Pubs

Galway has a variety of pubs playing either (or both) traditional Irish music and good old rock music, some of it the band’s own, and others are familiar songs you can yell along to.

King’s Head:

This spot is just about everyone’s favorite! However, don’t ask dirty taxi cab drivers where the King’s Head is because they will just tell you “Why…it’s in between the Queen’s legs!”  There is no cover charge to get you in the door, just another test to get by the bouncers….hint: don’t let them see you being rowdy coming around the corner or you’re OUTTA there! There is always a good band and always a good crowd any night of the week, which always allows for an excuse to go out! The King’s Head will book bands regularly so know when your favorite ones will be playing. Our favorite band who plays there regularly is The Lewd Tunes. They play almost everything from AC/DC to Janis Joplin with a real loud, raw, rock-and-roll feel. The lead singer, Splain, gets into it and the audience gets pumped (even though sometimes the audience consists of old men trying to pick up young girls and sometimes Splain herself). Good to jam out to while having a pint, though we recommend doing this from the second level (though there is a good view of the stage from the ground floor as well) as it is THE prime spot for yelling at the band….Splain in particular. They usually play on the weekends, mostly Friday night, however all the bands will usually start playing around 9:30 or 10 and end at 11 or 12. (NOTE: Splain does not take requests for the Boss or Skynyrd). Other cover bands that have performed have been known to play The Who, Dire Straits, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, U2, Lynard Skynard, Metallica, The Darkness, John Cougar Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix, and KISS.  These bands all present the same great opportunity for at least two buddies to start an air band….someone jumps in on air guitar and someone just grabs some “drumsticks” and you’ve got it made in the shade.

Bazaar: 

This is another great spot that does not require a cover charge and attracts many students to its cool, modernized, yet pub feel inside. A mix between a club and a bar makes it popular to many students. The type of crowd you might find a King’s Head, minus the wasted old men who want to tell you their life stories. Sometimes there are DJs and sometimes there are live bands. On Sunday night there is a Dave Matthews Cover Band that is pretty good.  Overall, we still definitely prefer The King’s Head or CP’s but it is better than GPO and Cuba. They play some new favorites like JZ “99 Problems,” P-Diddy, J-LO you know, D12 and our all-time-favorite, JUSTIFIED a.k.a. Justin to the Timberlake or JT to the girly fans. Go to Bazaar if you like rap or Dave Matthews. Oh yeah, be sure to not show up without your bling-bling. HOLLA. 

Ti Na Nog:

(Literally means “Land of the Young,” though people will tell you it means “screw the old people”). This sports pub attracts the young and at night has a DJ who takes requests, especially for Murder on the Dance Floor if you tell him it is your birthday. This pub plays more fun dance songs; if you like the songs on the radio, then you’ll like the music here. There are never any live bands, so that’s kind of a downfall, but at the same time always a good crowd and a good crack. It’s usually hoppin’ on the weekends. If you want to watch the game there is a big screen TV upstairs and some tables and stools. I must say that these tables are in a prime location for scoping out the crowd and trying on random guys’ sick leather jackets.