The International Bar

Excellent and welcoming bar. We came on a Sunday for the weekly sessions and stayed all day. Bartenders are friendly and fun. Great place to spend a rainy day indoors.

Now that we are finally getting some sunny breaks it is great to be able to sit outside the bar and grab a pint in the heart of the city. It is a pub where you can definitely spot the regulars and have a chat with the bar men. The atmosphere was not very inviting for food, but if drinks and a chat in a nice mild day is what you are in the mood for, you can´t go wrong here.

I came here for a quick pint after dinner on a random Tuesday, and found a great jazz band in the basement. It was very enjoyable to sit and listen– though the seating doesn’t lend to conversation or interaction with your party, and all you can really do is sit and listen. It’s also quite small downstairs so you feel incredibly rude talking or making any noise as it’s very obvious to others in the room and indeed to the band if you make any interruption.
The Guinness was also sub-​par here, I have to admit. I can’t point out what was wrong but we had everyone in the party taste it and there was definitely something a little off.
The staff seem nice and let us finish our pints upstairs as they cleaned when the music was done.

Absolute hub of creativity in Dublin!
Comedy, music, poetry or any other performance art every night of the week!
I drop in as often as I can!

As a pub, nah I wouldn’t be into it, small, not much life, pint was dead and my Malibu and white — ugh how can you get it so wrong ??? flattest mixer of all time, it was defo sitting in the bottle for gods knows how long — get rid of it ! no ice or lime segment or straw or anything. that’s probs just me being fussy but I wasn’t impressed…
NOW, the upstairs comedy cellar — I love love !!! cheap cheap about a fiver in and its just something you can drop into ya don’t have to stress about bookings or anything. small intimate venue which is better … the acts could really interact with the crows, but not too small you cant breath or your in anyway uncomfortable…
the acts themselves were entertaining and enjoyable… no one you would be dying to see again but you get what you pay for, it is what it is… the bloke who greeted us at the door was very sound though with a constant beam on his face which was nice :-)
BEWARE of the stairs, very bloody narrow

Great spot for a pint! Really cool bar. Very friendly staff. The comedy club was a really good time as well. Must stop spot if your in Dublin.

Comedy on a Sunday night here is only € 5 in and there is usually 4 or 5 comedians. As to be expected it can be hit and miss depending on the guests, but the majority of them are very funny and quite often big names drop in to test out their new material. I would definitely recommend the comedy nights here for a great night out.

Great traditional Irish music, performed live, while I visited. Friendly staff and good drink. Stayed for awhile and had a wonderful experience.

Monday night Improv comedy show was lots of fun. It was only € 5 and if early, you get a free drink. Great Monday night craic!

COMEDY CELLAR! I was here visiting and my friend took us all to the weekly Wednesday night show. The host was a new guy (usually a host named Andrew), but was still hilarious and had a really great knack for including the audience in his jokes.
Each of the four featured comedians were pretty funny as well. They each had their own style and genre that they talked about (sex, irish people, relationships, etc.). I am told that they have different guests each week, and that many famous european comedians originated from this bar .Only one I wasn’t too fond of was the third guy who talked about cheating on his girlfriend… there was no punch line?
Highly recommend it! 10 Euros per person, 8 for students.

Love this bar. It’s been around for AGES! and is a gem of a place. Even though it’s central, it’s got that lovely local feel. Downstairs is the main bar and upstairs is where they have gigs, comedy etc.
It’s got that quirky old style feel to it, friendly bar staff, mix of Dubliners and tourists and they serve awesome stew on Paddy’s weekend!
Defo recommend for a real Dublin feel.

I’ve come to the Comedy Cellar (Wednesday nights) a few times and it’s always loads of fun. Andrew Stanley is always brilliant host (he will pick you out at some point in the night, so no point hiding in back), and you get a variety of stand up comedians that change from week to week. We’ve had dancing, singing, and great fun here over a few pints.
tip 1: It’s upstairs! I believe doors open at 9pm
tip 2: sign up for the newsletter, there are occasional 2 for the price of 1 deals

I come here every sunday from 6pm to 8pm they have one band each sunday. really good music… here’s the link,
with videos of the bands performing at the international!
good quality music, very comfortable, I meet loads of people and is completely mixed nationalities, and I love it, because I can have a chat with people from south america and other countries.

We drop down here on a Monday night sometimes for the Monday Echo music and poetry night.
The room (downstairs) is *tiny*, but the walls are lined with couches and it’s always good fun.
The crowd is friendly and supportive of the acts, the atmosphere is great and if you get in early (approx 7.30 or so) their stew is amazing!

