Strictly speaking, this gargantuan hooch hole is actually an Irish pub – or at least the sort of approximation of one you might expect from someone who had never set foot on the Emerald Isle. But the late license, an embarrassment of outdoor space and the fact that there is no hotel to keep awake within hollering distance means that it’s also made a name for itself as prime venue to listen to live acts. Even during the sweltering summer months, the terrace area, which wraps around an enormous duck pond, packs in the crowds to sit on the rickety wooden benches and soak up the sounds of everyone from Clannad to The Stranglers and a pint of Kilkenny. Once a year, it also holds Hopfest, a celebration of the brown stuff, with live bands and more beers that you could shake a trouser leg at.