Malaga, Spain. The smallest Irish pub in the world or so the owner claims in Malaga,Spain Stock Photo - Alamy.

McSorley's Old Ale House, generally known as McSorley's, is the oldest Irish saloon in New York City. Opened in the mid-19th century at 15 East 7th Street, in today's East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, it was one of the last of the "Men Only" pubs, admitting women only after legally being forced to do so in 1970.

Irish immigrants flocked to Chicago in the 1800s, making up a fifth of the city's population by 1850. It's no surprise then that whiskey bars and pubs in Chicago are relatively commonplace—you'll find them in almost every neighborhood, serving Irish beers like Guinness and Smithwick's and dishes like fish and chips.

They are called 'Irish pubs' because that's what they are. Ireland is a completely separate country from the United Kingdom (the UK comprises England, Wales, Scotland and the six. counties of Northern Ireland, all forming one union). The remainder, the greatest part of the island, comprises the Republic of Ireland.