Niall Horan explained the Irish tradition of the '12 Pubs of Christmas' while on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2017.

The 12 Pubs of Christmas is a favorite all around Ireland during December that sees groups of merrymakers visit a dozen pubs in one night.

It may sound like a recipe for disaster but thankfully, boyband member turned bona fide pop star Niall Horan explained to Jimmy Fallon that the celebration is more than just about drinking and that it's actually a great way to catch up with old friends.

Horan, who told Fallon he usually only gets back home to Ireland once or twice a year, says he's looking forward to going home for the holidays. Home being Mullingar, in County Westmeath, where his parents still live.

“We always do like … all my mates from school, there’s like 15 or 16 of us, and we do this thing called The 12 Pubs of Christmas.

“So basically there’s 26 pubs in one mile in my hometown, and there’s about 14,000 people, so it’s well spread you know? You’ve got room in the pub when you go in.

"So you just go round, and there’s rules, like between [pubs] four and five you have to link arms with one of your mates and walk backward to the next pub, and you have a certain amount of time to drink.

“We should make it into a documentary. I would watch it.”

"It sounds like a Hallmark movie to me," said Fallon.

Horan also explained that the traditional Irish Christmas feast falls very much in line with the generic US version with turkey, ham, and of course, “all the different types of potatoes.”

You can check out proud Irish man Niall Horan chatting with Jimmy Fallon here:

*Originally published in 2017. Updated in Nov 2023.