O’Sheas Irish Bar

I was surprised by how big this bar is — from the outside I was assuming a small joint, but as you round the corner upon entering, you realise that it has massive space for the big sports games to be played and watched by many. Big projector-​style screens show the games, so this fits the bill as a sports bar as well as an Irish pub.
I didn’t get to experience much here — watched some rugby, heard lots of screaming and yelling, got a couple of well-​priced pints, and left happy. I’d come here again to check it out in more detail, but from the time I spent here it as a good experience.

A truly nice pub, serving great beer.

Great old-​fashioned Irish pub. Good atmosphere, great friendly people. Definitely worth going in for a pint if anywhere near this off-​the-​beaten track pub!

Think I spent most of my life in Oshea’s when I lived in Manchester, we still go in there every time we go back to the city «for a quick pint» that usually ends up with us staggering out gone midnight…
Don’t think there is a better pub in Manchester, great staff, great beer, great bands and erm there’s toilets too…

If there is any Irish in you, then you will love O’Sheas. This pub is one of the liveliest pubs in the city centre, and does very well out of its Irish heritage. It also consistently schedules a fantastic range of live music, from Irish folk bands, to more modern Indie style groups who perform a range of covers.
I have spent a fair amount of time in O’Sheas with the University Irish Society, who frequently stop by on their infamous pub crawls, and have loved every minute. The high ceilings and whitewashed wooden fittings are very atmospheric, and make the pub very cosy to sit in with a pint of Guinness. One of the best things about O’Sheas, is that it is an enormously social pub to sit and drink in,. Everybody talks to everybody else, regardless of age or gender, and you can often make friends here at the start of an evening.
I once ended up joining a group of drunken Irish students on a trip to a club in Chinatown after a brief meet and greet in O’Sheas — such memories. Definitely have a look in though — you never know what will happen.

I love this pub, not least because of the building in which basement it is located — Lancaster House, a warehouse turned into apartments. O’Sheas is a traditional Irish pub, a favourite spot for music lovers and footie fans. I’ve not been to Ireland yet, but the pub oozes the character, and a good beer just adds to the experience. It can get very busy on the weekend, when the small space on the corner of Whitworth St and Princess St will get crowded by excited folk dressed for a Saturday night…

O’Sheas is THE Irish pub in Manchester. Should you find yourself in there, by chance, when Celtic are playing, you could find yourself drowned in chat and singing.
On St Patrick’s day, it’s even more mental. Don’t think for one minute that you’ll stroll in and order a pint from the friendly bar staff… you’re looking at a big old queue just to get in the place and then you’ve got a ten-​deep bar.
However, on your average night, it’s a bustling boozer that’s deceptively huge. At one end (near the entrance) it’s a nice, pleasant drinking experience with wooden snugs. Down the bottom end, it looks like the kind of function room you see in films set in the mid ‘70s (which is not altogether unpleasant it has to be said).
The most important questions are still to be answered however… basically, the stout is good and yes, they sell Taytos. Also, they show the All-​Ireland match, which is always worth venturing in for.
Catch this on the wrong night and you could well find yourself wanting to cry… but mostly, O’Sheas is a fine pub.

Although this pub is labeled by some as the most popular Irish pub in Manchester, and while you can be assured of being presented with a perfectly poured pint of Guinness and a pretty good atmosphere. it is relatively pricey overall! having said that, if you are looking for a small slice of Ireland in Manchester at the weekend and for something a little different than your modern bling bars, then this place will provide you with traditional live Irish music. Most of the bands supply either covers of well know tracks from Irish bands or good old folk to jig to! There is often football on too, when the bar is propped up with locals both Manc & Irish.

Judging by the success of Irish bars in England I’m thinking of opening some English bars in Ireland. There’ll be a bald, tattooed fat guy to head-​butt you in the throat as soon as you come in, a skinny guy in ill-​fitting jeans to throw up on your shoes, the ales will never be on, and as soon as you walk in everyone will stop talking, turn and stare in your direction. It’ll be just like home!
Going back to O’Sheas though, it’s just average. Remove the novelty element of the ‘Irishness’ and you’re left with a pub with high prices and limited appeal. If you want to visit an actual Irish pub then visit Ireland, it’s not far and they’re all a damn sight nicer than this place.

