The floral entrance to Darkey Kelly's Bar & Restaurant

©AnneMarie McCarthy/Lonely Planet

Darkey Kelly's Bar & Restaurant

Temple Bar


Once the home of Ireland’s first female serial killer, Darkey’s now boasts a killer whiskey selection instead. It has a decent range of craft beer, and is a compromise between the tourist bars of Temple Bar and more local boozers. The pint prices are on the steep side, but there’s a great buzz and traditional music is guaranteed.

This pub is built on the site of Darkey Kelly’s 18th-century brothel. For years she was believed to have been burned at the stake in 1746 for the crime of witchcraft. In fact, papers discovered in 2010 showed she was executed after the bodies of five men were found in her vaults. Her motives are lost to history, but at her wake prostitutes from her brothel had a minor riot in Temple Bar, leading to 13 arrests.