I’m a very anxious person, but I am actually really good at sitting at a bar by myself.

Not that I’m at all a frequent drinker, but I love the vibe of a packed pub. Music, laughter, glasses clinking… Put me at a bar stool with a Guinness in my hand, and I know it’ll be a fun night of people-watching and entertaining chatter.

The first pub I knew I had to visit was the Temple Bar. Definitely the most touristy of pubs, but when in Dublin.

I actually came here a couple times on my trip. I was visiting during November, and everything in the city seemed to be decked out, ready for Christmas over a month away. But nowhere was as decked out as the Temple Bar – inside and out. Garland and bobbles and lights and pine needles hung from every inch of the ceiling once you were inside the bar.

*Another drink at the Temple, another visit.*

I would order a Guinness and spent some time listening to some live musicians playing traditional Irish songs, as well as some global classics (like The Beatles). If you’re okay meeting a lot of tourists and enjoying a good tune, the Temple Bar is a great place to stop in. If you’re hoping to connect with the locals, maybe not so much.

Murray’s Bar was actually the most visited stop on my radar purely because of proximity to my hotel. One night I came here for dinner and a beer, one night I came for a fish and chip lunch (spectacular). But my final night in Dublin was spent chatting to the bartenders.

I spent a long while looking at the menu, unsure of what to get. The man asked what I was in the mood for, and I said hot wings — which weren’t on the menu. He took my menu away and came back soon after with some hot wings for me. Bless his soul. He made me Baileys on ice (which is apparently blasphemous) and then got me a coffee so I would be awake for the live show that night. (“The best way to end your trip in Dublin!”). I so appreciated his hospitality and genuine kindness.

By the end of the night, I was meeting strangers and watching a live Irish dancing show. It was a great way to cap off the trip.

There’s something about being at a pub that makes me feel comfortable and like I’m still pushing myself out of a comfort zone. There’s the safety of sitting on my own, the safety of a delicious Guinness in my hand, but also the feeling that I don’t know what the night will bring.

Will I meet someone new? Will I finish my drink and head back to home base? Will I get really drunk and go on a spontaneous adventure through the city? Who knows – anything is possible (except for that last one — absolutely not).

My pub experiences in Dublin gave me both chill afternoons with a live band, and surprisingly social nights with a new group of people.