Today, I am here to tell you about Hayes Bar in Glandore. There are some pubs so good, so desperately good, that you almost don’t want to write about them. You almost want to keep them secret so that they are not run down by the tourist droves and then you can go back anytime you like.

But alas, that would be neither fair to the publican nor to the public. So, we are on a new mission to out some of Ireland’s best hidden bars. Those lovely, secret places that it seems like only the few and proud have actually found.

Hidden Delight: Hayes Bar

Hayes’ Bar is not what one would call easy to find. Nor is it particularly convenient, unless you happen to be spending a very cosy if uneventful weekend in the achingly scenic village of Glandore in West Cork. There is one road in, and one road out, buffered on one side by the pristine waters of Glandore Harbour – considered one of Ireland’s most picturesque sea inlets.

Hayes’ Bar overlooks Glandore Harbour. In good weather (which, admittedly, West Cork gets more of than most of the rest of Ireland), there is plenty of picnic table seating at which to gaze out over the Gulf Stream-warmed waters and ponder life and poetry. In colder weather, the tiny interior of the pub is warmed by an open coal fire and gourmet sambos and soups.

Run by proprietress Ada Hayes, who is many days found tending bar and customers herself, they’ve kept the bar in the family. Various family members or friends from the nearby villages can also be often found either working at the bar or drinking in the bar, or some combination of both. But Hayes Bar remains utterly friendly to visitors – it’s the kind of place you’ll walk in and always get a warm welcome, no matter where you’re from.

Hayes Bar in Glandore is closed in the off-season from approximately October-late April or May.

Know of another great hidden pub we should feature? Tell us about it in the comments below!