Morten Andersen has a soft spot for the bars that put a band on without putting a ticket price on. Sin É is the north-quays version of that idea: a narrow two-floor pub on Ormond Quay that runs free live music most nights and treats the music as the point rather than the upsell.
Sin É sits at 14-15 Upper Ormond Quay in Dublin 1, on the north bank of the Liffey a short walk from the Ha'penny Bridge. The pub spreads across two floors and lines its walls with musical memorabilia, which sets the tone before a note is played. Its own billing is plain and accurate: Dublin's original late-night music venue, with free entry to live music seven nights a week (Sin É official site).
The booking is wide. The programme runs local bands and international touring acts alongside DJs, so a Tuesday might be a guitar-led set and a Saturday a late DJ night downstairs (Sin É bar page). Jazz Ireland also lists Sin É among the north-side rooms that programme live jazz, which tells you the range stretches past indie and rock (Jazz Ireland). It opens from 3pm Tuesday to Sunday and runs late.
What to order is the unfussy stuff that suits a standing music room. A pint of Guinness or a cold lager carries the night, with a Dublin pint at about 6.50 to 7 euro. A whiskey works upstairs if you find a perch for a quieter set. The kitchen is not the draw, so eat on the quays beforehand and arrive with the room rather than the dinner crowd.
Who it is for is the music-first drinker who wants a late night without a cover charge or a dress code. It is right for a spontaneous gig stop on the north side and wrong for a seated dinner or a quiet pint, since the appeal is a busy floor and a live act. For the rest of the city's stages, our guide to the best live music bars in Dublin maps them, and The Grand Social is two minutes away over the Liffey.
Sin É also sits at a useful point on the north-side circuit. It is a two-minute walk from The Grand Social and a few more from the Ha'penny Bridge, so it works as the first or last stop on a quays crawl. The late licence and the seven-night programme mean there is almost always a band or a DJ on by the time you arrive.
Best time to go is a weekend night when both floors are working, or a weeknight if you want a live set with room to stand near the front. The free-entry policy means you can drop in on the way past and stay if the act is good. Go late rather than early, because the room earns its name after dark.
Sin É is the north quays at their most direct, a two-floor pub that keeps live music free and the licence late. For the wider plan, start with our Dublin bar guide, and for a bigger booked room on the south side see Whelan's on Wexford Street.
Sources: Sin É official site; Sin É bar page; Jazz Ireland listing.
