Forget Las Vegas. Don’t even think about Rio. The new party town is the capital and largest city of Ireland — Dublin. Just as it doesn’t need to be Mardi Gras to celebrate in New Orleans, it doesn’t take St. Patrick’s Day to get the pubs full and rocking in Dublin. But before you start conjuring up images of gray-haired men in tweed saddling up to the bar to drown their sorrows in a pint, guess again. Though rich in history, Dublin is quickly becoming a young city, thanks in part to its booming economy.

While agriculture was once the country’s predominant industry, things have changed dramatically in the last decade. Today, Ireland is the world’s second-largest software producer. Yes, Ireland; Yes, software. With companies like Microsoft, Intel, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Gateway setting up shop throughout the Emerald Isle, young professionals from across the EU are flocking there for jobs. In fact, 50 percent of the population of Ireland (5.5 million) today is under the age of 25 — which means the streets of Dublin come alive every evening when the city’s 1,000 pubs are flooded with partiers.

The drink of choice is beer, mostly Guinness.

The drink of choice is beer, mostly Guinness, and the trend among women is to order a Guinness with a splash of black currant juice. Mixed drinks are available, but this isn’t the place for flaunting your martini. Beer is definitely where it’s at, whether in a pint, a half-pint or a glass.

Law of the Land

First-time visitors to Dublin may be surprised by some of the pub laws, particularly the fact that last call is 11:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 12:30 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 11 p.m. on Sunday. For a city with so many pubs and such an imbibing reputation, that seems somewhat incongruous. But never fear; for those in the know, certain clubs have special “after hours” licenses where you can continue the conversations you started.

Another law that may come as a surprise is the smoking ban, which was instituted in March 2004. All enclosed workplaces in Ireland — pubs included — are now smoke-free. In order to deal with this rule, some pubs have covered and heated “beer gardens” where the smoking population can congregate.

Where to Go

The character Leopold Bloom from James Joyce’s Ulysses, pretty much summed it up: “A good puzzle,” he said, “would be to cross Dublin without passing a pub.”

That’s no hyperbole. Whether you’re looking for a small, dark, hole-in-the-wall with a chap crooning about cockles and mussels or a three-floor über-club filled with egos and attitudes, Dublin has it all. You really can’t go more than two blocks without finding some sort of watering hole. It’s fun to randomly see what you find — or check out these notables: