Dublin Pub Crawl or an Irish Music Night: Which Evening Suits You?
Updated October 13, 2026 · 5 min read
For a big night out with strangers, book the Generation Pub Crawl: €14 per person, 5 hours, 4.6 stars from 3,792 reviews, with a welcome Guinness, free shots and entry to five venues including a nightclub. For live Irish music in a house rather than a bar: the Irish House Party is €35 and rated 4.8 from 1,201 reviews. For a slower evening of tastings: the traditional pub walking tour costs €42.
The five evenings side by side
| Evening | Duration | From | Rating | What it is | Age and access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generation Pub Crawl | 5 hours | €14 | 4.6 (3,792) | Five venues, nightclub entry, welcome Guinness, shots | 19 or over |
| City Pub Crawl with Live Irish Music | 4 hours | €25 | 4.4 (257) | Four pubs with live music, late-night venue | Not for under 18s or over 70s |
| Traditional Pub Walking Tour | 4 hours | €42 | 4.7 (571) | Four pubs, beer, whiskey and gin tastings, a Guinness | Not stated |
| Irish House Party | evening, about 1.5 hours of show | €35 | 4.8 (1,201) | Live music, comedy and dance in a Georgian townhouse | Not for under 5s |
| Irish Music and Dance Show with Dance Lesson | 2 hours | €25 | 4.7 (1,433) | Dance lesson, then a show, in a Temple Bar pub | Alcohol 18 or over |
The big night out: Generation
The price is low, and the evening is built around drinking venues, not around teaching you anything. You meet at 4 Dame Lane, get a free welcome Guinness, free shots with no purchase necessary, discounts on drinks and skip-the-line entry to all five venues, including VIP entry to the nightclub Copper Face Jacks and a stop at Whelan’s. Drinks beyond those are paid for as you go.
Read the conditions. You must be 19 or over and bring ID. Shorts, sportswear, sweatpants, tracksuits and flip-flops are not allowed. Wheelchair users are listed as not suitable, and the venues can refuse admission or service at their discretion. The operator says plainly that this is an immersive night out and not a guided tour of historic pubs. If you want stories about the buildings, this is the wrong booking.
See dates and prices for the Generation Pub Crawl
The smaller crawl and the tasting walk
The City Pub Crawl starts at Trinity Bar on Dame Street and moves through three bars of about 45 minutes each before ending at a late-night venue. It promises live Irish traditional music, a free welcome drink, free shots and free entry to the last place, and mixes traditional and contemporary pubs. It has far fewer reviews than Generation (257), and its page lists children under 18 and people over 70 as not suitable.
The traditional pub walking tour is a different evening. The price covers three 5-ounce samples of craft beer, a half-pint of Guinness, a 35-millilitre sample of single malt Irish whiskey and a 35-millilitre sample of Irish gin with tonic, spread over four pubs, and it ends with a traditional music session. Food is available but not included. It meets beside the Spire on O’Connell Street. With 571 reviews at 4.7 stars, it is the choice for people who want to talk and taste rather than dance.
See dates for the traditional pub walking tour
Music without the pub crawl
The Irish House Party is a small show with live traditional music, comedy and a solo Irish dancer in an 18th-century townhouse at The Lansdowne Hotel in Ballsbridge, outside the centre. An optional three-course dinner starts at 6:30 pm and the show runs from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm. Entertainment and water are included; other drinks can be bought. The booking page lists children under 5 and people with mobility impairments as not suitable.
The music and dance show with a lesson is held upstairs at the Merchant’s Arch bar in Temple Bar. You learn simple steps from a teacher, then watch professionals from a reserved table. Drinks and food are not included, and you must be 18 or over to buy alcohol. Wheelchair users and people with mobility impairments are listed as not suitable. There are more music evenings on the Irish music shows in Dublin page, and all crawls and pub walks are listed under pub tours in Dublin.
See dates for the Irish House Party
Which one
Book Generation if you are 19 or over, want a loud night out and expect to buy drinks on top of the ticket. Book the Irish House Party if you want an Irish evening you can follow sitting down, and the pub walking tour if tasting is the point. Whichever you pick, plan your own way back: the Generation page lists hotel pickup and drop-off as not included. If you would rather see the Guinness Storehouse in daylight first, the Guinness ticket guide compares the options.
