S3965 Cassidys

With probably the oddest clash between the pub's website and reality of any venue, Cassidys was closed for some time and reopened as a deliberate dive bar of sorts - the website relates to the former operators in what really is a different era of Dublin pubs now.

Its now dark, with grafittied walls, football crew stickers on the mirrors and a custom Trouble Brewing IPA - Vietnow - only available here and in their two sister venues (S3221 PMacs and S0235 Blackbird) on draught. Not a Sky Sports palace as in the 2000s.

N1069 Boars Head

Think I'll need to revisit this for a proper appraisal - group of about 15 rather drunk and singing Welsh lads made it hard to take notice of much else. Interior downstairs actually looks a bit like an English pub, but the GAA and other Irish sporting memorabilia all around stops that impression pretty quickly.

N2307 O'Connells

A very interesting looking pub inside. So much so that I'm not sure the pictures online (see the pub's website or tripadvisor for examples) actually show it off to full affect. Vaulted ceiling (doubt its holding anything up, but never mind) and a gantry seating area run over a half-downstairs bar with booths.

The location leads to a varied crowd but it seems a huge amount of it is tourists or people going to dive for a bus shortly - it was a train in my case! A delivery of food with extremely vinegary chips made me briefly reconsider going for that train, but I'd just eaten and was unlikely to get away with it...

N2438 The Lotts

Making claims to have the "smallest bar in Dublin" - namely the bit on the corner of Liffey Street, this is actually a pretty big pub. Ron Black's on Dawson Street probably doesn't feel the claim to be much of a challenge

This was a quick one before dinner (in The Yarn across the road - dear but decent). Pub was fairly quiet, no trouble getting seats. Friendly staff - a Scottish family who'd been in the night before were having a decent conversation with the barman about what they'd been drinking and what food to have. Not insanely dear for the city centre either.

S0113 O'Donoghues

A pub with a recent and very strange former name - "Thing Mote", a name referring to a yearly gathering to govern a town in times long past. This was a lot less crowded than the previous visit of the day and had extremely fast service - when you could find a barman, as the one upstairs was often away.

Decent pub in general. Doesn't currently count towards my stats though, as it isn't on the licence register* - when it reappears it'll be an instant win though, so was still worth visiting.

*as always, this doesn't mean it hasn't got a licence - Revenue emphasise that there are timing issues in relation to producing the file and it isn't always 100% accurate. I'd take an educated guess that about 2% of all premises don't appear in a given year's listings.

Post update March 2018: This has now appeared on the licence register on 1013043, so now counts towards statistics.

S0035 Mulligans

One of the more famous pubs in Dublin that I had never had reason to visit yet, Mulligans is steeped in history and has retained much of the decor and ambiance of a pub from well in to the last century.

Mulligans always attracts a big crowd and it was particularly full due to extra demand with rugby crowds and tourists over for Patrick's Day. Despite being famed for its Guinness - there were 4 taps alone on one bar - I decided that something lighter to drink would probably be advisable as I'd end up occupying a table that some more serious drinkers may want!

One pint of Sierra Nevada later, I made my exit. I'll return at some point when it may be less busy.

S3132 O'Reillys/Sublounge

This is one of the few pubs in the city (and indeed, the country) trading using a Railway Refreshment Rooms licence - Madigans in Connolly, the Bloody Stream in Howth and the Galway Hooker in Heuston are the others along with the tearooms at Gerry Robinson's estate in Raphoe, Co. Donegal

This pub is actually in the arches underneath the train station - a situation similar to the now long closed Vaults at Connolly. Ventilation may be a slight problem due to this - the premises smelled very musty when visited on a weekday afternoon. Lighting is done from iron chandeliers and the decor suits the rock/metal clubnights frequently held here.

Pubs in Protected Structures

The recent announcement of the closure of N1070 Jack Nealons, which is in a protected structure - also known as a listed building, made me wonder how many of Dublin's pubs are protected.
Updated: Nealons didn't close.

Unfortunately, unlike in the UK there is no way to protect the concept of the pub itself - the "Asset of Community Value" system in the UK allows for local groups to buy pubs that are under threat. Nothing prevents a pub in a protected structure being closed here.

