Dublin Literary Pub Crawl

I would highly recommend this tour, whether you’re a drinker or not. It’s an interesting and memorable mix of history, culture… oh yeah, and drinking.
Two thespians/​tour guides provide great context for the literary heritage of Dublin, all while you’re quenching your thirst. On our tour, we visited 4 bars spending about 30 minutes at each. During each stop, the tour guides provide some historical background about the significance of the watering hole (was it featured in a James Joyce work… did Brendan Behan tie one on here?). I must give these guys/​gals a ton of credit. They’re full of facts and dates, but they’ve also committed to memory some of these famous works. At our meeting point (The Duke), the two guides started off with a re-​enactment of Beckett’s «Waiting for Godot». About half way through, there is a quick stop at Trinity College (also known as a non-​drinking stop).
Pro tip — if you haven’t had dinner yet and are worried about four pints in a reasonably short period of time, grab a glass (½ pint instead). I started with pints, but quickly switched to a glass to keep it all together (it’s a marathon not a sprint). Or, grab a snack nearby before joining the tour.
The tour cost 12 euros and you buy your own beer. The 12 euros is totally worth the unique format of the tour. If you have a spare evening in Dublin, do yourself a favor and sign up for the tour.

All around awesome, informative and fun. Funny the review saying too much time in pubs when getting to see inside Irish pubs is part of seeing the sights! They’re all so interesting and cool. The actors are excellent. Book tickets online in the high season.

Great experience !! The actors did a great job, you only stay in the 4 pubs about 20 – 30 minutes each which was just enough time. The pubs you visit are all different in size and atmosphere but loved them all. When we get back to Dublin we will do the Crawl again.

I really enjoyed this and genuinely felt like I was learning while being entertained (although I promptly forgot all of the little factoids.) The actors were very engaging and friendly, and we got to see a lot of iconic bars. I would definitely recommend doing this! Make sure to reserve space ahead of time, especially if you are there on a weekend.

We had the best time! The actors were engaging and knowledgeable. It was also nice that they really seemed to want to get to know the people who were on the tour. Such fun!

A great time! Educates a bit, entertains all the way, and introduces you to some fine pubs on the way! I have done walking tours, pub tours, etc all over the EU, and this one holds its own as a top contender.

We were led around Dublin by two actors who then took is on a pub your while performing historic Irish literature. Charming actors made it a great evening!

Interesting tour, but too much time in pubs. Although that is what they cater to. I much more enjoyed the sights and the acting.

Really enjoyed this. You meet upstairs in a small area in Duke’s pub on Duke street. Your hosts warm you with some recreations of famous Irish literary scenes and then off you go walking around the local area to learn about the most well known writers in Irish history along with fascinating facts about the various pubs you will visit. During the crawl, you are given many clues and facts for a quiz at the end of the night which was a lot of fun. Totally recommended for anyone visiting Dublin.

This was a lot of fun to go on with some visiting friends. The actors were great and really entertaining, and had a lot of interesting information to impart, that is different than what you’d get if you did the sightseeing bus tours and things like that.
My one complaint is that it isn’t really as «boozy» as the advertisements give. They get you into three pubs, but only for like 10 – 15 minutes in each, which makes sense to keep the tour going, but can create a bit of a rushed environment when trying to sip a pint. I could also see where someone might be disappointed if they are looking to go on an actual «pub crawl.» However, the actors are great fun, and really entertaining. Definitely a one-​time thing though! I don’t think it’s something I’d do over and over again.

Eh. I wasn’t nearly as impressed with the Literary Pub Crawl as other Unilocalers seem to have been. As others have established, the tour starts in Duke’s and moves through four different pubs. You stop at each pub for twenty minutes, and have other stops outdoors — in the Trinity quad (do people call it that? you know what I mean), by the tourism center, etc. At each stop the actors will recite some literature and have some banter.
Now, I went on a rather grim day, and there was wayyyy too much waiting outside, shivering and clutching an umbrella, as the guides prattled on. They were mildly clever, I suppose, but not funny enough to make the weather bearable for me. To be fair, I haven’t read much of the material they were quoting; if you’re a true Irish literature connoisseur, I expect that you would enjoy the tour much more than I did. And I enjoyed parts of it: it’s definitely a self-​selecting group of people who choose to go on a literary pub crawl, and it was fun chatting with a group of fun people from around the world.
Oh, and one last gripe: now, I realize that this is true for every single organized pub crawl, but I hate being rushed to finish a drink. Especially because we only had 20 minutes in each pub, and it takes 5 minutes to order a drink — then you’re down to 15, and I can’t finish a pint that quickly! (I’m a lady, after all. But I also don’t like to order a glass because whenever I do that craggy old Irish men at the bar make fun of me. Dilemmas, dilemmas.) So I maybe had an attitude problem because of that too. I dunno. Just not my thing.

