'A good puzzle would be to cross Dublin without passing a pub,' wrote James Joyce in Ulysses. Little has changed since Joyce produced his novel, and despite the increase in European-style cafes and restaurants, Dublin's 800 or so pubs are still the hub of social life. The city abounds with old-style traditional establishments. The type of hostelry Joyce describes has retained a down-to-earth atmosphere that many contemporary premises try in vain to recreate.
Palace Bar (below)
Said to be the perfect example of an old Dublin pub, this unpretentious inn enjoys a fame vastly out of proportion to its size. Step into the homely bar with its mirrors and wooden niches, in which many a historic meeting has taken place, or the backroom (also known as the intensive-care unit) with its ornate stained glass, where literary lights used to gather. Author Flann O'Brien and illustrator Harry Kernoff were regulars. (21 Fleet Street.)
Grogan's Castle Lounge
This is an institution and a haunt of painters, writers and bohemians. From the street, not much can be seen through the lace curtains, but once inside you could be in someone's living room. Peculiarly, drinks are cheaper in the stone-floored bar than the carpeted lounge, even though they are served from the same bar. Brad Pitt became a regular while working on the Guy Ritchie movie Snatch in 2000. (15 South William Street.)
O'Neill's
Awarded the James Joyce award for authentic Dublin pubs, O'Neill's has existed as a licensed premises for more than 300 years. It has five bars and numerous alcoves, all of which attract a different clientele and age group, from students and lecturers at nearby Trinity College to city traders and art and theatre lovers. (2 Suffolk Street.)