Every August, the people who actually run Ireland’s bars get together and decide, category by category, who did it best. The 2026 Square Bar of the Year Awards were handed out this week at a ceremony in Dublin, and the results are a genuinely useful map for anyone planning a trip: these are the pubs and bars the industry itself rates, not a list assembled from tourist reviews.
Bar of the Year: Pig’s Lane, Co. Kerry
The overall title went to Pig’s Lane in Co. Kerry, which had a night of it — on top of Bar of the Year, it also took Gold for Best Designed Bar / Inside Space and Cocktail Bar of the Year. Three wins for one venue is rare at these awards, and it puts Pig’s Lane firmly on the list for anyone touring Kerry who wants more than a pint with a view.
Dublin’s Golds
Dublin cleaned up across several categories. The Cellar Bar at The Merrion Hotel took 5 Star Hotel Bar of the Year. Café en Seine — the kind of ornate, brass-and-glasswork room Dublin does better than almost anywhere — was named City Bar of the Year. The Stags Head, one of the city’s genuinely old pubs, won Traditional Bar of the Year, and The Laurels in Clondalkin took Local Bar of the Year. Over on the newer end of things, The Sackville Lounge picked up Best Newcomer.
Cork and Kerry in the South
Cork’s Sin É — long a fixture on Coburg Street for live music and a proper pint — was named Tourist Bar of the Year. Further west, Kerry’s dominant night came almost entirely from Pig’s Lane’s triple win above.
People’s Choice: Silken Thomas, Co. Kildare
While the judged categories reward the industry’s own standards, the People’s Choice awards are decided by public vote — and this year’s overall winner was Silken Thomas in Co. Kildare, which also topped the Leinster regional vote. The other regional People’s Choice winners were The George in Dublin city, Geary’s Bar in Charleville, Co. Cork for Munster, and Mc Hughs Bar in Co. Leitrim for Connacht/Ulster.
The Rest of the Field
- Hotel Cocktail Bar: The Collins Club, The Leinster, Dublin
- Innovative Bar of the Year: The Dew Drop Inn & Brewhouse, Co. Kildare
- Restaurant Bar of the Year: SOLE Seafood & Grill, Dublin
If a trad session and a proper pour matter as much to your trip as any castle, this list is worth keeping. For more on the pubs Ireland’s own regulars rate, see our guide to where to find Ireland’s best trad sessions, and our full breakdown of how a proper pint of Guinness is actually poured.
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