S0120 Whelans

Somehow, in many years going out in Dublin, I'd never actually been to Whelans. Thinking it through, I think that many of the bands I like that'd likely to play here had been playing larger venues when I was younger. Anyway, that ended last night as Therapy? played an acoustic set in the main room to a packed crowd. Great gig, great venue.

1011789 Flannerys

This vast pub on Camden Street was extremely quiet and only partially open - but it was 6pm on a Tuesday evening, so that's to be expected. Service was in the "Vintage Bar" to one side which is primarily a whiskey bar, with the beer garden also open. By contrast to some other recent visits, this pub is surprisingly cheap for its location - €5 lager deep in to the southside is rare. Friendly barman - appeared to be the only one working there at the time - and a nice enough place to pass the time before crossing the road for the reason I was here, which the next post will cover.

S0066 & S4526 Capitol Lounge

Its like 2006 never ended!

(This pub has a pub and theatre licence on the same premises)

S0039 Long Stone

This wasn't actually my intended premises to visit at this stage - I was heading for S0041 Ned's which has recently had planning permission put in for replacement by a hotel and will presumably be closing at some point. There was, however, two men having an extremely loud argument in the doorway so I decided to go somewhere else.

Not that the Long Stone was particularly much better for noise - there was a very, very loud group inside the front door. Nearly everyone else who came in to the pub either went to the smoking area or as far away down the back as possible due to these.

However, there's not much a pub can do about that, so not really something to judge a place on! Decent range of pints, had a good dinner fairly quickly provided also. Coincidentally, the Long Stone also has planning permission applied for for its demolition but that is likely to be on a much longer time scale.

1008645 Molloys

Recently "soft" reopened, this early house has undergone a huge renovation. There doesn't seem to be a surface that hasn't been sanded, painted or reupholstered in the place and the building looks great from outside. The renovation is documented extensively on the pub's Facebook page.

I work nearby and hadn't heard that it had opened yet, but Publin put up a post about the extensive basements/tunnels underneath the building discovered during the works, so I popped in.

It is however now rather expensive for this part of the city - a pint of Galway Hooker was €6 which is steep anywhere, let alone the north inner city.

This area of the city has lost lots of licenced premises in the past decade - the Sackville Lounge, Sean O'Caseys, Radio City and Floridita come to mind as all close by; so its great to see a premises reopen so soon after closing. There is also extensive work underway on the currently closed N0055 Mother Kelly's a short distance down the road - a rebrand to 74 Talbot appears to be intended based on signage.

S0199 Devitts

Currently undergoing a major refurb, only the upstairs of Devitts is open right now. Known for trad sessions and GAA connections, this was recently sold due to a retirement. Decent pub, barman knowing your round when you go up for round 2 is always a good sign.

S0197 Anseo

Small, eclectic pub with a noted comedy club upstairs. Should probably have spent a bit more time here as time pressures of Dublin's early finishing public transport on a weekend started to bear down.

S0001 Kehoes

The first pub on the southside! Well, not really but the first on the southside register under the older system anyway.

Recently the winner of a Best Pub award for 200 years of the LVA, Kehoes actually predates the foundation of that organisation. A warren of rooms and snugs, not much has changed here since the 1960s and a lot of the decor is Victorian. Like the previous premises of the day, this can be very busy at peak periods but you may find somewhere to perch. Bit dear, likely a reflection of its location and popularity more than anything else.

As part of the Louis Fitzgerald chain, it was of interest to me to see many familiar faces on the staff - quite a few who worked in my local (The Roost, not in Dublin and hence not going to appear on here) are now here.

1007394 Davy Byrnes

Easter Sunday is an interesting day to go out in the city centre - virtually every pub and food venue is open, as are most newsagents and chemists but virtually no other shops. Jervis was shut, Arnotts was shut, Stephens Green was shut as so forth. It also meant that the pubs were a lot quieter than normal, meaning that I could go to Davy Byrnes without having to dodge hordes of tourists with books , regretting buying gorgonzola sandwiches.

The pub has a history beyond Joyce, including claims that the provisional government met upstairs in the late 1910s; but was renovated extensively in the 1930s or 40s so is not the Victorian pub you might expect. 

Worth visiting if you can find a quiet time - avoiding the weeks around Bloomsday would be advisable!

April 2017 licence update

This months licence file brings us a completely new premises for the first time since I've started, but is generally a tiny update

Additions
1012553 Odeon Point Village
S0041 Neds, Townsend Street

S0368 The Blue Light

Pub #200 for me, so I decided to go for somewhere a bit different. Requiring a driver - as the bus service is Monday to Friday only - this is well up in to the Dublin Mountains and not like your average Dublin boozer at all.

There's probably the only lounge with no bar - but an ever lit turf fire. There's a window where you can get served from outside and a a semi-covered courtyard with water bowls for dogs. There's even more, but fully uncovered, outdoor seating is in the carpark across the road, giving fantastic views over Dublin on a decent day.

In many ways it feels much more like a country pub than one in Dublin, but a few minutes down the hill and you're in the Sandyford Industrial Estate. The pub was very busy, presumably due to the good weather, with very little parking available except for motorbikes.

Roughly 1/5th of the way to the finish line now, or 1/4 when long closed premises are counted.