Wednesday, 21 May 2025

N2506 Hilton Hotel Dublin Airport

This hotel isn't particularly close to Dublin Airport, but that's what it's called... probably an element of not wanting to call it Hilton Darndale coupled with an attempt to convince visitors that it is significantly closer to the airport than it actually is - a trend plenty of hotels in North County Dublin follow.

There is a very large bar and restaurant here, and it is open to the public - although there was a bouncer at the entrance, not a common sight in a hotel bar in the early evening. 

I suspect they'd rather prefer people come in here to eat, but there is no issue not doing that. There's a fairly good range of *bottled* Irish independent brewery beers to add to the most generic hotel tap lineup possible; and plenty of different areas to pick in the bar.

Tuesday, 20 May 2025

N0274 The Brook

Would I trust a pandemic-era set of opening hours on social media; a similar old, contradictory one on Google Maps or just assume that a seaside pub is likely to be open in the early afternoon on a weekend?

I went for the latter and got on a 33B; and as luck would have it, the timings from almost half a decade ago were wrong - and The Brook was indeed already open. Pandemic era opening hours still lurk on the internet in multiple places - Facebook believes the pub in my previous writeup still closes at 8.

A nice pub that I suspect gets very busy on warmer days, with a single large room more reminiscent of a country pub; despite being served by regular service buses and beside a very popular beach.

Monday, 19 May 2025

N0272 Keelings

Keelings is the only pub in Donabate, for now at least - Smyths having closed its doors in August 2024, with the contents auctioned off.

Luckily for drinking capacity in the town, Keelings is fairly large, but its unfortunately also not incredibly memorable. Suburban pubs don't really need to be - people go to them because they're local, and form connections with the pub via people, via events, social activities and so on; rather than because they're incredibly notable for some reason. Just existing is no guarantee of success - the place still needs to be well run - but the result is often somewhere very similar to other places I've been before. And that isn't a bad thing.

There's some Hope taps, which is always nice to see in pubs near (or near-ish, this far out) to the brewery - Hope having established themselves as the default craft choice in Northside and North Dublin pubs in the same way as Rye River have in West Dublin / North Kildare, and Wicklow Wolf on the Southside.

Sunday, 18 May 2025

1015219 Dublin Liberties Distillery

I'm pulling this writeup out of order; as the news has just broken that this distillery is closing - as in fully closing, with no clarity on whether it is ever reopening at all.

Distillation has stopped, with the visitor centre closing imminently - I've seen claimed dates of "Tuesday" - as in May 20th - or June 1st for this; but there's no info on any of their social media channels about this.

I only visited a few weeks ago, and this writeup would have been in August otherwise; but I feel it should be pushed forward in case anyone wants to go during the very limited time the visitor centre has left.

They do (or did) tours here, and also hosted events; but I turned up and asked what the options were for being served without doing a tour; if they could do this at all. Most of Dublin's distilleries have an explicit bar, and are totally willing to serve you without a tour - but there isn't quite so obvious a bar here, despite the full pub licence.

However, they could still serve me. Two tasting flights were on offer; as well as some mixed drinks. I opted for their premium tasting flight, at €35, which featured some quite old whiskey - sourced, obviously, for a new distillery - as well as their own products.

The sourced products in said flight were exceptional, chosen to exhibit their casking more than their age and doing so very well. The younger, on-site made product was of a good quality, young but better than many newer Irish whiskeys I've had by a decent margin.

The staff member that served me knew her stuff, both on the distillery and on Irish whiskey in general. Should the staff all be laid off in the coming days as looks to be the case, she would be an asset to any other distillery tour - as presumably are the others if the training and experience are similar.  

I hope that the closure here is brief; and that the staff are able to find roles elsewhere - it is a particularly bad portent for the distilling industry here when an established distillery, with a competent visitor experience; owned by a mini-major of the drinks world feels the need to close.

Saturday, 17 May 2025

1015814 Doolally

Around the time of my visit here, the yet to be renamed Press Up Entertainment - now Eclective - were in various forms of financial trouble.

My visit here may have suggested why.

This vast, vast restaurant pub was under a quarter full. Shortly after being seated, it became clear that the table beside me had been given the wrong main course, providing a significant hit to the kitchens food costs.

My own meal was then delivered, with the wrong main course...

I did get what I'd ordered, it was fine but not fantastic - a common problem with Press Up menus - and a tad dear. But the margin for my visit would have been reduced; and with a giant, mostly empty dining room to light and heat, they would need a very big margin to keep going.

I also don't think "doolally" is a good name for a pub, but there's plenty of premises I'd suggest get renamed if anyone would listen, and I'm not sure this would be even in the top ten!

Friday, 16 May 2025

1015855 Marlin Hotel

When I first cased out the bar here for drinks, it was closed - with a sign saying that drinks could be got from The Horsebox, a cafe in an actual converted horsebox in the hotel lobby. As I suspected this might be more for residents, I came back some hours later and got in to the now open, large, but basically empty bar.

During my time there I was offered the food menu and asked if I'd picked something multiple times - I didn't want to eat yet, and didn't order anything; but it gave me the feeling that outside drinkers are tolerated at best. I'd suggest that if you intend to go here, go here to eat.

Going here to eat was something I'd planned to do - it was the third and final location of the surprisingly mobile Canteen restaurant, which spent some time operating relatively close to my house (in Celbridge - the restaurant that is, not my house) and where I ate and enjoyed a number of meals. 

The move happened to coincidence with the Pandemic, closing in Celbridge in late February 2020 and only reopening in the Marlin when restaurants reopened for the first time in June that year; and for whatever reason this did not last. The hotel does not currently seem to have a high end restaurant as a replacement.

There is planning permission to extend / add an annexe to the hotel, breaking through to some of the oldest retail buildings in Dublin on Aungier Street, but I'm not sure if this is going ahead. The annexe was proposed to be called The Dolphin, keeping a maritime theme to the naming, and would restore some direly neglected buildings in the process.

Thursday, 15 May 2025

1018396 Premier Inn Temple Bar

This Premier Inn has possibly the least accurate locational name of any hotel in Dublin that isn't pretending to be at the Airport - it is on the corner of Georges and Stephen Streets and quite some distance from Temple Bar!

The hotel was built in to a series of buildings which had once been a hotel - the Red Lion, and latterly used for retail and restaurant use. The corner unit has been kept for restaurant use, but is still unoccupied some years after the hotel opening; and you instead enter the hotel through a corridor, with lifts down to a basement reception and bar.

Every time I stuck my head in here, the bar appeared closed and was behind the reception desk. So I phoned them and asked if the bar was a: ever open and b: open to the public - the answer to both being yes, it is open normal hours and anyone can go in.

It's an odd experience - you're basically drinking in a basement bar/restaurant that feels a bit like a canteen or breakfast room; which I presume it actually is. The pint was particularly poor too. 

I don't see why you'd be bothered going here, but you can, should you wish to.