Dublin City Council maintains a register of protected structures. As of today, there are 123 "licenced premises", 39 "hotel", 3 "theatre" and a single "pub" listed, however there are duplicates, and some of the hotels are long closed or have no public bar. These are listed below with the register entry and the premises name

2021 Update - I have added a few premises I missed, or which have had licenced premises open in them since 2017, or have been added to the RPS since 2017 - these are marked in italics

2 The Flowing Tide, Abbey Street
8 Wynns Hotel, Abbey Street
17 The Oval, Abbey Street (facade only)
98 North Star Hotel, Amiens Streets
99 Clearys, Amiens Street
102 Burkes, Amiens Street
161 Oliver St John Gogarty, Anglesea Street side
182 Kehoes, South Anne Street
256 The Quill, Arran Quay (closed)
284 Fitzgeralds, Aston Quay
287 & 4885 Kavanaghs, Manor Street
306 Lucky Duck, Aungier Street
324 Arlington Hotel, Bachelors Walk
334 Doheny & Nesbitt, Baggot Street Lower
433 Toners, Baggot Street Lower
434 The Wellington, Baggot Street Upper
461 Searsons, Baggot Street Upper
1150 Pickle, Camden Street - I suspect this is a typo and its meant to be Cassidys next door as Pickle is a restaurant. Both buildings are protected.
1158 Camden Delux Hotel, Camden Street
1160 Ryans, Camden Street
1183 Black Sheep, Capel Street
1211 Slatterys, Capel Street
1219 Nealons, Capel Street
1338 Gate Theatre, Cavendish Row
1347 The Bridge Inn, Chapelizod
1466 Nearys, Chatham Street
1468 Sheehans, Chatham Street
1517 Lord Edward, Christchurch
1542 & 7863 O'Neills, Pearse Street
1544 Bonobo, Church Street
1545 Taproom 47, Church Street
1658 Hanlons, North Circular Road
1890 The Mont Hotel, Clare Street
1993 The Bank, College Green
2009 The Westin, College Street (part of)
2012 Doyle, College Green (part of)
2045 Fallons, The Coombe
2095 The Harbour Master, IFSC
2098 Stags Head, Dame Court
2127 Olympia Theatre, Dame Street
2128 Brogans, Dame Street
2132 The Oak, Dame Street
2284 Barrys Hotel, Great Denmark Street
2323 Cumiskeys, Dominick Street
2327 Wasabi, Dorset Street
2333 The Temple, Dorset Street
2334 Eccles Townhouse, Dorset Street
2394 The Bailey, Duke Street
2395 The Duke, Duke Street
2400 Davy Byrnes, Duke Street
2481 Horse and Tram, Eden Quay (closed)
2483/2484 Clifton Court Hotel, Eden Quay
2493 Wiley Fox, Eden Quay
2640 Turks Head, Essex Gate side
2641 & 2642 Czech Inn, Essex Gate
2645 The Norseman, Essex Street
2648 & 2649 Bad Bobs, Essex Street
2652 Dolphin Hotel, Essex Street (long closed, facade only)
2719 Central Hotel, Exchequer Street
2726 The Old Stand, Exchequer Street
2921 The Palace, Fleet Street
2922 Doyles, Fleet Street
2925 Bowes, Fleet Street
2929 Foggy Dew, Fleet Street
2937 Liberty Belle, Francis Street
2961 Castle Hotel, Gardiner Row (part of)
3175 The Workshop, Georges Quay
3228 The Long Hall, Georges Street
3529 & 3530 & 3531 Russell Court Hotel, Hacourt Street
3535 & 3536 Jackson Court Hotel, Harcourt Street
3544 Harcourt Hotel, Harcourt Street
3620 McDaids, Harry Street
3622 Bruxelles, Harry Street
3968 Shieling Hotel, Howth Road (long closed)
4006 Clarkes, Irishtown
4015 & 4016 The Malt House, Irishtown

