The Top Five Irish Pubs in London

St Patrick's Day is fast upon us but fear not if you can't get to the Emerald Isle to celebrate, there's plenty of places in London that serve a perfect Guinness.

Across London there's a huge variety of events, one of them being a huge parade and party starting in Trafalgar Square from midday until 6pm. There will be live music, Irish dancers, culture and arts.

1) The Tipperary - Blackfriars

Located in Blackfriars, Central London it's the perfect pub to start your pub crawl. This little Grade II listed pub with a history dating back over 400 years was the first pub outside of Ireland to serve Guinness and for that deserves a visit. Here you'll find a wide range of Irish whiskies and stout, they also serve hot food.

2) The Porterhouse - Covent Garden

You could spend a lot of time in this bar situated in Covent Garden, not only is it one of the best Irish pubs in London its also one of the biggest and has three floors. Owned by the largest independent Brewery in Dublin it has a huge range of beers, ales and stouts as well as whiskey. They also show major sporting events on their big screen in their basement bar as well as live music.

3) The Sun Tavern - Bethnal Green

Home of the notorious Poitin, a once illegally brewed drink aka Irish Moonshine that has a phenomenally high alcohol content. It's only been legal since 1997. Trying a drink of this will definitely start your St Paddy celebrations with a bang.

4) The Sheephaven Bay - Camden

Perfect as a little haven of calm from the rowdy streets of Camden, the Sheephaven Bay has a great selection of drinks as well as a beer garden. They offer a menu of 30 Irish Malt whiskies and cask ales.

5) The Auld Shillelagh - Stoke Newington

This is a pub you will most definitely want to visit. It was awarded by the Irish Times as the 'most authentic Irish pub in the world outside of Ireland.' Their motto is 'off the leash and on the lash.'