County Boundaries (Updated)

An Amazon delivery today left me with a copy of The Dublin Pubspotter's Guide from 2012, which has details of "over 900" pubs in County Dublin.

I'm happy to see someone who agrees with me on the number of pubs in Dublin (the LVA insists its under 750, presumably as not everyone is a member; and other people assume every pub uses a 7 day Publican licence; and is on the Revenue list in the given month they check and claim there's about 650). I'm slightly less happy to find a sticker on the back saying the author sells copies for a tenner as I bought it second hand (so he got nothing) for more!

Anyway, this book alerted me to Mhp0136 The Fox Inn in Ballymadun as a pub in Dublin. The odd licence number is because Revenue treat it as being in Meath due to an Ashbourne address - however, it certainly isn't. It has been added to the map.

There are - at least - four other premises in this situation of not appearing, or at least not always appearing, under their Dublin addresses. Another one only became apparent to me when verifying this. They are all in the outskirts of Leixlip, which itself is in Kildare.

1011787 The Salmon Leap is staring at Kildare out its front door - as the name suggests, it is adjacent to the Liffey which consists of the county boundary here. I haven't been here yet.

N1218 The Springfield Hotel is a bit further down the road. I've been here a few times... but never partaken in more than a cup of tea in a function room, which I don't consider as counting.

N1958 Becketts Hotel is also nearby, and I have validly been here. It was also off the register for a while, but as it now has an inaccurate Kildare address I missed it returning - this has been corrected on the map

Finally, 1008359 Weston Airport often has issues relating to planning due to its boundary-straddling. While the old entrance was in Kildare, the terminal building that contains the bar and the new entrance are entirely in Dublin. I've also had some enjoyable lunches here, so this is an addition to the list I don't resent for reducing my completion stats!

These additions more than cancel out the extinguishing of the licence at the Edenmore House that I became aware of during the week and maintain us at over 1000 licences active in the past 12 months. However, as Browns Barn will be extinguished imminently, we're going to hit 1000 exactly again.

Update August 2018:

The Blue Gardenia in Brittas has now reopened after a lengthy closure. As it was closed for so long I assumed it was on a Dublin-coded licence and had been delisted; however I decided to actually check the national register, and sure enough it is there as Arp0667 with an inaccurate Wicklow postal address - and has actually been on the register solidly since 2011, the oldest one I have. Map and target list have been updated.

S0162 Crowe's

Situated in a run of three pubs (two licenced premises as Mary Macs/Peader Kearneys are the same premises), this is the only pub in Ballsbridge I'd never been in - probably as I assumed it was the same licence as the lot originally!

Full of rugby memorabilia and historical elements relating to the owners, this was quiet enough inside for a Sunday but there wasn't a seat to be had out on the footpath with people sunning themselves.

S0209 O'Connells

This is the O'Connells on South Richmond Street - one of the more common names for a pub in Dublin.

An agreeable traditional Dublin pub - not a huge amount to say about it. Large selection of Irish whiskey with nearly every bottle tagged with the price for a measure, which is useful.

S0081 Dame Tavern

You take a step back in time going in here, although not as far as it may once have been going on other reviews claims that the walls were dark brown from pre-ban nicotine stains.

A very small one-room pub with a few seats and an area for trad musicians, the interior is at least as old as the watercolour painting they have of the bar itself at some point in the 1950s or 60s - everything is basically the same.

Was only one barman on and despite being relatively busy there were no problems with service. Decent alternative to some of the larger, louder pubs nearby.

S4095 The Bank

There aren't many pubs around with a stock ticker above the bar. There's almost certainly only one that has a stock ticker that's 6 weeks out of date.

Converted from an actual bank, something extremely common in the UK but significantly less so here (N2404 Grand Central and the Bottlers Bank in Rathgar are the only others I can think of), this pub has won awards for its food a number of times. I had plans to eat elsewhere though, so a swift pint - of Guinness's Citra IPA that tastes suspiciously like they're trying to eat Yellowbelly's market - was all I stopped for.

The pub is a lot smaller inside than you'd expect from outside, and in what could just be a nod to its former use, its probably one of the smallest pubs with an ATM!

N1620 Bo-Co

A rare enough case of a pub rebranding and changing course without me noticing at all. Formerly Bodkins, this was a DIT student pub for decades. With DIT slowly moving away, and Capel Street becoming ever more interesting (on what other street can you buy an angle grinder, 'hemp' seeds and a dildo?), it was an easy change to what it has become - a sort-of craft pub with a strong food element.

The bar has a good range of spirits as well as an extensive draught lineup, including such dated stereotypes as Pabst. Food options are primarily based around wood fired pizza, with a very genuinely wood fired pizza oven visible from the bar - the piles of fuel are stored nearby.

I quite liked this pub - its not in a location I'd be in often but its definitely worth a visit on its own.