4020 Alltech Pearse Lyons Distillery
4055 JK Stoutmans, James Street (part of)
4060 TP Smiths, Jervis Street (exterior only)
4063 Peters Pub, Johnson Place
4263 The Cobblestone, North King Street
4273 Paddle and Peel, North King Street
4274 Gaiety Theatre, South King Street
4591 & 4592 Leeson Lounge, Leeson Street
4826 & 4827 Lincolns Inn, Lincoln Place
4830 The Lombard, Lombard Street side
5037 Confession Box, Marlborough Street
5098 O'Donoghues, Merrion Row
5206 Davenport Hotel, Merrion Street Lower
5215 & 5216 & 5217 & 5218 - Merrion Hotel, Merrion Street Upper
5259 & 5260 Buswells Hotel, Molesworth Street
5304 Hampton Hotel, Morehampton Road
5455 The Berkeley, Mountjoy Street
5790 Mullingar House, Chapelizod
5872 Schoolhouse Hotel, Northumberland Road
6019 Gresham Hotel, O'Connell Street
6315 Ryans, Parkgate Street
6423 Conways, Parnell Street (closed)
6424 Parnell Heritage Pub, Parnell Street
6429 Big Romance, Parnell Street
6431 Blue Lion, Parnell Street (closed)
6432 Booze2Go, Parnell Street (not trading as a pub)
6502 & 7508 O'Neills, Pearse Street
6723 McGowans, Phibsboro Road
6734 The Hut, Phibsboro Road
6735 Doyles, Phibsboro Road
6836 Mulligans, Poolbeg Street
6878 Frank Ryans, Queen Street
6884 Dice Bar, Queen Street
6928 Humphreys, Ranelagh Road
7361 Bernard Shaw, Richmond Street
7365 O'Connells, Richmond Street
7366 The Portobello, Richmond Street
7475 Clearys, Sarsfield Road

7551 Jameson Distillery, Smithfield 

7778 Shelbourne Hotel, Stephens Green
7849 Walshs, Stoneybatter
7850 The Glimmerman, Stoneybatter
7851 Mulligans, Stoneybatter
7865 Morleys, Summerhill (closed)
7867 The Castle, Summerhill (closed)
7909 O'Briens, Sussex Terrace
7992 Molloys, Talbot Street
7993 57 Talbot, Talbot Street
7995 The Quays, Temple Bar
8001 Auld Dubliner, Temple Bar
8003 The Temple Bar, Temple Bar
8152 Arthurs, Thomas Street
8155 & 8156 Bakers, Thomas Street
8173 Thomas House, Thomas Street
8177 The Clock, Thomas Street
8361 Clarence Hotel, Wellington Quay
8373 Hapenny Bridge Inn, Wellington Quay
8505 Kennedys, Westland Row
8542 Pillar Bar, Westmoreland Street
8551 Whelans, Wexford Street
8552 The Landmark, Wexford Street
8557 International Bar, Wicklow Street
8571 Grogans, South William Street
8665 The Swan, York Street

8756 Stella Cinema, Rathmines

8786 Roe & Co Distillery, James Street

Fingal County Council maintains a similar register, with far fewer entries of interest

25 The Harvest, Drogheda Street, Balbriggan
193 Gladstone Inn, Skerries
204 Nealons, Skerries
209 The Coast, Skerries
509 Smyths, Donabate

As does South Dublin County Council

009 Salmon Leap, Leixlip (Dublin side of river)
040 Becketts Hotel, Leixlip (Dublin side of river)
068 O'Neills, Lucan Village
077 Deadmans Inn, Old Lucan Road
087 Lucan County, Lucan Road
089 Lucan Spa, Lucan Road
094 Ball Alley House, Lucan
146 The Black Lion, Clondalkin
231 Yellow House, Rathfarnham
234 McEvoys, Newcastle (burnt out)
298 Eden House, Rathfarnham
321 Poitin Still, Rathcoole
326 Rathcoole Inn, Rathcoole

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown also has a list

89 Radisson Blu St Helens (part of)
574 Gilbert and Wright, Georges Street, Dun Laoghaire
697 Harbor Bar and Grill, Marine Road, Dun Laoghaire
836 O'Neills, Georges Street, Dun Laoghaire
1464 Queens, Dalkey
1506 Finnegans, Dalkey

Stats update

I've finally coded my spreadsheets a bit better so that I can get accurate counts of where I've been; and I've made a few decisions to drop implausible (residents bars) and very mobile (trains and planes) licences - so for the first time - here's an accurate set of figures:

Currently there are 993 premises which have had a licence recorded in the past year. There are a further 13 that I believe are currently trading but which have not been recorded - there are multiple reasons this can occur.

I have drunk in 192 of these to date; 43 since I began the blog. I estimate I've re-visited about 10 of the 149 that predate the blog during this time period - mainly to N0006 Brew Dock and N2168 Epicentre due to where I work.

50 of those that I have not drunk in are either currently closed, secondary licences (theatre licence for the same premises as has a hotel or pub licence) or impossible (former pubs being used as off-licences, or a demolished building). There may be some further close that I am not aware of.

N2298 Wigwam

Recently reopened and renamed, the former Twisted Pepper (and even more former Traffic) is more of a complex of premises than a single pub - currently hosting a coffee shop, a barbers and a costume shop; and previously having had other brands in it. These continued to operate during the period the bar was closed.

