In short, Gus O'Connor's Pub is a popular restaurant in a characteristic building, known for fresh seafood dishes and a casual atmosphere with a terrace by the river.

When Gus O'Connor's Pub was founded in 1832, it was a modest pub with only 20 seats. By now, the building occupies about half of the block.
In the early twentieth century, the pub was taken over by John O'Connor and his wife Susan Shannon. She was one of the first women in County Clare to hold a pub license. The couple had twelve children, including a son named Gus who took over the pub in 1956 and ran it with his wife Doll for about forty years.

Gus O'Connor had traditional musicians perform in the pub long before this was common practice. Before the fifties and sixties, it was by no means common to have music in pubs. Today, as many as nine music nights are held per week, slightly less frequently in the winter.