Failte

As good a pint of Guinness as you get in thr city, quick service even after a Celtic match and prices are great for the City Centre. There is live music on a Friday night and usually after a match might not be to everybody’s taste but the atmosphere is never heavy. A nice quiet bar during the week wjether you can read your paper or have a chat.

I was in here last Friday night. We arrived about half seven and stayed until around twelve and secured a table no problem. Live music started at around half eight.
It’s a grubby looking pub with newspaper wallpaper, but it’s filled with character. Every Friday they have live music usually performed by Gary Og and his band. I don’t know anything about Irish music or attend places like this very often but I’ve heard of him so he must be fairly well known.
He came on and sang for about two hours. I don’t know if it was because we were right up at the front but I did have a hard time making out what he was saying. It didn’t matter too much as there was some old geezer, who was an absolute wizard, playing the Mandolin so I spent most of the time marvelling at him plying his craft.
I read someone else’s review stating there were sectarian songs being sung. If that’s the case it certainly wasn’t instigated by the band, he refused to play «Bloody Sunday» when being asked for requests. U2 sing that so how controversial can it be? What the rest of the punters did after we left I don’t know but there were a few flimsy bits of A4 paper behind the bar stating singing sectarian songs wasn’t allowed.
When the music wasn’t on the bar had a great buzz about it and you are able to chat to people beside you and across the table no problem. It was a mixed bag of people ranging from all ages, sexes, ok so maybe just both sexes as opposed to a range, and nationalities. I spent a bit of time talking to a nice Japanese fellow.
I don’t think you have to be a Celtic supporter to enjoy here, but I think it’s unlikely a Rangers fan would enjoy it. But to be fair I didn’t catch a hint of anything anti-​Rangers when I was there. Well except the graffiti in the toilets that was pretty anti-​Rangers.
Anyway decent place to go talk and have a few drinks. Live music if applicable is a bonus.

I probably have a slightly slanted view of this pub as the only time I’ve ever been here is during weekday lunchtimes which could run from 12pm till around 5pm, myself and my colleague used to refer to this as a «working lunch». That aside, during the day, this is a great place to come and sit at the bar and have a great conversation whilst enjoying reasonably priced beers and great service.
Evenings, in particular if there is a game on — different story — still looks to be great (a different type of great) but you will probably struggle to get in the door.

This bar went from 4 stars to 2 in a matter of seconds, and unfortunately, it’s not directly the bar’s fault. I will also state for the record that this review is based on one visit, on a Friday night.
I think it’s about time I came to terms with the fact that my clubbing days are over and that queueing for drinks at a busy bar is a chore best avoided. I am, however, not willing to give up late nights in pubs. With this in mind I went searching for a fairly empty pub, in the city centre, on a Friday night. Good luck Wiggles, you’re gonna need it.
Started off in the direction of Drum and Monkey. But on passing Failte I looked through the window to see a couple of empty tables, seats and plenty space at the bar. Okay, job done.
I’ve been here a few times, years ago when it was still called Finnegan’s Wake, but didn’t like it much then and never really warmed to it. Nothings changed in all the years this pub has existed. Old yellow newspaper pages stuck to the walls, old Irish road signs and other old Irish memorabilia give the place a warmth of character that one expects from Irish bars, and now, I’m warming to it.
The bar itself is stocked with the usual stuff, Guinness and other fizzy good make feel betters.
The band had just taken to stage and started blaring out traditional Irish folk tunes. «They come over here and they steal all our land, they cut off our heads and then boil them in oil. Oh we have no heads, no we have no heads. De diddle de dee potato» you get the picture. This was fine, the band were good. I had a seat, at a table, and a pint of 80, happy days yes? 4 star review coming right up…
…then the band stopped playing. Okay, no problem there, the band can’t play forever. Then the locals started singing bloody irritating, offensive, football songs. Really? C’mon, were they serious? All Celtic based of course, it’s an Irish pub.
Now, some people will read this and say «oh you must be a Rangers fan then?»
No sir, not at all, I dislike all football teams equally, but more so the teams who’s fans like to sing offensive songs in public thinking that they are lending a bit of Oirish charm and craic to an otherwise charming pub.
Okay, now this isn’t the pubs fault. But what is, is that these neanderthal knuckle draggers aren’t getting chucked out or told to keep it down, or at least sing the less offensive songs.
Couldn’t justify dropping to 1 star since I was enjoying myself up until the knuckle draggers started.

