The history of The Tap Tavern dates back for many hundreds of years, though of course it was not called TheTap Tavern until relatively recently. The Tap lies in the wake of the 11th century St. Multos church. There is 15th century documentation which puts a single story building on the site of what is now The Tap. This building was a meeting point where people would gather either before or after attending church to discuss the affairs of the day or gossip about their neighbors or philosophize. Little has changed in 500 years.

More recently, 1933, John(Sheano) Barry took over the bar. He called the bar ‘Barrys’ and ran it with his wife Annie Barry. When Sheano died his wife Annie ran the bar successfully right up until her death in 1974 when the Bar was handed down in the family to Mary O’Neill and her husband Tim O’Neill who renamed it "The Tap Tavern". The bar is currently being managed by Mary and Tim’s son Brian.

In the hustle and bustle and opulence of Kinsale it is a pleasure to find a pub that still retains the character and beauty that gave Irish pubs their name. To often we see beautiful old pubs ripped asunder and replaced with the ubiquitous pseudo-old pubs that can now be found in every corner of the country. The Tap Tavern is not such a pub; it is a traditional Irish pub run in a traditional manner. Upon entering The Tap Tavern you are transported back to a bygone era. You will be immediately struck be the number of old pictures and memorabilia that you will find around the bar.

A medieval well was uncovered in the yard of the premises at the Tap Tavern Bar at Guardwell, Kinsale, in the summer of 1999. This amazing discovery was made by builders who were preparing the new Beer Garden. Noticing that a pattern of stones seemed to be formed underneath a slab of concrete, local builder Ted McNamara and his team investigated further to discover four steps leading into an oval-shaped well which is made of dry stone.

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