4 Best Nightlife in County Clare, Galway, and the Aran Islands, Ireland

With the most eye-catching facade on High Street, if not Galway City, the King's Head is dripping with 800 years of history with its association to the execution of King Charles I. Staff are charming and a cúpla focal (a few words in the Irish language) will put you in good favor. There are trad music sessions nightly.

Behind the subtle, light-yellow timber-front entrance, this whiskey and tequila bar is a long warren of Victorian-bar idiosyncrasies, with lofty ceilings, barrel tables, two-story-high whiskey cabinets that manifest like the love child of an old west saloon and a traditional Irish pub. The evening entertainment reflects the same hybrid, with jazz, blues, acoustic sessions, and the occasional bit of reggae offered back-to-back with trad-music sessions. It's the best place in town for a refreshing cocktail, and the antidote to an overindulgence in ballads and fiddles.

Fans of musician Ed Sheeran will instantly recognize the interior of this landmark pub as the location of his "Galway Girl" music video with actress Saoirse Ronan. Trading since 1942, this generous-size tavern in Salthill is a firm favorite with visitors who browse through the pub's vast collection of paraphernalia, from farmyard tools and grandma’s garters (hanging over a hearth) to a life-size statue of the "Quiet Man," John Wayne. Its impressive collection of whiskey is showcased on an imposing shelf behind the bar counter.

This bright-blue, mural-scarred pub is in the hub of Galway's medieval center and the core of its beating heart. For more than 120 years its mahogany snugs and alcoves have given patrons refuge from the city's infamous mist and rain while its stock of more than 130 brands of whiskey has fueled heat through their veins. Predictably, it's buzzing on the weekends.