Ma Murphys

Great pub with unique interior. Excellent staff make you feel at home. The beer Garden out back is very cool with great character. Well worth spending an evening.

I’ve been on sabbatical in West Cork for a couple of months, and this is my favorite pub in the area. That’s saying something because believe me, there is a lot of competition! What makes Ma Murphy’s special are two components: 1) the atmosphere, which is very comfortable and welcoming and laid back, such that I (a woman traveling alone) felt perfectly secure to hang out there by myself because everyone is so kind, and 2) the proprietors: Bill and his children Sean and Mary, all of whom are wonderful people. When there’s a match on, there always a big crowd here. The beer/​ale/​stout is all excellent, and they usually have some yummy bar food options if you’ve wandered in at lunch or dinner time. There’s a lovely beer garden in the rear, as well as a very special back room with a stage and wooden hand-​carved bar that they use for events and occasions. Bill (or Sean or Mary) will greet you as though you’ve known him for years, and will immediately make you feel a part of the family. I love that the front door to the place is somewhat obscured amongst various shops and restaurants on Bantry’s New Street. But once you walk in, it’s like passing through a secret gate (there’s actually a second door into the main bar). Trust me, you’ll love this place! I’m going to miss it when I go back to California later this month. But I’ll be back.

How can you not adore a pub that had a birthday party for the fridge because it’s 70 years old?!
The pub is 100 years old and it has several small rooms with candles and cement on the floor. Nothing fancy but the charm and craic of it is fantastic.
They have impromptu performance’s everyday and a quaint beer garden. The Murphys is fantastic — goodbye Guinness is what I say.