3 Amazing Family-Friendly Pubs in Dublin With Live Music
We have visited Dublin, Ireland with kids on two different occasions and each time we have had some extremely lovely experiences listening to live music in various Dublin pubs.
One of the things my husband and I look forward to the most about our trips to Dublin IS the live music. So,I try extremely hard to find great, family-friendly Dublin pubs where all of us in the family will have a great time (and honestly, it’s a bit harder than you might think… at least with my criteria).
On our most recent trip to Dublin, we were traveling with a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old and one of our pub experiences was the absolute highlight of our time in the city (more on that later). I’ve made a 1-day Dublin itinerary including this pub if you are looking for the best way to spend one day in Dublin with kids.
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Are Kids Allowed in Pubs in Dublin / What is the Dublin Pub Age Limit?
So, you’re probably wondering, ‘are kids allowed in pubs in Dublin?’. The answer is YES (with some exceptions).
The official Ireland ‘Citizens Information’ website states that children under the age of 18 are allowed in pubs until 9:00 pm ( or 10:00 pm from May to September).
However, the pub owner can refuse to allow a child entry if they believe that it would be harmful to the child’s health, safety, or welfare.
The official drinking age in Ireland is 18, so obviously anyone 18 years and older can be in a pub as late as they would like.
Some pubs in Ireland are very family-friendly whereas others are not so much. So, this post is here to give you my top 3 recommendations for family-friendly pubs in Dublin based on our two trips to the city and the experiences we loved.
How I Chose These Pubs in Dublin for Families
As I’ve said, we’ve visited Dublin twice with young kids and high on our list each time was finding a great pub to visit where we could enjoy live, traditional music. I wanted to make sure it was a good experience for all of us, so I spent hours upon hours researching pubs that:
- Serve food (not just drinks) plus have a kids menu (makes me immediately feel like kids are welcome)
- Have traditional live music at a reasonable time (generally before 7:30 pm)
These were my top two criteria because some pubs in Dublin only serve drinks and no food and some pubs serve food but don’t offer a kids menu.
Or some pubs have live music but it doesn’t start until 9:00 pm when children are no longer allowed in (plus who wants to keep their young kids out that late anyway?).
Or, they may have music that starts earlier when kids are allowed, but it’s still around 7:30 pm which is when we are trying to help our kids wind down for the night (instead of being out and about listening to pub music).
Some pubs also have dance performances that you can purchase tickets to. However, many of those performances are very late in the evening or kids under a certain age are not allowed.
So, while doing my pub research, I was also looking into dancing as an option. I knew my young kids would love to not only listen to music but also see some dancing.
MAP OF BEST Pubs in Dublin to visit with Kids
*Use this interactive map to see the best pubs in Dublin for families. Click on the full-screen icon in the top right corner to have this map open in your own Google Maps app or click on the arrow in the top left corner to see a pullout list of all points on the map*
3 Family Friendly Pubs in Dublin:
These are my top recommendations for the best pubs to visit in Dublin with young kids based off our two different trips to the city. It may not be a long list, but it’s a very high-quality list of pubs I know you’ll love visiting as a family (because we did!).
1. Merchant’s Arch
- Live Music Schedule: Live music & dancing @ 3:00 pm every day (but not on Mondays in the off-season). It’s like a sing-a-long and dance-a-long (it’s so fun, especially for the kids). Tickets are required.
- Reservations required?: Yes! Book your seats for the live music/dancing here
- Dance Shows: Yes, this is what you come here for! Book (the super amazing) two-hour dance-a-long and sing-a-long experience here
- Location: Right next to Ha’penny Bridge in Dublin
- Kids Menu?: No (but you can order snacks like fries and drinks during the show!)
My very top recommendation for pubs in Dublin to visit with kids is Merchants Arch (but not just at anytime- I’ll get to that). Merchants Arch is a picturesque pub located right on the River Liffey across from Ha’penny Bridge.
What makes Merchants Arch such a great pick for families is that every single day they host the Irish Dance Party.
The Irish Dance Party is a family-friendly event with a local musician playing traditional music along with three Irish dancers. It’s SUCH a fun trad sing-a-long session mixed with dance performances and even learning some dances!
The musician was super engaging encouraging sing-a-longs and telling jokes. And the dancers are so fun to watch and it wasn’t awkward at all learning the group dances.
However if that dancing doesn’t sound fun to you, you’re welcome to sit out and enjoy watching from the side.
Our kids LOVED the music and dancing at Merchants Arch. Everyone was SO welcoming to us from the musician to the dancers, the other patrons and even the bartender. It was by far a highlight of our entire trip to Ireland/Northern Ireland.
They have been singing the songs and practicing their Irish dance moves even months after our visit!
The Irish Dance Party is located in a large upstairs room of Merchants Arch with large windows overlooking the river and vintage, unique decorations on the walls.
