Gleesons of Booterstown, Co. Dublin is celebrating after being named National Pub of the Year at the Irish Pub Awards 2022. The Dublin pub was crowned national champion from a field of 61 regional winners at a Gala Awards Ceremony in The Mansion House, Dublin.

The Irish Pub Awards are jointly presented by Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) and The Licenced Vintners Association (LVA). With over 700 entries from all over Ireland this awards programme continues to be recognised by publicans around Ireland as a valuable way to promote their business.

Since its establishment in 1954, Gleesons of Booterstown has been an integral part of its community. The Gleeson family has developed the business to offer excellence across a number of areas, including a traditional pub; an extensive food offering from breakfast through to late evening; a gourmet food corner shop & deli and most recently the expansion of the premises to include luxury accommodation for visiting customers. The pub has ably demonstrated a consistency in quality across all it offers.

The Irish Pub Awards nine category winners are:

Best Food Pub sponsored by Musgrave MarketPlace: Collins Bar & Restaurant, Dooradoyle, Limerick City

Best Tourist Pub sponsored by Fáilte Ireland: O’Connells Howth, Dublin

Innovative Pub of the Year sponsored by BOI Payment Acceptance: Andy’s Bar & Restaurant, Monaghan Town

Best Local Pub sponsored by Diageo: Casey’s Bar & Restaurant, Clonakilty, Cork

Outstanding Customer Service sponsored by Edward Dillon:  Buffalo Boy, Carrick-on-Shannon, Leitrim

Best Music Pub sponsored by IMRO: The Porter House, Westport, Mayo

Best Outdoor Space sponsored by Bulmers:  O’Connells, Galway City

Best Digital Campaign sponsored by Heineken: The Bridge 1859, Ballsbridge, Dublin

Best Late-Night Bar sponsored by Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard: The Reg, Waterford City

Speaking at the Irish Pub Awards: Paul Moynihan, VFI President expressed his delight at the number of award entries this year and congratulated all the finalists: “This year’s awards set a new benchmark for excellence in pubs across Ireland. I’m delighted to see some truly fantastic pubs receive their awards on the back of the highest-ever number of entries. The Irish pub is rightly celebrated around the world so it’s important we have a prestigious awards ceremony that captures the unique qualities of our pubs. The level of innovation and excellence on display in our winning pubs should act as an inspiration to publicans thinking about entering next year’s Irish Pub Awards.”

LVA Chair, Alison Kealy said: “The Irish Pub Awards have clearly established themselves as the definitive awards programme within the pub industry by trebling the number of entries in this its third year to over 1,700. The programme has been acknowledged for the excellent national and local media coverage attained along with the in-depth management training that all finalists have received that is beneficial to their business. We are very pleased with the growth and success of the Awards in such a short time, and it has now become a great vehicle to highlight the vital contribution that pubs make to Irish business, community, and tourism.”

Partners to the Irish Pub of the Year Awards are Media partner, Irish Independent and Trade Media Partner, Drinks Industry Ireland

All photos: Conor McCabe Photography