An Irish Girl’s Guide to St. Patrick’s Day in Denver

I’ve spent several years going out in Denver on St. Patrick’s Day, and while I am not a believer in strictly sticking to the Irish pubs (shoutout to Tracks where I keep ending up on Paddy’s Day and having the best time) I do think it’s good to be ready to go with at least one Irish pub on your radar. 

If there is any night to go have a Guinness, listen and dance to live music, and chat absolute shite with your friends in Denver, this is the one, and I’ve laid out some options for you to achieve just that below!

Please note: this is all a bit of fun and I am absolutely not a critic. My only credentials are being born and reared in Ireland, and therefore being a pub lover and on the constant search for good Paddy’s Day locations in our wonderful city! Plus, it’s another great opportunity to support local businesses (including the ones I didn’t get to!)

Clancy’s Irish Pub 

Some of the aforementioned awesome decor at Clancy’s! And proof that the G was split 🙂

Clancy’s is over in Wheat Ridge, and to them, I bestow the honorable title of “Best Wall Decor.” Every  wall is plastered in fun memorabilia, old Guinness ads and photos of various places in Ireland (my personal favorite is their Castles of Ireland poster).

I did have a giggle when after first glance at their Sunday Brunch menu, I was met with items such as the “Irish Breakfast Burrito,” which sounds like a fun and unexpected fusion dish. Clancy’s also offers a Guinness French Onion Soup.

There was ample seating, and we were able to find our own little corner downstairs right next to a dartboard, which I unfortunately can’t seem to get the hang of. There was also a largely unoccupied pool table which is a welcome sight in any pub!

Something I love about Clancy’s is that they have a weeknight dedicated to live trad music and another night for a trad session. For those unaware, a session is when people from around town come together in the pub with their instruments and play together on the fly. To any fellow musicians or lovers of craic and live music, I highly recommend popping into Clancy’s on Tuesdays and/or Wednesdays.

Side note: the Mercury Cafe does session nights hosted by Denver Celtic Night too, if you’re looking for another great small business to support!

Nallen’s Pub

Nallen’s wins the best music by a mile. Even while just waiting at the bar right after arriving, I heard the Pogues and the Dubliners; I was singing in my seat the entire time. Their walls were painted the perfect specific cozy shade of red, and you know it’s the real deal when they have a St. Bridget’s cross hanging on the wall.

Though I have yet to find a truly great pint of Guinness in Denver, I really enjoyed it at Nallens – it was creamy and not too bitter, and this was also the only spot where all pints of Guinness were served in a Guinness glass, and my subsequent pint of Harp was served in a Harp glass. This really means a lot to me. Also, how are you meant to split the G if it’s in a random pint glass!? I promise, receiving drinks in the correct glassware is imperative. Nallen’s did not disappoint here.

The Celtic on Market

I tend to see the Celtic absolutely packed in on Paddy’s Day, but also during any major sporting event on account of their massive television display taking up the entire back wall of their upstairs bar. I can’t say I’m someone who finds themselves watching a massive amount of live sports, but the Celtic has a fun atmosphere (and usually fairly reliable seating) when I do need somewhere to go yell at a TV.

Though I do wish they didn’t serve so many pints of Guinness in plastic cups (cardinal sin – remember what I said about glassware being far too important to me?) it’s a great first spot for a night out! It’s centrally located next to Larimer Square and offers lots of room upstairs and in their basement, which also has its own bar during busy days.

I have also enjoyed a fair bit of drunk food at the Celtic, including Scotch eggs and chips with curry sauce. They’ve got a good menu with lots of pub grub available and it definitely hits the spot after a few drinks.

Scruffy Murphy’s 

I could see Scruffy Murphy’s being the type of place you could segment in between some of these cozier spots if you needed just a bit more hype.

I could see Scruffy Murphy’s being the type of place you could segment in between some of these cozier spots if you needed just a bit more hype.

It feels more like somewhere you’d go stop amidst a higher energy bar crawl where the goal is to dance rather than sup on beers and ramble with your friends, with their low purple lighting and an emphasis on their dance floor rather than a ton of seating (or at least, this was the vibe on a Saturday night – I know they host other types of events throughout the week.)

I have to admit that it was not what I would typically expect of an Irish pub, and I do feel they are a little less focused on that image here anyways – there was a hurling stick on the wall and some themed decor around, but it did remind me a lot more of your typical Denver dancey-bar rather than a true pub experience.

But every spot has its place on this list, and it’s nice to have a little something for everyone on Paddy’s Day!

Ned Kelly’s 

For the further away folks, I also stopped in to Ned Kelly’s in downtown Littleton. Ned Kelly’s was much more lowkey than pretty much anywhere else on this list, but they had fun Jameson cocktails and some cool decor hanging around. 

I can’t comment much on the music because we were sitting right next to their digital jukebox and we fell down a rabbit hole of feeding it all the dollar bills we had and controlling the music for quite a while. 

Again, this could be the type of spot that gets a little more lively on St Patrick’s Day or the preceding weekend (as is the case for anywhere on this list) but if you’re far out of Denver or just don’t feel like being part of the downtown madness where several spots are located, this could definitely work for you.

I hope to continue expanding on my Denver Irish Pub knowledge (for one, I have heard great things about the Irish Rover, but didn’t make it there this time) but as of now, I hope something on this list has struck your fancy for the upcoming festivities! 

I wish you nothing but good company, great (live) music, the right atmosphere and boundless drinks to come this Paddy’s Day, and I think you can find just that in Denver, even if we are 4,000 miles away from Ireland. It always makes me happy to find a little bit of where I came from in my second home!

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