This pub crawl is not only fun in that you get to visit 4 different pubs, but you get some comedy, history, and acting as you walk through different parts of the city. I like that you get to see Trinity College at night, and learn about some of the pub history (e.g. why are they called public houses, Michael Collins hungout at this pub during his planning/​meetings during Irish Revolution times). This tour is definitely worth checking out for a different night in Dublin (avoiding the Temple Bar crowds).

It was such good fun. What can I say?
You meet at The Duke, have a pint and listen to a bit of literary history. Finish your pint and go on to Trinity College. While we don’t have a pint there, we get a very interesting talk on Oscar Wilde. Then off to O’Neill’s. While I find that pub a bit touristy, I did enjoy the tasks that we were given in regards to Nobel Prize winning writers and Arthur Guinness (you have to take the tour to understand what I’m waffling about). Then off to The Old Stand, one of my favourite pubs in Dublin, via the Irish Tourist Office, which used to be a church.
We then finished off at Davy Byrnes. Not one of my haunts, but interesting enough history.
For € 12 you get a fun and interesting tour of Dublin and you meet some nice people along the way.
I had a great time. Not only did I learn some cool Irish historical and literary facts, but I also won the 1^st prize in the quiz. If you go, pay attention to what they are telling you. And be quick.

Tourist– what should we do in Dublin
Mary S– Literacy pub crawl !!!
Tourist– Why?
Mary S– because I hold the key to understanding the origins of life not Mercury
Tourist– (whispers) Texans are weird
Mary S– I heard that
History, Singing, amusing entertaining and literature run by two Irish based actors accompanied by a pint or two or three is my cup of tea! I am proud to say I sat at the same bar where Behan, Joyce, shaw, Beckett, Yeats, and Wilde, …only some of Irelands well World’s greatest writers! The tour starts out with a wonderful Irish folk song, and witty humor and history… If my 11^th grade History Teacher taught it like these folks I would of never attended summer school. A quick jaunt over to Trinity College (great for photo opps) and after more entertaining you make your way to some more pubs! My group was filled with Brown students so I had no chance of winning the T-​shirt or Irish whisky… yes they do a fun trivia quiz at the last stop. I did offer to buy the Ivy league students a round of shots at one of the stops but nobody would partake in my wild ways! Oh well Widle (who attended Trinity) would of been proud of me! «Every woman is a rebel.»
Oscar Wilde
Would I do this pub crawl again, of course I would and yes I am in June! And for the record if my Husband loses his mind and trades me in for a younger model I am moving to Dublin to chase Colm Quilligan around! Yes he’s my pub crush!
Thank you Lisa J of Dublin Unilocal for sending me the link to this pub crawl! Best time spent in Dublin… Oh and make sure you buy the book, good reading material and you can check out some of the pubs that were not on the walking tour!
Mary S. Dallas (Strongest Liver Unilocaler)

As much as I love a good party, New Years Eve is not one of them. As the Arctic Monkeys so deftly put it, «Anticipation has the habit of setting you up for disappointment.» So, when a group of us decided to participate in the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl for New Year’s Eve last year, I was quietly pessimistic.
How wrong I was. I don’t think I’ve had a better New Year’s Eve in many years. We did the tour with a whole mixture of nationalities, ages and persuasions. One thing we all had in common was being up for the craic. So much so that a shot of whiskey was added to the mix at each different location. (Although that’s another story for another day!)
Whether or not you have an interest in literature, this tour is fantastic. The actors are witty and talented, the tour takes you to many of the oldest and most historical pubs /​places in Dublin, and you might even walk away with some education thrown in for good measure.
Having said that, if you ARE a literary buff — this tour mightn’t be so much for you. I did find that it is more geared for those who want bite-​sized pieces. And nothing wrong with that! Having been born and raised in the area, I thoroughly enjoyed getting back in touch with Mr Wild, Joyce and co.
As some of the reviews before this have pointed out, this does book out quite quickly, so it is defintely worth BOOKing ahead (c’mon I had to do it!).

