Barfly: Grogan’s Castle Lounge, 15 William St South, Dublin 2

Established in 1899, Grogan’s has held its position as a refuge for the literary and the lost since the 1970s

Barfly: Lily Finnegan’s, Whitestown, Carlingford, Co Louth

Along the winding country roads of the Cooley Peninsula, this is a pub you could easily call home

Barfly: The Coach House and Olde Bar, Glaslough, Co Monaghan

What makes this place extra special is the good humour and history that is balanced so carefully inside

Barfly: The Dingle Whiskey Bar, Nassau Street, Dublin

This is a dark, inviting space that is all about the wood, the whiskey and the welcome

Barfly: Jim O’ the Mill, Upperchurch, Tipperary

Could this one-night-per-week pub be one of the best in Ireland?

Barfly: The Lord Edward, 23 Christchurch Place, Dublin 8

The atmosphere in the upstairs lounge of this historic pub makes everyone believe they’re the first to discover it

Barfly: Mohan’s The Hut, Phibsboro, Dublin 7

As life whistles by outside, the old gas lamps, the dark carved-wood interior, the stained glass and mirrors hold the world at bay

Barfly: The Greenore Railway Saloon, Dundalk, Co Louth

A back-of-the-bar extension gives this already elegant slice of history the feel of a 19th-century railway waiting room

Barfly: John Kavanagh’s (The Gravediggers), Glasnevin,Dublin

Family establishment still going strong with eighth generation behind the bar

Barfly: Kehoe’s, South Anne Street, Dublin 2

Kehoe’s has that literary feeling other pubs try to buy but can’t