Described by The Galway Advertiser as: “Galway’s multi award winning, newest oldest bar,” An Púcán’s back bar and smoking area were overhauled in 2014, and to great effect.

The front and older part of the pub was retained during renovations, but as you walk through, you enter into a modern open-plan room, bordered with green tinted lights. To the right is a projector where games are screened in high quality. To the left is a generous sized bar and through some double doors is An Púcán’s stunning all-purpose garden.

With the ability to squeeze in 200 people inside and a further 260 outside, An Púcán is fantastic for the big sporting occasion. The large projector along with two smaller screens inside, means you should get a view of the action no matter where you are standing.

Should you find yourself standing behind Devin Toner, fear not, just outside is An Púcán’s garden area. Unveiled in 2015, it is fully kitted-out with patio furniture, bar, and most importantly a large screen to the rear and smaller screens as you enter. There’s a relaxed and chilled-out vibe in the garden, but as kickoff nears the place will be packed-out.

Speakers inside and outside make for a cacophonous atmosphere, especially on big game days. When Connacht’s Ultan Dillane burst through two English tacklers on his Irish debut back in February, those in An Púcán shook the building to it’s foundations with an almighty roar. Hard to fathom the decibel level had Dillane crossed the whitewash.

What you get in An Púcán is a great balance of the old and new. You have this quintessential Galwegian pub retaining it’s charm and character, coupled with a modern and vibrant space in the back that lends itself perfectly for live sport.

This is a personal favourite and possibly a hidden gem, but I’ll share it anyway.

Locals as well as those who have visited Galway City for a boozy weekend should be well versed in everything The Front Door has to offer. But before the weekend warriors and late night revellers appear, the upstairs bar is one of the best places to watch a match in the city.

Entering via the Upper Cross Street entrance, (across from Busker Brownes) up the stairs and to your left is a slender walkway and bar. There are several barstools and a large flatscreen bolted onto the wall. Straight away you’ll recognise that this section of the pub does not cater to big groups and this is what makes it so good for viewing sport.

Upstairs in The Front Door stands in stark contrast with An Púcán, in that it is the perfect place to watch a game if you’re by yourself or with a friend, and particularly if you’re watching some afternoon Premier League, as it is always on and it is generally quiet at that time, allowing you to focus fully on the game.

When going to a pub to watch a game by yourself things can feel a little awkward, even daunting for some, but the staff in The Front Door always make you feel both welcome and comfortable. They are easy to chat to and service is great. The quality of the staff in a pub don’t usually affect your viewing pleasure, but when staff go above-and-beyond, it makes the experience infinitely better

If Cleon (yes that’s a name, it’s Greek, look-it up) is working you’re in luck. He’s great fun to chat with during breaks in play, at half-time, and he’ll always make sure your glass is full. To put it simply and in my finest Galwegian accent, the staff in The Front Door are pure sound.

In Salthill and need to watch the game? The Oslo has you covered.

The Oslo has one of the largest viewing areas for sport in Galway, with a Bavarian style drinking hall located at the back of the building. They claim to have the largest screen in the city and I can’t verify that it actually is the largest in the city, but it is a bloody big drop-down screen and it is great for watching sport.

When you walk in off Salthill’s main street, you enter into this surprisingly large dining area covered with quirky tables and chairs. The walls are dotted with Galway Bay Brewery merchandise and as you walk down towards the bar, you’re greeted with a myriad of bar taps. By now you should have a fairly good idea as to what The Oslo specialises in. Yup, it’s beer.

Opened in 2008, The Oslo is the flagship pub of Galway Bay Brewery owners Jason O’Connell and Niall Walsh,. They added a brewery on site in 2009, making The Oslo one of the country’s first brewpubs.

Since 2009 The Galway Bay Brewery has expanded operations to 11 bars in Galway and Dublin and now produce five core beers along with a plethora of rotational beers.

But getting back to why The Oslo is so good for watching sport.

“Big screen, lots of beers, yadda-yadda”, I hear you say.

Well, I think what makes The Oslo so good for watching sport is of course the set-up they have, but what sets them apart is that on any given night you can be sitting next to fellow beer guzzlers from around the globe.

Just up the road from The Oslo is the Galway Cultural Institute which offers foreign students the opportunity to learn English all-year round. In turn what you get is this young demographic of patrons from France, Chile, Germany to name but a few, coming to The Oslo to watch sport, and it’s great.

Wondering why Bayern Munich have dominated the Bundesliga year-in-year-out for the last few seasons? Ask that Bavarian looking chap, he’d love to brush-up on his English with a local, and at the same time tell you how great his football team are.

As mentioned above, I dont think staff members make the experience of watching sport, but they certainly improve it immensely and that goes for The Oslo too. If the ever-present manager Alan is working, he’ll give you a warm welcome and tell you everything you need to know about the beers available.

So there you have it, just some of Galway’s best bars to watch and enjoy live sport.

If you think your pub/bar offers a better experience than the ones mentioned, give me a shout and I’ll come check-it out.

You can email me at: canross@gmail.com or

Tweet me: @Migeycan