July 2017 Licence Update

The monthly licence list arrived today, and despite there still being a few months for 2017 renewals to appear we're all of 12 licences below the final 2016 figure (964 vs 978). 3 additions and no other changes help that upward trend.

This also hits a very important milestone - there are now exactly 1000 premises which have had a licence in the last 12 months (and have not been deleted due to permanent closure).

Additions:

1012522 The Maple Tree, Saggart - this is a new pub in a new housing development. 

1012782 The Hideout, Campbells Row. This is a reopening after many years shut, which I have already visited.

1012792 Java, 1xx bus gates, Dublin Airport

S0086 The Palace

For the reasons of its fame, and its whiskey collection, this is of the pubs I've most regularly been asked how/why I hadn't been there before, but there's an easy answer - its usually packed.

A Monday afternoon provided the option to get a seat and sample the offerings. Only downstairs was open - upstairs is the bit specifically marketed as a whiskey bar - but the range downstairs is still amongst the largest in the city, particularly for special editions of Irish whiskey.

I didn't have the time to make as much use of this as I'd want - a re-visit on another quiet day is in order!

N1103 Wynns Hotel

A trip back to the 80s - well, a little bit. With a bar that is only accessible through the lobby, a carvery menu and a fairly dated seating layout it feels very much like the hotel bars that I would have been in after events in my youth. Food was decent, though, and it was a relatively quiet place to read the paper with a pint. Doubt there's a huge amount of walk-in, drink-driven trade here.

N1084 Pipers Corner

Sackville Place was without a pub for a few months since the closure of the Sackville Lounge, so it is welcome to see that it now has one again.

Formerly Sean O'Casey, this pub has just reopened after a long time (and a refit). The new name reflects the theme, with Irish trad being the purpose of the pub. Beer is cheap for the city centre and it seems there's going to be live music most nights. Indeed, compared to other pubs in the city that specialise in trad, the drink prices are extremely low so I can see this becoming popular with tourists rather rapidly.

N1127 O'Neills

The last of the Lucan pubs for now, this is the most traditional Dub pub of the lot of them. Bar to the front, lounge out the back, Dublin GAA memorabilia lining the walls. Compared to the larger and more food oriented premises in Lucan, this is quite a change - it is probably the smallest premises in the town.

A "you had to be there" moment around the type of glass a gin is served in made the visit quite funny, but there's no way I can explain it in text and keep any meaning.

N1128 Courtneys

Compared to the previous entry of Lucan's newest bar, this is one of the oldest ones. A thatched pre-famine country pub that's now in the middle of a huge suburb. Like the other old pubs in Lucan, it has suffered repeatedly from flooding so the interior is a bit more faux-old than actually old but it still works.

There's multiple different bars and eating areas, and a huge smoking area here. Was quiet enough this specific evening, but with the final Lions test on early in the morning a lot of people had drunk their fill by early and had gone home.

1007884 Carrolls

A fairly new pub in Lucan Village, this is part of the Louis Fitzgerald chain and only opened in 2013.

This building used to be a butchers, but was empty even when I was in school quite some time ago - planning permission to convert to a pub was originally granted in 2005 although there were issues sorting a licence due to objections.

I'd describe this as being effectively an actually nice Wetherspoons. TVs were present but most off and the remainder on silent, background music quiet/inoffensive, and a focus on food. Small range of craft beer which is rare for a Fitzgerald pub (they usually have none). Food was quite good  -something 'spoons in Ireland can't even come vaguely close to.

Upstairs there's a second outlet of the Delhi Darbar from Celbridge should you want good Indian food instead.

S0136 Blooms Hotel

This premises is expensive, and not even justifiably so really. On a side street in Temple Bar, and probably better known for the Club M nightclub and its murals, Blooms has a slightly twee bar called the Vat House. Pints were 7.10 early on a Friday evening. I don't see any reason to go back here - it may appeal to tourists but its not even well located for that.

S0078 Sheehan's

Having left a work event in 1009296 Dean Hotel - still don't like it but wouldn't be as bad as the three word review from last year - the fun of finding somewhere to get a seat and edible food on a payday Friday evening started.

Surprisingly, there was a table available in the corner in Sheehan's on Chatham Street, and an enjoyable soup and toastie with a few IPAs was had before heading for the last train

This visit actually completes my set of more traditional bars in this entire area of the city - but there's still a few less conventional licence uses to go around - a few full pub licenced restaurants and Brown Thomas's bar for instance.

S0023 Chaplins

Situated on Hawkins Street and relatively easy to miss - for now - this fairly small Dublin pub is one that I'd barely noticed before starting this project. Now with a Luas line in situ outside and operating from December it will be seen by many more potential customers.

Quite traditional but with a few craft taps and some modern food options, and there's also a comedy club upstairs two nights a week.