If you are visiting a pub in Ireland, the rules or “etiquette” might be slightly different to what you are used to, depending on your usual haunts. Let’s take a look at this in more detail so you can be a little more knowledgeable and prepared.
- The rounds culture – If you visit an Irish pub with friends, you will usually get each other drinks in rounds. This means that one person gets drinks for the entire party, followed by the next person and so on. No one will remind you when it’s your turn so keep your eyes peeled and make sure that you keep your end of the (unspoken) bargain or else you risk coming across as cheap.
- No tipping necessary – Staff at pubs in Ireland usually get pretty decent wages and unlike in America, there is no tipping necessary. Some people round up the cost of their drink
s by saying “keep the change” or even buy a drink for the bar-person. This is not common however and usually the price your drinks have come to is what you pay. - Kids are welcome – Irish pubs are usually places that entire families can go and mix with one another, which generally means that children are welcome too. It’s completely normal and acceptable for children to be running around and getting involved with the fun so if you do not like that kind of thing, find somewhere else to drink.
- The different closing times – The majority of Irish pubs will close at 11:30pm on weeknights and 12:30am on weekends. Some pubs will have a special license that allows them to be open and serving a little later (with 2:30am being the very latest an Irish pub will stay open). You will usually need to get in your last orders half an hour before the pub closes.