A word on the pint. Cork is proud stout country, and the local rivalry between Beamish and Murphy's, both brewed here for generations, is a real thing. Order either instead of the obvious and you'll get a warmer welcome. Our walk meets outside the old Beamish brewery on South Main Street, so three of the pubs below are within two minutes of where you'll be standing at the end of it. If you'd rather taste the whole story properly, that's a walk of its own we're working on.
Sin É
On Coburg Street, and the reliable one for a session. There's music most nights from around six, informal and often brilliant, and the place fills up fast when it's good. Come early for a seat, and don't be surprised if a session starts up beside you without warning.
An Spailpín Fánach
One of the city's oldest pubs, on South Main Street opposite the old Beamish brewery, low-lit and full of character. Sessions run Thursday to Saturday from about half nine, and from October to June the Cork Singers' Club takes the Sunday night, which is unaccompanied singing and worth going out of your way for. It's a couple of minutes from our meeting point, so an easy one to picture from the walk.
The Mutton Lane Inn
Tucked down its own tiny lane off Patrick Street, candlelit and snug, and about as atmospheric as a Cork pub gets. It's small, so it's shoulder to shoulder when it's busy, but on a quiet evening there's nowhere better for a slow pint out of the weather. The lane and the inn go back to 1787, when the butchers' carts came through here to the market.
Earn the pint: walk old Cork first
Seventy-five to ninety minutes through old Cork with a local guide, from Shandon to St Fin Barre's. Small groups, every Saturday and Sunday, and every guest goes home with a free Cork history book.
The Long Valley
Running since 1842, with a bar counter that hasn't changed in living memory and a name for its doorstep sandwiches. It's a Cork landmark in its own right, more a piece of the city than a night out. Good any time of day for a pint and a bit of history.
The Castle Inn
On South Main Street, and proudly plain: no music, no screens, just pints and talk. If you want the version of the Irish pub where you can actually hear the person across the table, this is it. One of the oldest bars in the city, and all the better for doing nothing fancy.
The Shelbourne Bar
On MacCurtain Street, with a back-bar of several hundred Irish whiskeys and staff who know them. Come for a guided taste of something you'd never find at home, or just a well-poured Cork stout. A good last stop on the north side of the river.
Ask your guide on the day
Every guide on our walks has a local, a session they swear by, and an opinion on Beamish versus Murphy's. Tell your guide what you like and how long you have, and you'll get a plan you won't find on any website, including this one.
Take the story home: a free Cork history book
Stout and Whiskey, the story of drink in Cork, is one of the ten titles. Ten titles, from Rebel Cork to Stout and Whiskey, each 80 to 100 illustrated pages. Walked with us already? Your guide's code also takes 20% off everything else in the shop.
Next: where to eat first · the festival calendar, since the Jazz and Folk weekends turn every pub here into a venue · the whole guide