This week, winners of The Bar of the Year Awards were revealed at a gala awards ceremony hosted by Anton Savage in the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin. The Bar of the Year Awards recognise and celebrate Ireland’s most exceptional bars for their extraordinary contributions to the hospitality industry.

Now in its 18th year, the Bar of the Year Awards are dedicated to raising the profile of the licensed trade and reminding consumers of the excellent service and quality that exists.

Following rigorous evaluation and deliberation by an esteemed panel of industry experts, the best in the industry were crowned winners across multiple categories, including two dedicated Hotel Bar categories.

Hotel Bar of the Year

• Gold Winner - HYDE Bar, Co. Galway
• Silver Winner - The Montenotte Hotel, Co. Cork
• Bronze Winner - Dunes Bar & Bistro at Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa, Co. Cork

5 Star Hotel Bar of the Year

• Gold Winner - Bar No 23. at The Merrion Hotel, Co. Dublin
• Silver Winner - The Courtyard Bar at Carton House, A Fairmont Managed Hotel, Co. Kildare
• Bronze Winner - The Sidecar Bar at The Westbury, Co. Dublin

Hotel bars also featured strongly in other categories with The Blue Haven in Kinsale winning Silver awards for ‘Bar Food of the Year’ and ‘Best Live Entertainment Bar’ and The Montenotte Hotel in Cork receiving Gold in the ‘Best Designed Bar / Inside Space’ category.

The ‘Gail Cotter Special Recognition Award’ was presented to Mary Kerrigan from the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road. Mary has almost 50 years of service and Dalata Hotel Group has previously stated that Mary "is a great example of everything that is great about Dalata and our industry".

The full list of winners can be found on The Bar of the Year website here.

Visit Bar of the Year Awards’s website