O’Briens Bar Grocery & Cafe, Athy

For nearly a century and a half, O’Briens Bar & Grocery has stood on Emily Square, watching Athy change, yet staying comfortingly the same.

It’s one of Ireland’s last remaining pub-and-grocery houses, where you can still step through a shopfront lined with shelves and find a bar glowing at the back.

From market day traders in the 1800s to today’s visitors exploring the newly redeveloped Square and Shackleton Experience & Museum next door, O’Brien’s has always been more than a pub, it’s part of the town’s heartbeat. 

Alongside the bar, O’Briens is also well known locally for its Brown Bag Lunch serving good food fast, never fast food.

Fresh soup and sandwiches are served daily, making it a popular stop for anyone looking for a simple, honest lunch done properly