This is another premises I thought I would have been to - as Traffic it used to host a number of club nights with DJs I would go to see, but I never did. It hosts less music events now than before, and is run more as a bar and restaurant however some still remain.

This is also part of a small chain of bars, Bodytonic, who started as a music promoter but now have 5 bars across the city. Offering a small enough but varied range of draught beer including Bodytonic's own products, rum is promoted as the main attraction here - giving Abbey Street two different spirit themed bars!

Was quite enough for a Thursday night, with seats/tables still available but is very busy on weekends.

N2540 The Church

I didn't like this place much.

Formerly St Mary's COI church, this closed in 1986 and was a wallpaper shop and later a discount bookshop before being converted.

Not the only COI premises in the city centre to become a pub/nightclub (St George's on Hardwicke Place was the now closed Temple Theatre), this one has the proud claim of having being the wedding venue for Arthur Guinness. Indeed, I suspect that may be why it sells Guinness and Guinness alone from outside the C&C product range - everything else on draught is Bulmers, Five Lamps or a product C&C import which is very rare to see. Another possibility is that they don't actually have a stout.

I don't think I'll be returning - it felt like a bit of a throwback to 2005/6 inside and generally not what I'm looking for in a pub.

N1080 TP Smiths

This pub has "Established 2000" on the doors, but there was a pub on this site for a long time before that - and I think its the original building. If it is, its the only original building left on this section of Jervis Street, and the only one that isn't a grand imposing structure like the former hospital or St Marys Church.

This was a relatively brief visit, and for odd reasons - a regular who was sitting near me had a steak delivered that smelled so delicious that I felt I had to leave for reasons of my own wasteline! Particularly as I was due to eat somewhere else soon enough after.

This is part of another small pub chain, Smiths, who have some better known pubs in Temple Bar (Norseman and Auld Dubliner)

N1064 The Oval

This is one of the few very central pubs that aren't massive modern bars, and I was surprised myself that I'd never actually been in. Claiming to be the longest licenced premises on Abbey Street and rebuilt after the Rising, its a nice "Victorian" (1920s rebuild) pub. No problems getting seats at 5 on a Thursday, but I think it'd be a lot busier on weekends. Owned by Charlie Chawke, its definitely the cosiest of his chain that I've been to so far.

S0022 The Workshop

Somehow I never went in here when it was Kennedy's. Having been very much an auld lads pub until it was flooded and refurbished, Kennedy's had quite a reputation and was missed when it shut down. Reopened now as a gastro pub, I imagine it attracts a very different crowd now.

Jumped in for a quick one or two while waiting for a train. Pub was relatively quiet; but food service was over so this is to be expected. Interesting if limited range of beer on draught, friendly staff (who even warned of the fairly normal southside prices on more expensive pints!), nice atmosphere.

I'd actually intended to go in to O'Reillys/Sublounge under the station instead but realised the door to The Workshop was closer to the exit. Laziness prevailed!

S0291 Dark Horse

Another Blackrock pub and another Galway Bay Brewery bar - this one the most different of all I've been to yet.

Much more food focused, with an off-licence attached and a small selection of macro beers on tap (all their Dublin bars outside the canals do this, I believe). Has obvious regulars and things you expect to see in a local - the leaderboard for a last man standing was in the bar. I think it had TVs - something some other GBB bars only have during very major sporting events - Brew Docks TV was removed again after Ireland went out of Euro 2016!

Galway Bay used to have 4 bars in Galway and 4 in Dublin at one stage but now have 2 in Galway and a whopping 9 in Dublin, all somewhat different. As with the others, this premises was already a bar - the Avoca - which had closed.

Grabbing a pint here gets me somewhat closer to finishing the chain - I imagine I'll get to all GBB premises before I finish the set of Wetherspoons, Mercantile or Louis Fitzgerald pubs.

S0292 Wicked Wolf

First of two pubs on a rather brief visit to Blackrock on the way to Bray for a Finn Harps game. This has a bit of a dive bar feel, I presume entirely intentionally - there's a video poker machine, so rarely seen outside Northern Ireland for one. Small enough range of pints on offer. Seems decent enough, would return - although future visits to Blackrock will be looking at the other 7 pubs on the Main Street first!

March 2017 licence update

Fairly small update this month:

Added:

N0207 Liam Walsh - this has been closed and inactive for some time
S4406 Hilton Hotel - returned to listing

No removals, no renumbers.