The dictionary definition of a snug: “a small private room or compartment in a pub” Snugs were first built in Irish pubs in the early to middle 19th Century. It was a place where the wealthy went for the privacy.

While there were no laws or stipulations saying that women couldn't drink in the bar, pubs were still very much viewed as a male-only domain and women weren't always welcome. The snug, therefore, provided a place for women to enjoy a tipple in peace without fear of judgment.

The history of the “Snug” began in Ireland in the late 19th Century. It was typically a small, very private room, with frosted glass window, set above head height, accessing the bar. You paid a higher price for your beer in the Snug, but nobody could see you. It was not only the well off visitors who used these rooms.

Somewhat resembling Catholic confessional — and even anecdotally referred to from time-to-time as confession boxes — snugs started appearing in Irish pubs in the late 1800s. A tiny, walled-off space at the end of the bar, snug rooms typically included small, privacy glass windows near the ceiling.