What's a REAL Irish pub like in the evening? Check out the madness at 'Donoghue's Pub, Dublin.

We're in Merrion Row in South Dublin at one of the liveliest pubs in the city. Brace yourself for a very, very busy bar experience. If you don’t like craic verging on the point of rowdiness, then this isn’t the place for you.

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O’Donoghue’s is one of Dublin’s famous pubs. For those watching outside Ireland who are accustomed to “Irish Pubs” as they are defined abroad – this is the real thing. An Irish pub that has been packing them in for years.

We’re going to start by visiting the beer garden and then we’ll get into the main public house. It’s actually not so much a beer garden as you can see as it’s roofed, but this does have the feel of an outside space. Bear in mind that this is April, and not summertime.

I’ve made quite a few films about various Irish Pubs and often I shoot the film during the day, so that you can actually see the space, the furniture etc. But this film is to give viewers, especially foreign viewers, an idea of what to expect from a pub in an Irish city after dark. It can get a bit mad.
Having said that, this part of the pub is a little quieter – this seems to be the place where the couples come for a quieter pint.

Anyway, into the main bar. As you can see there’s not a lot of room here – chances are you’ll end up standing if you get here late. But, this is where it all happens – where Dublin’s socialising is done. Admittedly it has its fair share of tourists these days, but by and large we’ve a lot of locals in tonight. A good atmosphere.

This is actually quite a famous music bar – well known on Dublin’s traditional music scene. In fact the Irish folk group The Dubliners is alleged to have been formed here, and the pub has hosted many other big names in Irish music over the years – many of whom adorn the walls in these portraits that you see.

Like all Dublin bars it prides itself in selling a good pint of Guinness. That’s central to the Dublin pub experience.

Just look at these people flirting and having craic as we say here. This is what drinking in an Irish bar is all about and I’ve never encountered this atmosphere in a so-called Irish bar abroad. And, as I mentioned, music is what this bar is famous for and tonight is no exception. These guys are watched over by the musical icons on the walls.

So, I push my way into the back bar, as you can see it too is adorned with photos that allude to the pubs illustrious past. You can see the ceiling fans going. As I said it’s April and not particularly warm, but there’s just so many people. You really do have to push your way through the crowd to get to the toilets and getting served at the bar on a busy night like this can be difficult if you’re not assertive. But this is what it’s about – lots of people sharing the same space and enjoying themselves. The poor bar staff have a nightmare of a job on nights like these. Everyone wants served and everyone’s a priority.

And so for me the night’s over – though the revelry continues inside. We’re a long way from last orders and they’re just warming up.