The 5 best pubs for watching GAA in Dublin

This isn’t a matchday guide for travelling fans. It’s for anyone looking for a proper GAA pub to watch a game in when they’re in Dublin, any weekend of the year. Heading to Croke Park for a big day? Our Croke Park matchday guide covers getting there and where to drink nearby. Watching the rugby instead? See the 5 best pubs to watch rugby in Dublin.

How we ranked Dublin’s GAA pubs

This list is about watching the match in the pub. Every pub is scored out of 5 in four categories, for a total out of 20. Ties go to the pub with the better matchday atmosphere.

• 01GAA pedigreeLinks to a local club, jerseys and memorabilia on the walls, and a crowd that knows its football and hurling – or is it a sports bar that happens to put the game on?
• 02Matchday atmosphereHow busy and lively it gets for a Dublin game or a big Championship weekend. A 5 means packed and loud.
• 03FoodFrom a full kitchen serving lunch and dinner (5) down to crisps and toasties (1).
• 04Screens and coverageHow many screens, whether you can see one from anywhere in the bar, and whether they’ll show clashing games and GAA+ matches as well as RTÉ.
• +Also listed, not scoredThe vibe – traditional and packed, or modern and lively – because neither is better; it depends on the day you want. And the pub’s GAA connections, because GAA in Dublin is spread right across the city. Distance to Croke Park isn’t scored – this list is about watching the game, not going to it.

The 5 best pubs for watching GAA in Dublin

Want to see where they are? You’ll find our map at the bottom of the page.

1

The Boar’s Head

149 Capel Street, Dublin 1

17out of 20

Best for GAA heritageVibe: traditional, packedProper pub grubPlayers’ and county fans’ haunt

If there’s one GAA pub in Dublin every county knows, it’s this one. The morning after the All-Ireland football final, the Sam Maguire makes its traditional trip to the Boar’s Head on Capel Street, a custom owner Hugh Hourican traces back to the late Páidí Ó Sé. Players past and present drink here, and the walls are lined with photos of the sporting names who have.

It’s a traditional, family-run bar, and the food is honest pub grub – the Irish stew and shepherd’s pie are the ones to order. The one place it drops points is screens: it’s an old-style bar rather than a sports bar, so get in early for a big game if you want a clear view.

• 5Pedigree
• 5Atmosphere
• 4Food
• 3Screens

2

McGowan’s of Phibsborough

18 Phibsborough Road, Dublin 7

17out of 20

Best for screensVibe: lively, party afterFood until 10pmPhibsborough local

McGowan’s is the place for a big day out around a Dublin game. Four generations of the McGowan family have run this Phibsborough landmark, and it’s built for watching sport: 16 screens and three HD projectors, so there’s a view from just about every seat. When the Dubs are on, it fills up fast.

There’s a full dinner menu in the restaurant at the front and food in the bar, served until 10pm. When the final whistle goes, the DJs take over and it turns into a late bar with a dancefloor upstairs. It scores lower on pedigree than the old GAA haunts, but nowhere on this list is better set up for watching a match.

• 3Pedigree
• 4Atmosphere
• 5Food
• 5Screens

3

Devitt’s (The Cusack Stand)

78 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2

16out of 20

Best club connectionVibe: traditional, trad musicGaelic football themeOwners: St Jude’s club men

You don’t get a GAA pub name much better than this. Devitt’s has a Gaelic football theme throughout, and the GAA links are real: former owner Willie Devitt played with Faughs, and the Mangan family, who have run it since 2016, are heavily involved with St Jude’s. It’s one of the few traditional pubs left on a street full of new bars.

The big games go out on the screens with food and proper pints, and when the match ends the trad music usually takes over. Screens are fine rather than spectacular, so it’s best for a group that wants a pub first and a viewing spot second.

