Cork Nightlife – Clubs, Bars & Nightlife Tips

Cork Nightlife

Cork is a super fun, drinking town. Cork nightlife consists mainly of going to the pubs for some live music, perhaps some sing-a-longs, eat tasty food, and have your fill of delicious beer on tap and some fine Irish whiskey.

Bars and Pubs

The difference between a bar and a pub is that a bar serves drinks, and a pub usually serves both drinks and food. If the pub also offers accommodations, it is called an Inn.

If you are planning to get smashed, it is a good idea to stay at an Inn that has a pub with delicious food and tap beer served in Imperial pints. When you have had your fill and reached your limit, simply stumble upstairs to sleep it off in your room.

Recommended pubs in the center of Cork that have live music are An Bróg, An Crannog, Bar Rumba, Readrdans (upstairs is Havana Browns), Le Cheile, The Oyster, and The Bodega. All of these pubs are located just off Patrick Street and only a few minutes walking distance from each other. The Bodega and Le Cheile are beautiful, laidback bars that are very stylish.

There are so many pubs to choose from in Cork. Just wander around and try a few until you find your favorite one. The locals a super friendly and tourists always have a wonderful time.

Sin e’ (pronounced “Shin aye”) is widely considered to be the most authentic pub in Cork. It is small and only gets pleasantly full on weekend nights when a band of up to twelve musicians is playing in the back room.

The Hi-B is a bizarre mixture of local people and visitors from the ages of 18 to 88. Anything can happen in this pub, including the previous owner coming in and giving a crazy rant to the crowd.

An Bodhran and the Ovens Bar a few places on Oliver Plunkett Street where you can experience traditional music instead of a modern club-like atmosphere.

An Bodhran is smaller than most other pubs on Oliver Plunkett Street but is quite popular. It’s pretty impossible to get a seat if you do not arrive early. There is a good choice of beers at An Bodhran to try while you enjoy traditional Irish music. The Ovens Bar also serves traditional Irish pub food.

Nightclub

There is one nightclub worth mentioning. It used to be called the Sky Bar, now it is the SUAS roof top bar. It has a nice dance floor and places with comfy sofas to relax and hang out, as well as an outdoor terrace. There is not really much of a nightclub scene in Cork because the Irish-style pubs are so popular.

Editor’s note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about nightlife in Cork.