I’m not really a literary buff. In fact, my favorite books in high school were the notes written by «Cliff.» In an effort to gain a little culture and provide a fun night for our cousins visiting Dublin, we booked this tour for a Saturday night. So glad we did! The actors were great and I learned a bit through the quiz they gave. I won the t-​shirt after the tour! So if you want the quiz answers I’ll accept bribes of Guinness or just use your iPhone :)
Other reviews are accurate, it is NOT a get pissed pub crawl, if you want that, head over to Temple Bar. However, you do visit some nice pubs; our tour took us to The Duke (start); O’Neills, The Old Stand, & Davy Byrnes. You get some time at each pub to enjoy a drink. Since it was Saturday, yes the pubs were crowded; if you’re not a fan of large crowds book a week night. You don’t actually have to go into the designated pubs either. Although there is a quiz question at The Old Stand. Since we were already at O’Neills earlier that day, we took a stroll to the Stag’s Head right down the street and had plenty of time to meet back with the group.
A few last tips. Given all the great reviews and interesting concept, this tour fills up. I’d suggest BOOKING IN ADVANCE and not buying at the door. We booked the Saturday AM of our tour and were accommodated, despite not receiving an email confirmation. Also, if you plan to eat at the Duke prior to the tour, definitely ARRIVE EARLY, service was a little slow and our food was coming out minutes before the tour started. When I told the actor we were just finishing he was very understanding and waited for us and provided stools in the back so we could enjoy the performance. Thanks for a great night!

I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in a long, long time, and it’s not because I was on a pub crawl and was drinking at each pub, or because the jokes were literature-​related, but because the actors leading us on our journey were incredibly hilarious.
The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl is a must-​do when in Dublin. One does not fully know the history of Dublin (or Ireland, for that matter) without knowing literature’s relation to it.
The pub crawl began at the Duke, a famous pub south of the Liffey, and southeast of the Temple Bar area (closer to Trinity College and the library). The guides are actors and begin with the crowd in a room upstairs, starting by acting out a hysterical scene from Beckett’s «Waiting for Godot.» From here, the crawl commences.
The tour goes to four pubs (and stops at other landmarks in the city) and lasts about two and a half hours. The actors ask «quiz questions» throughout the crawl, and at the end, the crowd is gathered together and is quizzed. The winner gets a t-​shirt; I won!
The entire experience was incredible. Not only do you get to enjoy drinks at each of the renowned and historic bars, you learn about the city’s rich literary background, and laugh along the way.

This tour is a must-​do if you have an interest in literature, history, & theater. It was so very interesting & a lot of fun. The performers/​hosts/​tour guides were very entertaining & very well-​informed. I would highly recommend it, and possibly even do it again. I got the impression the bars may vary time to time as well. They had all the reservations filled in advance, but several of us who were wait-​listed got in at the end. I was very happy about it because it was the last of my 2 nights in Dublin & I really wanted to go! Seriously, I was so disappointed when I thought it might not happen. But, happen it did & I even won the quiz and am now the proud owner of a XXL Dublin Literary Pub Crawl t-​shirt. :)
Be in the know:
–It’s about 2−½ hours long
–The tour starts at 7:30 with people checking in or buying tickets beore hand, so you probably want to eat before. There won’t really be enough time to eat at any o the pubs you visit.
–There are stops at bars, but also at some sites out doors, like Trinity College. It’s Dublin, so bring a jacket & umbrella.
–The tour is very popular & sells out quickly. The flyer we had ddn’t show that you can buy in advance, but you can and SHOULD.
–If you’re a slow drinker (or if you use a stop for a bathroom break, thus cutting into your drinking time), you may want to order half pints or share as we did since my hubby didn’t want to order a lady-​sized beer, LOL.

We had a great time quenching our thirst for knowledge and… well…for a few drinks.
The tour starts upstairs at The Duke and lasts for about 2.5 hours. The actors take you to four pubs, with a couple of additional stops to describe some of Dublin’s rich literary history or present scenes from major works.
Each pub has its own literary connection, and the 20 – 25 minute stops are just enough time for a round and taking in the atmosphere. The pubs we visited were quite different from each other, which made the evening all the more interesting and enjoyable.
During the peak season, I suggest booking in advance — although you can buy tickets at the door and there were at least some spaces left on the day. In either case, this is a really fun way to spend a touristy evening in Dublin.

This tour was recommended to me by the concierge at my hotel. I was visiting Dublin alone and wanted to get out for an evening.
I had such a good time (I even won a t-​shirt!).
This crawl attracts lots of young people (we had some backpackers from Australia, a group of lawyers from Ireland, US students, European students, etc). Everyone becomes fast friends as the tour goes on.
At each stop, you learn a bit about the location and the writers from the area… there are also beverages to be had. It’s very casual and fun and I would highly recommend it.
After our tour, a group of us stayed together and hung out later in the evening before a very nice group of locals (who were on the tour) made sure that we all made it back safely to our respective hotels.
I’m sure this is also fun if you go with a group, but as a person traveling alone, it was the perfect activity to get out and experience the city.