have their own brew or carry a stout.

Music is also a great part of the Irish pubs' enjoyment but this is not so visible in Manhattan. In Singapore, I recall joining the band on stage, and in doing so there were more people on the stage than in the audience. If the crowd is in a singing mood there are four Irish classics:

• Whiskey in a jar: The story of a bad highwayman, Patrick Fleming in 1650.
• The Friends of Athenry: from 1979 but set in 1840, a starving family in Ireland was forced to go to Australia. Adopted as an Irish rugby song.
• The Wild Rover: 16th-century participative song.
• Danny Boy: Written by an Englishman, set later and more successfully to the music, Londonderry Air. A theme shrouded in Irish history. I recall it would always make my mum cry as she lost her older brother, Danny in WW2 in Europe.

My earliest recognition of Irish pubs, given my dad was a non-drinking Vicar, was when I lived in Northern England from 16 to 18 years of age. Irish pubs were not fashionable in England in those days. "Mainland bombing" by the IRA was a distraction. I was playing the drums in licensed premises, but mainly working men's clubs. My love for pubs, not just Irish pubs in the following two decades resulted in a team of us opening an English pub in Sri Lanka - the Inn On The Green. We brought in Tetleys beer on draft and some canned Guinness, two firsts for the island. We do have a few Irish pubs in Colombo, my hometown but we await "the Black Stuff" i.e. The Guinness. 2022 could be the year we see it on sale.