Morten Andersen values a pub that has held its nerve while Grafton Street changed around it. The International Bar has done exactly that: a Victorian room on Wicklow Street that has run live music and stand-up for decades and still does, seven nights a week, without modernising the charm out of itself.
The pub stands at 23 Wicklow Street in Dublin 2, a minute off Grafton Street in the city's south-centre core. The building is over two hundred years old and keeps its original Victorian decor, carved timber and mirrored bar intact (Visit Dublin). It runs on three levels: a ground-floor bar, a small upstairs room used for comedy, and a basement for music.
Music and comedy are the reason to plan a night here rather than just pass through. The pub bills itself as the home of Irish comedy since 1988, with stand-up seven nights a week and doors at 8:30pm, plus two Saturday shows at 7:30pm and 10:15pm (The International Bar official site). Live music runs in the main bar and downstairs, and the comedy alumni list includes Tommy Tiernan, Des Bishop and Ardal O'Hanlon. Dublin Town files it among the city's longest-running music and comedy pubs (Dublin Town).
What to order keeps to a real pub's strengths. A pint of Guinness is the house pour and the right one before a comedy set, with a Dublin pint at about 6.50 to 7 euro. A whiskey suits the small upstairs room once the show starts. There is no kitchen to plan around, so eat nearby on Wicklow or Grafton Street and arrive for the early act.
Who it is for is the visitor who wants a genuine Dublin night out and the local who comes for a specific bill. It is right for a comedy show or a live set in a historic room and wrong for a quiet seated dinner. For the rest of the city's stages, our guide to the best live music bars in Dublin covers them, and Whelan's is the larger gig room a short walk south.
The room rewards a little history before you arrive. The upstairs comedy club has run since 1988 and gave early stages to a generation of Irish comedians, which is why the small space still draws strong line-ups on a weeknight. The brick-lined basement doubles as the music room and has hosted singer-songwriter and trad sessions for decades, so the building works on two floors at once.
Best time to go is an evening built around the 8:30pm comedy doors, or earlier in the main bar for a music slot and a pint before the show. Weekends run two comedy sittings on Saturday, so book ahead if a named act is on. The pub stays open to 11:30pm midweek and 12:30am on Friday and Saturday.
The International Bar is the rare central Dublin pub that still earns its place on entertainment rather than location alone. For the wider plan, start with our Dublin bar guide, and for a late music-led night nearby see Lost Lane off Grafton Street.
Sources: The International Bar official site; Visit Dublin listing; Dublin Town listing.