There are number of people who liked this place. I can safely say that I’m not the venue’s biggest fan. Lets begin at the beginning… The first time I was here was for a comedy gig, the gig was quite enjoyable, but I’m not reviewing the comedians.
Whenever I talk about this, I feel like I’m having a discussion with Lionel Hutz, Realtor.
Me: «Lionel, this place is a bit cramped. I can hardly move between the furniture, let alone the people»
Lionel: «I’d call it intimate. Yeah, it’s an intimate venue»
Me: «It’s not exactly the cleanest place, is it?»
Lionel: «I’d say it’s lived-​in!»
And so on… and so forth…
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m not going to be running back to this place again. I mentioned my feelings towards this place to a friend and he told me the place has character. In response to this, let me quote Manny Bianco from Black Books,
«Character is, an ambience, a feeling. It’s not something with fur and a beak.»

Let’s just get this out of the way shall we? The International is better than the Laughter Lounge. There I said it.
It’s a fire hazard, you never get the same shape glass more than once, it’s cramped, the seats are all uncomfortable and facing odd directions but I just can’t help but love this crappy, dilapidated little comedy club. Let’s not forget the hi-​tech sound system powered by an iPod nano!
It’s also got a very cool underground vibe given the pedigree of Irish comics that have honed their craft on its stage. You might not get a free cocktail like in that other shambles* of a comedy venue across the Liffey but you do get a great night of comedy for a mere tenner.
*OK, The Laughter Lounge isn’t that bad but it ain’t no International.

I can honestly say I went here atleast 15 times or more…
I have nothing but GREAT things to say about this place… My friends and I went every Sunday to the comedy club to watch Des and Aidan Bishop… I can honestly say I miss this place more than anything… So many laughs, so many great moments, and memories were made here. I can’t wait to go back!

Ground floor is a bar, 1^st floor is a comedy club, and the bottom floor is a music venue (from what I could tell, nothing going on when I looked, but there was a guitar). The bar area is really small, as is the comedy club, but the comedy club was a lot of fun.
Drinks are a bit costly, but it is right off Grafton St (beer was average cost and mixed drinks were a bit much)

Popped into the International purely by chance last Friday evening, and noticed that they have comedy acts on 7 nights a week… Sharon a bit slow on the uptake there!
What a laugh!!!
No pun intended, being a comedy club and all.
€ 10 in… handed over halfway up a rickety stairs to a shady looking fella…
but absolutely worth every penny.
Got to see FOUR acts… one crap and three great. 3 outta four aint bad. I would have paid € 10 just to see the first act, Jack Whitehall, alone.
Only reason for taking off last star was the fact that it was really packed, and had no seat, but in fairness, all the people that arrived on time had seats, so thats not their fault.
Barman was working alone, serving around 60 people by himself, and was still cracking jokes, so was pretty impressed.
Will definitely be back very soon!!!

The following day, my face still hurt. It felt like I’d been working out my cheeks. An evening in The International Comedy Club will have you laughing ’till you cry.
On a Sunday, it isn’t as packed as I’m used to (which means actually getting a seat) and it only costs € 5. Five euro for five comedy acts! Bargain!
Whatever about the audience heckling the comedians, this venue is so tiny that they heckle you! I was «picked on» by two comedians that night.
First, Aidan Bishop (Des Bishop’s sexy brother) complimented me on my summer dress and asked where I was from. There was no fear of me outshining the comedian as I replied, «Ireland.» Duh!
Fred Cooke (yer man from the Spar ads) insisted I was Jean from the UCD musical society and that we «shifted» back in ’99.
He impressed me with how quickly and wittily he improvised when someone from the audience suggested songs for him to perform. He really involved the crowd and even got the barman to dim the lights as he danced Thriller-​style and played two recorders at a time. Then, Aidan got up and rapped with him.
Abie Philbin Bowman (writer and performer of «Jesus: The Guantanamo Years») seemed like he was showing off with all he knew about politics and history. Us Irish don’t like cockiness. We find self-​deprecation a lot more humorous.
On the other hand, Aussie Damian Clark (from TV show «I Dare Ya») was energetic, hilarious and has such an infectious laugh.
So if you want some chiselled jaw lines, get your funny bones down to The International Comedy Club!

Die Bar selbst? Würde ich als dodgy bezeichnen und ich würde wohl nie reingehen– zu viele betrunkene Menschen.
Aber: Im Obergeschoss ist eine kleine Comedybühne mit wirklich tollen Comedians. Ich habe selten so gelacht, wir haben einen tollen ungezwungenen Abend verbracht. Allerdings sei dazu gesagt, dass man ein wenig über Irland und die Iren wissen muss, um hier mitlachen zu können.
Die Bar: 1 Stern, die Bühne 5!