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Best Irish Bars In New York City

Tir Na Nog
Tir Na Nog (credit: Gary Baumgarten/1010 WINS)

Everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day. So, as they say in County Cork, "Here's to your first cold pint and another one." May your glass always be full and may you fill it at these five distinctly Irish bars in New York City.

Farrell's Bar & Grill
215 Prospect Park W.
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 788-8779

Founded in 1933 by County Longford's Michael Farrell, Farrell's Bar & Grill has been a no frills, no food staple for the serious St. Patrick's Day drinking crowd since the good old days. The seats are sparse but the beer isn't, and on special occasions the crowd spill-over holds court on the corner of this sleepy Brooklyn block. Love craft beer? This is not your bar. Fiercely old school, Farrell's is big on freezing cold Bud served in Styrofoam cups. If you can't make your way to Brooklyn on the big day, no worries. This friendly, neighborhood institution starts celebrating St. Pat's on Sunday, March 15, when the annual Brooklyn St. Patrick's Day Parade marches right outside its door.

Related: NYC's Seven Best Irish Pubs

Tir Na Nog
5 Penn Plaza
New York, NY 10001
(212) 630-0249
www.tirnanognyc.com

With locations in Penn Station and Times Square, this hospitable, atmospheric bar is a pub crawl unto itself. Serving up unending smiles and a modernized selection of drinks, Tir Na Nog weaves a distinct New York sensibility into the typical St. Patrick's Day revelry. You'll find extensive whiskey and a locally-sourced craft beer lists, as well as a huge selection of everyone's favorite Irish beers and cocktails. Come here hungry and sop up those sophisticated suds with some of the best corned beef and cabbage being served in the city that day, plus a wide range of Celtic-influenced, American pub grub.

Failte
531 Second Ave.
New York, NY  10016
(212) 725-9440
www.failtebar.com

An Irish whiskey bar in Kip's Bay, Failte features some of the best people watching in the city, as well as an extensive selection of Irish and Scottish whiskey. A wide choice of ales, lagers and Belgian Whites will be on tap all day. Really good pub fare keeps you from going over the top and includes Irish Toasties and some of the best baked beans you'll ever eat.

An Beal Bocht Café
445 W. 238 St.
Bronx, NY  10463
(718) 884-7127
www.anbealbochtcafe.com

If you've never been up to Riverdale before, this is the time to go. A performance space as well as a bar/café, An Beal Bocht showcases local Irish talent, guaranteeing you'll enjoy authentic Irish sessions from some of the best performers around. A special St. Patrick's Day menu includes flavorful shepherd's pie and melt-in-your-mouth corned beef and cabbage.

Cuckoo's Nest
6104 Woodside Ave.
Woodside, NY  11377
(718) 426-5684

If you love that accent, this is your place. As Irish as it gets, this cozy, dark Woodside pub is run by locals from the Emerald Isle who serve up true Irish hospitality. An easy-going, local crowd is peppered with Long Island ex-pats, fresh off the LIRR. Guinness and Smithwick's flow all day, the live Irish music never stops, and the pub grub can't be beat. Don't even think of stumbling home until you've tried the curried fries.

Corey Whelan is a freelance writer in New York. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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