• 5Pedigree
• 4Atmosphere
• 4Food
• 3Screens

4

Gaffney & Son

5 Fairview Strand, Dublin 3

14out of 20

Best local atmosphereVibe: Victorian, packed on big daysFive minutes from Croke ParkVincent’s country

A beautifully kept late-Victorian pub in Fairview, deep in Vincent’s country and about five minutes’ walk from Croke Park. On big GAA days it’s rammed – one pub guide warns there’ll hardly be room to turn – and the Irish Times has picked it as one of the best GAA matchday pubs in the country.

The rest of the year it’s a proper local with the match on, which is why it makes our list rather than just our matchday section. It’s a pub for pints, not dinner, so eat beforehand or head next door to The Strand House for food.

• 4Pedigree
• 5Atmosphere
• 2Food
• 3Screens

5

The Palace Bar

21 Fleet Street, Dublin 2

12out of 20

Best for hurlingVibe: Victorian, no musicTV only for the GAAKerry and Tipperary haunt

The Palace has been pouring pints on Fleet Street since 1823, and the Aherne family have run it since 1946. It’s one of Dublin’s great Victorian bars, and its sporting crowd is pure GAA: hurling is especially big here, Tipperary hurlers and former Dublin GAA stars feature in the pub’s own artwork, and it’s long been a Kerry haunt on football weekends.

Here’s the catch: there’s no music and the TV only goes on for the big GAA matches, so it scores low on screens. And apart from crisps and toasties, there’s no food. Go for a big hurling game with people who know their stuff – not for a feed.

• 5Pedigree
• 4Atmosphere
• 1Food
• 2Screens

The Boar’s Head and McGowan’s tie on 17; the Boar’s Head ranks higher on atmosphere.

Honourable mentions

• The Goat14 Lower Kilmacud Road, Goatstown, D14Crokes country, and a good venue to head on to after the game for a change of scene. It’s a big landmark pub with screens throughout, a large heated beer garden and full lunch and dinner menus.
• The Strand House12 Fairview, D3Gaffney’s next-door neighbour and the better bet for food, with a full menu and a Sunday roast. It shows the GAA and has an energetic feel when there’s a big game on.

Going to Croke Park? The matchday pubs

The pubs right beside Croke Park are a different animal. On a big day they’re full of fans from every county, and they’re the best spots in the city for a pint before and after the game. The rest of the year they’re quieter locals, which is why they aren’t in our top five. If you have a ticket, these are the ones to know.

• Phil Ryan’s The Hogan Stand514 North Circular Road, D1A hotspot for travelling fans on matchday. It’s a no-frills locals’ pub that gets very busy before big games, with TVs throughout and a covered beer garden at the front. Bar snacks only.
• Quinn’s of Drumcondra42–44 Drumcondra Road Lower, D9The famous Croke Park meeting point is back, reopened in 2026 after years closed, with big-match screens and about 500m to the stadium. The restaurant upstairs is still being built.
• Kennedy’s132 Drumcondra Road Lower, D9An old Drumcondra pub about 10 minutes’ walk from Croke Park, with screens and projectors in the lounge and the bar, food, and rooms upstairs. It’s at its liveliest on matchdays.
• Gill’s555 North Circular Road, D1Brendan Behan’s old local, with a GAA mural outside and match programmes covering the walls. It keeps irregular hours and opens mostly when there’s a game on at Croke Park.

For routes, times and more pubs on the way to the stadium, see our Croke Park matchday guide.

Four tips for a GAA day out in Dublin

• 01Check the channelRTÉ shows the big Championship games free to air, but a block of games is only on the GAA+ streaming service. Pubs need a commercial pass to show those, so ring ahead.
• 02Watch for clashesChampionship weekends often have games throwing in at the same time. Ask which screen will have yours before you settle in.
• 03Get there earlyFor a Dublin game or an All-Ireland final, the best spots go well before throw-in. If you’re going to the game, our Croke Park matchday guide has the details.
• 04Pace yourselfIt’s a long day. Eat, drink water between rounds and know when to call it.

Read next

Map of the best GAA pubs in Dublin

Numbers match our ranking; H = honourable mention; M = matchday pub. Croke Park is marked in green. The Goat is in Goatstown, off the map to the south.