One of Australia’s most famous Irish bars, Cock’n Bull, has taken out the Irish Echo Pub of the Year Award for 2011 for the very first time.

The Bondi Junction hotel bar topped the Irish Echo’s online poll with 605 votes, holding off the strong challenge of The Porterhouse in Surry Hills.

Inaugural winners Durty Nelly’s in Paddington and O’Shanley’s Irish Bar in Clifton also had impressive scores.

Amazingly, this is the first time the well-known Eastern Suburbs haunt has ever won the award which has been handed out since 1999.

The Cock’n Bull hosts live Irish bands, live cover bands, DJ’s, karaoke and TV nights. Famous for the Irish sessions which boast talented Irish musicians, the Cock’n Bull also serves tasty traditional Irish food.

The Irish Echo's Gary Seeley presenting Scruffy Murphy's with the title of Best Irish Pub in Australia 2010

The Irish Echo pub of the year poll will close before St Patrick’s Day so it’s essential that you get your vote in.

The list of pubs has been been culled to just 20 with The Porterhouse and the Cock’n'Bull in Sydney currently neck and neck at the top of the leaderboard.

The poll closes at noon on March 16 and the winning pub will be revealed on St Patrick’s Day, March 17.

One lucky voter for the winning pub will win four tickets to the Shenanigans Music Festival featuring The Wolfe Tones, Mundy and Celtic Fire.

Last year’s winner was Scruffy Murphy’s in Sydney.

You must be registered to vote but it’s a quick and simple process. Just click on the Login button above.

Scruffy Murphy's in Sydney has been voted as the Irish Pub of the Year for 2010 by our readers.

One of Australia’s biggest and best known Irish bars, Scruffy Murphy’s, have taken out the Irish Echo Pub of the Year Award for 2010 for the very first time.

The Sydney bar topped the Irish Echo’s online poll with 855 votes, holding off the challenge of Paddington bar and inaugural winners Durty Nellys, and Fiddlers Green on the Gold Coast.

Amazingly, this is the first time the well-known Sydney CBD haunt has ever won the award which has been handed out since 1999, and Scruffy’s duty manager Darren Price from Tipperary spoke of his delight upon learning his pub had secured the top prize.

“We’re absolutely delighted,” Darren said. “We put a lot of work into this over the last few weeks, and a lot of people really got behind us so it’s great to have won it.

“We rallied around in the last week in particular and everybody really chipped in. We could see Durty Nellies and Fiddlers Green creeping up on us towards the end there, but we’re delighted to have hung on and won it. And to win it for the first time as well makes it that extra bit special.”

One lucky Scruffy’s voter will win themselves a $1,000 bar tab, and that winner will be announced tomorrow morning in the bar.