Revealed: The Dublin pubs selling pints for less than €5

After it was revealed last week that a pub in Temple Bar was selling pints for more than €10, Eugene Masterson went on the hunt of cheaper tipples in the capital and has found many bars in Dublin selling pints for under a fiver.

One pub in Dorset Street in the city centre appears to have a record price for the capital of €4.50 for a pint of Guinness, with another in the southern suburbs of Inchicore for just 10c dearer at €4.60 at certain times of the day.

This is less than half of what some businesses in Temple Bar are charging, with the Sunday World’s exposé last week on the Merchant’s Arch becoming the first pub in the country to sell pints for over €10 making international headlines.

The cheapest pint of Guinness found in the city was €4.50 in the Auld Triangle on Dorset Street, where co-owner Declan Hallissey said that while he’s proud to have such a low figure, he may have to put it up due to rising costs.

“We’re definitely the cheapest in Dublin,” he says.

“We have a small pub with just one person behind the bar. We don’t do food. On other drinks like spirits, we’d be more in line, but we keep the price of the pint down for the plain person.

“There’s a lot of gouging going on though with the Temple Bar stuff and I saw the Sunday World article last weekend. They might have dearer rates there, but it’s a bit over the top.”

Declan says that while many locals pop in for a pint, he gets a lot of passing trade as the pub opens at 10.30am on weekdays when others in the area don’t open until 4pm or 5pm.

“People do like the cheap pint here and we try to take care of the ordinary person,” he says.

“There’s a lot of tourists staying in nearby hotels and B&B’s and they pop in too, as well as people visiting and working in the nearby Temple Street and Mater hospitals. It’s a major thoroughfare as well.”

However, he says he may have to review his prices – pints of lagers such as Heineken and Carlsberg are €5.40, as are ciders such as Bulmer’s and Orchard Thieves.

“The Guinness is probably going to have to creep up towards the fiver,” he says. “We do have lagers below the fiver too; Tuborg is €4.40. We have Beamish at €4.20, our cheapest stout.”

Asked for his advice to other publicans, he replies: “Look after the plain people and give them the pint at the price they want.”

Cleary’s, in Inchicore, almost matches in the price of a pint of Guinness at €4.60 before 5pm (it rises to €5 after that time), and boasts other attractive options.

“We have Harp on sale here for €3.50 a pint on Mondays up until 5pm, which I don’t think can be beaten by any other regular bar in the country for a pint of lager,” insists Cleary’s barman James.

The pub charges €4.80 for a pint of Carlsberg before 5pm (€5.50 for it and most other lagers after that time). Tuborg and Carling are €4.80 all day in the bar.

“I think the Licensed Vintners Association have a lot to answer for,” James says

“A bar should be like a hotel – you have a three-star, a four-star and a five-star. If you’re a three-star you can only charge around €4 or under a fiver for a pint, if you’re a four-star you can charge around €5 or €6 and if you’re a five-star you can charge up to a tenner.

“Most places are over €5 for a pint now and if you’re getting a pint for a fiver or less, you’re doing well.”

James says he has some sympathy for pubs in Temple Bar.

“You look at the amount of staff they have, insurance and rates, as well as live music every day.

“The Merchant’s Arch you wrote about said he spent €1 million on an extension, and that has to be paid for.”

The River Bar on Dublin’s Burgh Quay has promotional prices for its ‘Latin Fever’ nightclub downstairs on Fridays and Saturdays.

“We sell pints of Tuborg on those nights for €4, as well as bottles of Sol and Desperados too,” says barman Paul.

The nearby O’Reilly’s bar on Tara Street is selling most of its pints for €5, as is Mooney’s bar on Lower Abbey Street, with Dis and Dat on Dame Court also charging a fiver for all pints from Monday to Wednesday.

Pints of Guinness in the Clonliffe House in Ballybough are still at €5.

We reported last week on how the Swords Old Borough branch of Wetherspoons is selling pints of Fosters for €2.90, with its sister city centre branches the Silver Penny on Abbey Street and Keavan’s Port on Camden Street selling the Australian beer for €3.95.

Helen’s Bar in Kilmackillogue, Co Kerry famously claims to have the cheapest pints in all of Ireland.

A pint of Guinness there costs €4.40 while a Heineken will set you back €4.70.

Owner Helen Moriarty, who also runs a thriving restaurant which specialises in fish from the nearby pier, insists “people don’t want to be traveling for miles to be ripped off”.

Pat Crotty is CEO of the Vintners Federation of Ireland, the organisation which represents publicans across the country outside the Dublin region. “The pub trade has faced unprecedented challenges in recent years, from navigating the impacts of the pandemic to adapting to the rising costs of doing business,” he tells the Sunday World.

“The challenges are many, including significant increases in the minimum wage, high levels of excise duty along with the escalating costs associated with energy, supply chain pressures and insurance. Such factors contribute to the operational costs of running a pub and, by extension, the price of a pint.” He also referenced last week’s Sunday World article on the first pub here to go over a tenner for a pint.​

“It’s important to note that while prices in high-traffic tourist areas like Temple Bar might attract attention, pubs across the rest of the country offer much lower prices,” he says.

“These establishments are integral to their communities, providing not just a place to enjoy a pint but a space for social connection, celebration and support within the community.“

Do you know any pub selling a pint of Guinness under €4.40, email [email protected]

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