There is a bar to pick up drinks to enjoy during the show. We ordered sodas and juice but of course, most people were drinking Guinness. You could also order basic things off their menu like hamburgers or sweet potato fries.
And the best part is, the event is from 3 pm- 5 pm every day (except Mondays in the off-season). It’s so hard to find music/dancing events that early in the day (trust me, I’ve looked)!
This was the perfect time for us to have so much fun as a family enjoying the pub atmosphere of Merchants Arch and then head off to dinner at a different, more family-friendly restaraunt nearby (we ate at a casual fast-Mex place called Pablo Picante in a super cute area).
We had chatted with the bartender at Merchants Arch asking if we should head downstairs for dinner after the show (he was a dad to two young kids). He suggested that the kids would enjoy heading to a more relaxed restaurant nearby (and I’m glad we listened to him).
Remember, that reservations are required so be sure to book in advance here. This is something that you can’t miss in Dublin. If you are booking separately from another group but attending together, be sure to message Merchants Arch asking them to seat you next to each other (each table has a name assigned to it when you arrive).
Also, I suggest asking to be sat on the main floor because there are a few tables up above looking down on the main area but (in my opinion) that area seemed a little removed from the experience.
2. Johnnie Fox’s Pub
- Kids Menu: Yes!
- Early Live Music Schedule: Saturday from 3:00 – 5:00 pm & 6:00 – 8:00 pm and Sundays from 2:00 – 4:00 pm & 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Check the music schedule here for additional times.
- Reservations Needed? Yes! And be sure to request to be seated near the music
- Dance Shows: Yes, but later in the evenings. Book the dinner and Hooley dance show here. Kids <5 years old are not permitted.
- Location: Just outside of Dublin in the Dublin Mountains (it’s worth the drive)
Our favorite traditional pub to visit for a great meal, amazing music, and an incredibly family-friendly atmosphere is Johnnie Fox’s. Johnnie Fox’s is Ireland’s highest pub located in the Dublin Mountains located a bit out of the city. Arriving by car is the easiest way to get there…but stick with me, because it’s worth it!
Johnnie Fox’s has an extensive live music schedule with the most family-friendly times on Saturdays and Sundays. They have a kids menu and the waiters were so kind to our kids helping us feel very welcome.
The local music was amazing- our kids loved listening and clapping along. And the walls are absolutely covered in unique, vintage decorations of days gone by.
Dinner reservations are necessary (especially during the live music). Be sure to request to be seated near the music because the pub is quite large with many different cozy rooms (some even with a fireplace!). However, if you don’t specify, you may be far from the music!
We ordered their beef and Guinness pie, roast chicken with vegetables, and our friends ordered a couple of different seafood dishes. It was all delicious!
Our kids enjoyed pasta and chicken nuggets off the kid’s menu and were total happy campers the entire time.
Johnnie Fox’s is also known for their Hooley Show which includes dinner and a dance/music show. However, it starts at 7:30 pm and kids younger than 5-years-old aren’t allowed. You can learn more about the Johnnie Fox’s Hooley Show here.
3. Darkey Kellys
- Kids Menu: Yes!
- Early Live Music Schedule: Fridays from 4:30 – 6:30 pm, Saturdays from 4:00- 6:00 pm & 6:30 – 9:00 pm, Sundays from 3:00 – 6:30 pm. Check the music schedule here for additional times.
- Reservations Needed? Walk-ins only
- Dance Shows: No
- Location: Across the street from Christ Church Cathedral
Okay, so we haven’t been to Darkey Kellys, but it’s top of our list for our next visit to Dublin (we visit often). After hours of research, Darkey Kellys is the next pub in Dublin that is good to visit with kids.
Darkey Kellys is located in one of the oldest parts of Dublin basically across the street from Christ Church Cathedral (which is almost 1,000 years old!).
This pub in Dublin is a great choice for families because they have a great live music schedule with earlier start times on Fridays, Saturdays AND Sundays. Plus, they have a kids menu which helps you immediately know that kids are welcome.
Reading over the Google Reviews for Darkey Kellys, it is also apparent that families are welcome based on the great experiences that families post.
Darkey Kellys is easier to visit than Johnnie Fox’s (that I mentioned above) since it’s located in Dublin city center. Plus, they don’t accept reservations- which sometimes reservations are tricky to have when traveling with young kids (you never know how long things are going to take).
Check out these posts, I know you’ll love them:
- 19 Lovely Places to Go in Northern Ireland for Families + 5-Day Itinerary & Map
- Your Guide to Crossing Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge with Kids (Even Toddlers & Babies
- The Best 1-Day Itinerary for Dublin with a Toddler or Young Kids + Map & Tips
And those are the Dublin pubs for families that I recommend visiting! Some of our best travel memories in Ireland have come from visiting these pubs and I hope you have the same experience.
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions about them- I’ll be sure to get back to you!
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