Good food and a great atmosphere, pity about the décor!

Always packed after the Celtic games. They usually have the Wakes playing on a Saturday night and the atmosphere is brilliant. They show all the midweek and away games and most Premiership and La Liga games. The food is decent and the drinks are well priced.

Used to be a great atmosphere after every Celtic home game, with big Frank Breen the resident singer. But the management decided to get rid of Frank and the pub has lost a class act. Bring back Frank and get the real punters back in !!

Other than the O’Neills chain pubs, Irish pubs in Glasgow City Centre are curiously few and far between.
The layout is charming, with mild nostaligia that isn’t too in your face and good service at the bar.
Embarassingly, I had to have the name of the place pronounced on my behalf by a local when I was on my phone trying my best to explain to a friend where I was. It isn’t pronounced ‘faulty’ or anything similar, so you know.
Never had any hassle here which is always a good thing and the food is above average as well.
No arguments. Worth a look-​see.

Looking for an Irish pub that’s not an Irish pub by numbers? Right then, this is the place to go.
To be honest, this is a Celtic pub, as you will find are most real Irish pubs in Glasgow. This one however doesn’t scream «Oirland» at you and rub a tri colour in your face at every occasion. The interior is a tad on the grubby side, however if your being nice you would refer to it as worn in or loved.
Failte is a great place to head if your a supporter of the hoops (Celtic) and fancy watching the game in and amongst your fellow fans, it is however a welcoming place and one that any partisan fan could enter without fear… in all honesty, any tales of violence in pubs during football is most likely to have come from places where violence is a weekly occurrence and not just when there’s a game on!!.
They also do some decent pub grub in here which you’ll find to be honest, reasonably priced and with a bit more flavour and traditional tastes than your Irish chain places… since when has a burger and chips been an Irish staple?
I like this place, its honest, unassuming and friendly, definitely worth a visit.

I was reluctantly taken here by my boyfriend during a football match (was it Ireland or Celtic? I cannot even remember). It was absolutely packed with guys spilling out the doors and I did feel a little out of place being one of about three females here. The chaps were rowdy, their eyes glued to the many screens displaying the match and all cheering (roaring) when something significant was happening. We managed to squeeze by and settle at a table at the back where I was able to soak up the atmosphere.
I have to admit that this kind of atmosphere isn’t my favourite but if I’m persuaded to take part in it then this pub is a pretty good choice. There was much more a sense of community spirit than anything threatening or intimidating. Plus I managed to see past all that and realize that this is a decent wee Irish pub. The walls are filled with Irish street signs, road signs, newspaper cuttings etc and it’s somehow more authentic than other Irish pubs. Service at the bar was fast too given how busy it was. Would like to go back when it’s not quite so busy.

If Irish bars are your thing, pay a trip to Failte. Definitely one of the better Irish bars Glasgow has to offer in my opinion. Though a little dingy with all available light sources blocked out with green paint, its atmosphere is very welcoming, with great friendly bar staff.
The pubs layout feels quite vintage, like most of the older buildings on St. Vincent street it enjoys a natural rustic charm modern bars try to emulate. The walls are clad in old Irish newspaper cuttings which gives you a sense of what the place is about; you can have hours of fun reading some of the bizarre stories stuck to the walls.
If you go to Failte, try the food. Especially the burgers, which are only £3 and you probably won’t need to eat for several days afterwards due to their gargantuan portions. They also have bangers and mash– they are also delicious and probably better for you.
If you like Irish bars you probably like Irish music, and Failte naturally caters for that also, with Irish Folk singers playing all weekend, great for a knees up on a Friday or Saturday night.

A wee stinky pub. In need of a revamp!

I go to Failte every week and i would have to say it is by far one of the best pubs in glasgow. Everything about the place is great, the food and drink fantastic including the prices, the bar staff friendly to all regular and new customers and at weekends when the bands are playing the atmosphere is electric. Go on give it a try, you dont know what you are missing.

This pub is an ideal place to go for something to eat if you are shopping on Buchanan Street. The food is tasty, prepared quickly and very reasonably priced. The décor is a little dull, however the newspapers used as wallpaper can make interesting reading if your friends are boring you. This pub is very popular with football fans in to watch the game on the large screens. If you are not a football fan then I would suggest avoiding it on match days as it gets a little claustraphobic!