Laois pub shortlisted as Irish pub of the Year finalist
One Laois pub has made the Regional Winners list in the Irish Pub Awards 2023.
O’Dea’s Bar and Bistro, Portarlington, has been shortlisted as a finalist as Best Customer Service in the East Region, sponsored
by Edward Dillon, in the search for the Irish Pub of the Year 2023.
The pub was established in 2002 by brothers Kieran and Paraic O'Dea, in what was originally the Coach House Tavern. In 2019 O’Dea’s won Leinster Award for Best Emerging Irish Cuisine.
Now in its fifth year, the Irish Pub Awards, jointly presented by Licenced Vintners Association (LVA) and Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), are now acknowledged as the definitive industry standard and have gained recognition throughout the trade as the most credible and comprehensive assessment of the best in Irish Pubs.
The full list of finalists are:
Best Food Pub sponsored by Musgrave Marketplace: Dew Drop Inn & Brewhouse Kill Kildare, PJ O'Hare's Carlingford Louth, Matt The Thresher Birdhill Tipperary, Bobby Byrnes Limerick City, Hayes Bar & Kitchen Glandore Cork, Flannery's Bistro Ballinrobe Mayo, The Merrion Inn Dublin 4.
Best Tourist Pub sponsored by Failte Ireland: Tallons - Dying Cow Arklow Wicklow, Nancy's Bar, Ardara Donegal, Mary Barry's Seafood Bar & Restaurant Kilmore Wexford, Aunty Lena's Bar Adare Limerick, Franciscan Well Brewpub Cork City, Lowry's Music & Whiskey Bar Clifden Galway, Murray's Bar Dublin 1.
Best Local Pub sponsored by Diageo: O'Connells Skryne, Tara Meath, Begley's Bar Killoe Longford, Vine Cottage Bar New Ross Wexford, Brown Joe's Bar & Restaurant Athea Limerick, The Ensign Bar Monkstown Cork, Jordan's Bar Clarinbridge Galway, Brady's of Shankill Dublin.
Best Music Pub sponsored by IMRO: The Central Bar Navan Meath, McCafferty's Bar Donegal Town, T. Morris Bar Wexford Town, Dolans Limerick City, Clancys Cork City, Gracie’s Bar Sligo, Fibber Magees Parnell Street Dublin 1.
Outstanding Customer Service sponsored by Edward Dillon: O’Dea’s Bar & Bistro Portarlington Laois, Renaghan's Bar Clontibret Monaghan, The Hub Bar Waterford City, Jimmy Briens Bar Killarney Kerry, Geary's Bar Charleville Cork, Mellett's Emporium Swinford Mayo, Sandyford House Sandyford Village Dublin.
Best Outdoor Space sponsored by Bulmers: Chester Beatty Inn Ashford Wicklow, Peadars Bar Moate Moate Westmeath, Christy's Bar Kilkenny City, O'Sullivans Bar Rathkeale Limerick, Strand Bar Vicarstown Cork, The Towers Bar & Restaurant Westport Mayo, Kenny's of Lucan Dublin.
Innovative Pub of the Year Sponsored by BOI Payments Acceptance: Lock 13 Brewpub Sallins Kildare, Russell’s Saloon Gin Emporium Dundalk Louth, Malzards Stoneyford Kilkenny, Mother Macs Public House Limerick City, The Liberty Bar x Resistance Cork City, Mc Hugh's Bar Carrick-on-Shannon Leitrim, The Belfry Stoneybatter Dublin 7.
Best Late Night Bar sponsored by Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard: The Roost Maynooth Kildare, The Phoenix Tavern Bundoran Donegal, The Reg Waterford City, Jerry Flannery's Bar Limerick City, Dwyers of Cork Cork City, The Quays Bar & Music Hall, Galway City, Bad Bobs Temple Bar Dublin 2.
Best Digital Innovator sponsored by Heineken: Judge Roy Beans Newbridge Kildare, The Squealing Pig Monaghan Town, Kickham House Tipperary Town, The Old Quarter Pub, Café & Townhouse Limerick City, Costigan's Pub Cork City, Dunnes Bar Carrick-on-Shannon Leitrim, Café en Seine Dublin 2.
All 63 regional winners will be showcased as best in class in their region and will receive a prize package of management training to help them progress their business further.
VFI President is John Clendennen.
“I’m delighted to see so many fantastic pubs from around Ireland on the list of Irish Pub Awards regional winners. For any publican, getting on this list is a real sign your pub is one of the very best on the country. For those publicans that didn’t make it I would say to benchmark yourself against the winners and come back stronger next year.
“I’m really looking forward to the national awards night in November when we’ll find out which pubs are the best of the best and, of course, which pub is the overall national pub of the year.”
Chair of the LVA is Laura Moriarty.
“The collaboration between VFI and LVA is core to the success of the Irish Pub Awards. The Awards play a big part in acknowledging the role great publicans play in employing people across Ireland, investing in their premises and in acknowledging the wonderful contribution pubs make to their local communities, to Irish social life and to Irish tourism.”