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Crane Bar

4.6 (56 reviews)
ModeratePubs

Crane Bar Photos

CRANE BAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Live music
Loud
Good for groups

Recommended Reviews - Crane Bar

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Reviews With Photos

Guinness & Bulmer's
Sarah M.

When planning a visit to Galway last May with a friend, a NYC bartender friend of mine who happens to be from Galway told me that we needed to add Crane Bar to our list. That recommendation ended up being a highlight of our trip to Galway. This quaint pub has two levels. When we visited on a Monday evening, the second level is where the musicians were preparing to gather. We arrived just before they started so were able to score two stools right at the bar which was ideal as it's not a large room. There are several tables with shorter stools in the main section, as well a few smaller tables on the (raised?) side section against the windows. Note, the musicians gather towards the wall opposite of the bar. What I found fascinating about this bar is musicians continually came and went throughout the evening effortlessly. I think I counted up to 11+ musicians performing at any given time. The musicians alternated between songs with lyrics and songs without - both were equally enjoyable. Our bartender was super friendly. Even checking in on us when one tipsy guy was getting a little too chatty. I would highly recommend this pub to anyone visiting Galway who is looking for a traditional Irish music pub experience.

Last stop.
Jeff N.

While we could only sit outside, the Crane Bar had awesome vibes, located outside Galway City Centre on Sea Road. They had set up a lovely outdoor patio area across the street from the pub that was laid back and chilled out, filled with locals who were enjoying a pint or two. When we return to Galway on our next trip to Ireland, we'll need to return to Crane Bar to enjoy some live traditional music inside.

Interior
Shanelle S.

Our hotel concierge mentioned that this was his favorite spot to go to for live traditional music, and so we came here and had a good time. It's a small spot and I believe that the music session is typically on the second level, but that was closed when we were there and the musicians performed at a reserved table a little bit past 9pm. The space is cozy and there was a good amount of people who came to watch, but it wasn't overbearing.

Alex B.

Went here for a Story Telling event and the atmosphere of the upper room was very cozy and intimate. It was a fun night, with lots of laughter, captivating stories, and live trad music. It was packed and a hot, sweaty night but still such a great time!

The group playing tonight
Sheila D.

This is a fantastic venue for listening to trad Irish music and enjoying a pint of your favorite brew. It is an upstairs space that is intimate and filled with old wooden stools and tables. Can't get more authentic than this!

Frank, the Galway legend!
Danny B.

This pub is the best place for live music in Galway! Every night around 9pm a line of people shuffle upstairs to hear local musicians play trad music and songs at their finest. During my time in Galway I visited this pub every night and enjoyed endless Craic. There are a number of legends who come here to play regularly, including the 84 year old Frank Boyle who can be heard playing harp here pretty much every night. This place is slightly off the beaten path, but don't let a tad bit of extra walking deter you from an unforgettable experience. The pints here are awesome but just a heads up, this pub is a cash only establishment so make sure you bring enough cash for your bill! I highly recommend this pub as a must visit in the city of Galway.

Bulmers & Guiness

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17 years ago

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10 years ago

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Photo of Matt H.
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10 years ago

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16 years ago

Nice local bar. We missed the music though so can't fully rate.

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17 years ago

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Photo of Frank C.
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16 years ago

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18 years ago

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18 years ago

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15 years ago

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13 years ago

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8 years ago

Listened to trad (traditional Irish music) and sean-nós.... what an unexpected treat! It's an original place for locals. I loved it.

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11 years ago

It has the feel of a traditional Irish pub with a good variety of music on nearly every night and day. Great for tourists

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16 years ago

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12 years ago

Best music of any bar I've visited . Great atmosphere . Friendly staff . A Must when in Galway !

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11 years ago

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Crane Bar Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Crane Bar

“As you may or may not already know, Trad music is typically played in a "session" as it is not a performance.”

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Quays Bar

Quays Bar

3.8(152 reviews)
0.5 km
•€€

A fun place in the middle of the city. It has live trad music. It was very lively with the music…read moreand dancing. It can be crowded, but that just added to the fun. It has good selection of beer, cider and cocktails. The porn star cocktail was delicious. The staff work hard to keep up with getting drinks and keeping things clean. They do not have food upstairs, where the music was. There was a restaurant on the lower level where you could get something to eat. The space is pretty big with bar seating and tables. It has the whole world pub vibe.

We stopped in for dinner but there were no tables available. We said we'd go to another restaurant…read moreand we started to return to our hotel. We're just about there when the manager comes up behind us and said he found a table. Pretty impressive service. The table was in a medium sized room away from the music which was great as you could hold a conversation. Our server came over quickly to take our drink orders and once we had the drinks be places our order, cottage pie and fish and chips. The cottage pie was served in a small, but not too small oval baking dish with a nicely browned top on the potatoes. It also came with a side of gravy which was a nice touch. Digging in there was a good amount of pulled well seasoned brisket with carrots mixed. Very tasty dish. The fish and chips arrived with a good portion chips and a moderately sized piece of well fried fish. The fish was very fresh and flaky and the breading was very light so it didn't over power the fish. We had a pleasant meal with two great servers, a manager that wouldn't give up on finding us a table and great music (acoustic guitar) to keep us enter. Definitely a great place for drinks and a good meal and one that we will gone back to.

Photos
Quays Bar - Interior stained glass

Interior stained glass

Quays Bar - Madras chicken curry

Madras chicken curry

Quays Bar - Live music and baccanalia

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Live music and baccanalia

The Kings Head - Lovely mirror in the corner

The Kings Head

3.7(265 reviews)
0.5 km
•€€

We stopped by the historic Kings Head pub before dinner on a Monday right around 5 to listen to…read moresome live music. They, like many pubs in Galway feature an early show (for tourists mainly) as well as the more traditional 9 pm session. The two- person band we saw featured a fantastic guitarist with a nice voice and a flautist who played a variety of instruments. As we arrive a bit before 5, we had no problem finding a small low table with a couple of stools near the band. The pub is quite large and it was possible to hear the music throughout the place. We ordered drinks at the bar (a bit over priced) and enjoyed our sips for 90 minutes before we had to leave. The band played non-stop the whole time. By the time we left the place was quite full with lots of people standing-the crowd was dominated by Americans. This was a fun taste of Irish culture in one of the more historic pubs in the area dating to the 1600s.

the service initially when grabbing food on the second floor was amazing. but then totally dropped…read moreoff we waiting 30 min for the bill. The fish and chips were quite delicious and worth every penny of purchasing them even though they're more more expensive than any other place on the strip we did get a beer and cider, which was also quite tasty but it's basic. Also they ask for a tip which hasn't happened to us yet... Ambiance is dark and very Irish but cool spot to check out

Photos
The Kings Head - Burger

Burger

The Kings Head - 9/2025

9/2025

The Kings Head - Bruchetta and the Executioner's Old Fashioned

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Bruchetta and the Executioner's Old Fashioned

Crane Bar - pubs - Updated October 2026

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