How pricey are Irish themed bars?
Everybody turns up for a spit and sawdust experience, never noticing the massive dent it leaves in their wallet.
That being said, I like an Irish pub as much as anybody. Doesn’t matter where you are you know what you’ll get– no nonsense, the opportunity to buy slightly colder Guinness, drunken wisdom and a new friend who insists on calling you Lenny, and that pretty much sums up O’Sheas.
I’ve yet to experience St Patricks since moving to Manchester, but in Liverpool it was my favourite day of the year– and I’m including Christmas in that poll.
With a name like James Patrick Brennan I’m expecting good things and free Guiness in O’Sheas come March– the schedule has already been cleared.

A traditional Irish pub located on the corner of Whitworth Street, this has been around for years!
Its always very busy, if you’re daft enough to try and go on St Patricks day or when Manchester Irish Festival is on, you’re looking at a 15 minute wait to get in at least.
The atmosphere is very relaxed and fun and despite the how busy it gets, the bar isn’t too hammered. I do find it quite expensive though

This is a great fun bar and the atmosphere is always rife! Drinks are normal priced, guiness tastes good and people are friendly.
A little piece of ireland in the heart of Manchester!

Have to agree with previous reviewers in that O’Sheas is great fun and has always been a far more grounded Irish bar than the frankly twee rubbish that mushroomed in the 90s i.e. Finnegan’s Wake and O’Neills.
Great for the football and live music and as for Paddy’s day brilliant if you can get in.

Memories. This is one of th efirst pubs I went in when I first started drinking in Manchester about 20 years ago. Always a really good atmosphere and usually live bands playing, especially at the weekend. The beer is quite expensive but no-​one seems to mind! A great place to come and have the craic!

Der Pub wurde von John O’Shea gegründet.
Dieser spielt für Manchester United.
Definitiv ein schöner Pub und ich würde als Manchester
Fan alleine schon deswegen hingehen, weil es eben
O’shea’s Pub ist :)

A proper Irish pub that seems to have been there forever, it was the first pub I ever went drinking in, many moons ago (;
It’s very popular with Manchester’s large Irish community, though all are welcome there to enjoy the craic. It has a wonderful atmosphere, it’s seemingly impossible to have a bad night in there no matter what’s going on.
There’s live music on many nights, usually either an Irish band playing traditional songs or a covers band playing popular hits (though The Fields of Athenry will always get played no matter who’s on!). They also have a jukebox on at other times during the day, though last time I was there somebody must have had weird musical tastes, I heard songs by Mark Morrison, Bob Dylan, Village People, Slipknot, Spice Girls and Rammstein, in that order! Tres bizarre, but in O’Shea’s no-​one seems to mind, it’s so relaxed in there
Alcohol prices are a touch on the high side but nothing too major, and it’s well worth a visit at any time, though if you’re planning on going on St Patrick’s Day, I’d go early, VERY early

My favourite Irish boozer in townnone of your piped Irish Comedians or Riverdance classes going on near the bar here.
An after work venue for sometime in a previous job, it’s large enough and full of friendly staff and patrons to make for an enjoyable couple of pints. It’s also a good venue for gigs being large enough to fit in a decent stage without making the place cramped. The pub also sits in an absolute gem of a Victorian building and overlooks one of my favourite cross streets in the country: the Whitworth Street/​Princess Road intersection — an absolutely fine a piece of planning. Diagonally across from pub, a new development is fast erecting. This will contain a new hotel and apartments and has been designed by Urbis and Beetham Tower architect Ian Simpson. This will no doubt increase the footfall in the area, hopefully ensuring the life of this fine pub will continue for many years.
Don’t be put off by some of the more gratuitous Irish theme bars around, as this is in a different league.

Friendly, fun, well run Irish super-​boozer in the city centre, with a warm welcome. Good for footy with some excellent live music to boot most night.

Great atmosphere, even better Guinness, the live music on some nights, the Irish music is always a bonus. Great place for watching live games popular with Manchester United fans but you have to get there at least two hours before the game to get a seat.
PS. The atmosphere is a real craic as they say

O’Sheas is a real Irish pub– not one of those chain pubs and is a really good place to go to for a real knees up! The drinks are cheap and the staff are very friendly. They also on occassion have live Irish music. Highly recommended.

A Manchester institution! Been around for donkeys years, and still seems to appeal to people of all ages. Its a traditional Irish pub, but not too theme pub-​y, due to the great Irish staff, the awesome bands they have playing and the fantastic atmosphere. I’ve been known to join in an Irish jig with the old man who always seems to be there, and have often taken visitors here who always have a good night and come away raving about the place. Packed on weekends, get your table near the stage early!