The Irish Pubs I Added to Our Itinerary After Reading Have Ye No Homes To Go To?

Reading Have Ye No Homes To Go To? by Kevin Martin added pins to our map. The book kept handing me historic pubs and literary pubs, pubs of interest for all sorts of reasons (location, beauty, and so on). My list of pubs I want to drink a gin and tonic, Irish Coffee, or perhaps a pint has grown considerably.

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How a Book Turns into a Running List

Martin writes about Irish pubs as social, political, and community anchors. The ones that most caught my attention had literary or historical relevance. 

Not as must-sees.

As possibilities.

Okay, some as must-sees.

I highlighted, bookmarked, and jotted down notes as I read. Then, we rearranged our itinerary here and there to fit in more pubs on our trip.

One of the first things Have Ye No Homes To Go To? put on my radar was the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl. I flagged it while reading, then kept thinking about it as our trip took shape.

We ended up going on the crawl during this visit. Beginning at The Duke, we moved through stories of Joyce, Behan, and others. It was a reminder that Ireland’s pubs have always been places for stories as much as pints.

Read Dublin Literary Pub Crawl: Storytelling, Music & Pints. 

Reserve your spot on the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl [affiliate link].

A Few Pubs That Moved Higher on My List

Some of these made it onto our itinerary. Others are firmly filed under next time.

Sean’s Bar, Athlone

The oldest pub in Ireland, with records dating back to AD 900. I put it on our itinerary as a stop between Dublin and Ennis on a long travel day that started in Megherafelt. Sean’s Bar is lively and friendly, with American memorabilia on some of its walls. We enjoyed a leisurely round, an Irish Coffee for me and a pint for Chris, and we chatted with strangers.

The Palace Bar, Dublin

Described by many as one of Dublin’s most beautiful pubs, with deep ties to writers and revolutionaries alike. This one now sits high on our return visit list.

The Confession Box, Dublin

A small pub with an outsized role during the War of Independence, where figures like Michael Collins quietly received communion. Without context, I might pass by this popular local spot, but this book put it on our list for next time.

Dick Mack’s, Dingle

Part pub, part cobbler’s shop, and entirely itself. We drank there, surrounded by different generations working and talking in the same space. I drank a Dingle Gin with Poachers Wild Tonic, and Chris had a Dingle Amber Ale made at Dick Mack’s Brewhouse.  

Kruger’s, Dunquin

The westernmost bar in Europe, Kruger’s is a great lunchtime stop along the Slea Head Loop Drive on the Dingle Peninsula. The pub is known for its collection of stills from Ryan’s Daughter.

We stopped here a little over halfway through the drive and ordered lunch and a round of half pints. The food and half-pints were good, and the timing was exactly right. What caught my eye most was the sign for The Most Westerly Tip Box in Ireland — It’d Be Rude Not To. I admired it, smiled, and agreed.

The Crown Liquor Saloon, Belfast

A Victorian gin palace with reservable snugs, etched glass, and rooms designed for conversations that stay contained.

I first learned what a snug was years ago while explicating Seamus Heaney’s Digging — that line about the pen resting “snug as a gun” sent me looking for the word’s wider meaning. Sitting in one at The Crown felt like stepping into that footnote.

Inside the snug, small metal plates stamped Matches caught our attention. A server explained they were strikers, meant to protect the wood back when smoking was allowed. Details like that make the place feel intact rather than themed.

Why This Is How I Like to Read Before Traveling

I don’t read books like this to optimize trips. I read them to expand the field of possibility.

A good travel-adjacent book doesn’t tell you what to do. It gives you more options than you had before: more names, more stories, more reasons to wander down side streets. That’s what Have Ye No Homes To Go To? did for me.

This is where a book can do more than suggest a stop; it can offer context. If you want the stories behind these places, how pubs fit into Ireland’s history, politics, and everyday life, Have Ye No Homes To Go To? is a book I’m glad I read before this trip.

Some lists aren’t meant to be completed, like my TBR stack; they’re meant to grow.

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