This heavily food orientated pub in Booterstown has a deeply confusing layout - due to the slight hill its on, what seems like a restaurant upstairs from outside is actually just a quieter end of the bar/lounge layout once inside.
Food is pushed over everything else here - the off licence section to the front sells food items and is called the "Food Corner" and the single menu for both the restaurant and bar section has little in the way of bar food beyond burgers.
Food was decent enough although they were out of many deserts even early in the evening - this is a pub blog not a food critic one so I won't bore with the details.
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Tuesday, 31 October 2017
S3795 The Forty Foot
This Wetherspoons has all the atmosphere of drinking on a ferry - an airport has more life to it. The food is quite poor too.
Prefer the Three Tun Tavern in Blackrock significantly, which isn't saying much. Dun Laoghaire has a decent selection of other pubs even if there are far fewer than there used to be.
Prefer the Three Tun Tavern in Blackrock significantly, which isn't saying much. Dun Laoghaire has a decent selection of other pubs even if there are far fewer than there used to be.
Friday, 27 October 2017
1009755 Three Tun Tavern
The first JD Wetherspoon pub to open in Dublin, back in 2014 and one of the cheapest pubs in Dublin. It also probably has the least prominent Wetherspoon branding of any pub in the chain; albeit I've clearly not been to the 1000 of them!
Whatever you may think of Wetherspoons pubs probably still applies here - its fairly large, there's no background music or TV noise, there's a unique carpet and the prices are very low.
The dearest draught pint is under €4; cask ales are €2.75 - when you consider this includes Jaipur at 5.9% this is incredibly cheap.
Like the initial few Wetherspoons, this is in an existing pub premises; this one is claimed to go back to the 18th Century originally. This gives it slightly more of a Dublin pub feel than you might expect but it is still very like the rest of the chain.
I didn't look at the food prices, assuming they'd be online - but they aren't. They're not dear either, though; but the food is not fantastic by any means. However, you're unlikely to find a meal and drinks cheaper anywhere else in Blackrock and the nearest similar priced pub would be S3795 Forty Foot which is *another* Wetherspoons.
Whatever you may think of Wetherspoons pubs probably still applies here - its fairly large, there's no background music or TV noise, there's a unique carpet and the prices are very low.
The dearest draught pint is under €4; cask ales are €2.75 - when you consider this includes Jaipur at 5.9% this is incredibly cheap.
Like the initial few Wetherspoons, this is in an existing pub premises; this one is claimed to go back to the 18th Century originally. This gives it slightly more of a Dublin pub feel than you might expect but it is still very like the rest of the chain.
I didn't look at the food prices, assuming they'd be online - but they aren't. They're not dear either, though; but the food is not fantastic by any means. However, you're unlikely to find a meal and drinks cheaper anywhere else in Blackrock and the nearest similar priced pub would be S3795 Forty Foot which is *another* Wetherspoons.
Saturday, 21 October 2017
N0199 Delaneys
The "other" long standing pub on Smithfield Square (N0198 The Cobblestone gets all the attention), this is a good traditional Dublin pub in a fine looking building.
There is an inexplicable (to the first time customer anyway) "Members Bar" at the front overlooking Smithfield to which you need to be allowed access - it was empty, as you might predict; so either nobody was allowed or wanted to sample whatever delights there are within.
Its a bit less, well, rustic inside than the Cobblestone and if you're not in to trad, this is probably the better choice in the area.
There is an inexplicable (to the first time customer anyway) "Members Bar" at the front overlooking Smithfield to which you need to be allowed access - it was empty, as you might predict; so either nobody was allowed or wanted to sample whatever delights there are within.
Its a bit less, well, rustic inside than the Cobblestone and if you're not in to trad, this is probably the better choice in the area.
N0192 The Richmond
A traditional inner suburban pub near the corner of North King Street and Church Street.
This is an area which has lost a huge volume of pubs over the past 50 years - and even more recently enough with The Tap (likely to reopen) and Saints and Sinners (up for sale as a 'former public house' so unlikely to reopen) closing down; however there is likely to be an increase in housing in the area as stalled developments finally restart so we're probably at the lowest volume of pubs now.
This is an area which has lost a huge volume of pubs over the past 50 years - and even more recently enough with The Tap (likely to reopen) and Saints and Sinners (up for sale as a 'former public house' so unlikely to reopen) closing down; however there is likely to be an increase in housing in the area as stalled developments finally restart so we're probably at the lowest volume of pubs now.
Sunday, 15 October 2017
N0214 McGettigans
This is the original McGettigans that started what is now an international bar and hotel chain; although strangely it isn't listed on their website's properties list currently - neither are their branches in the North Star Hotel or the Regency Hotel however.
I believe this was closed for quite some time; and until fairly recently possessed a wonderful example of a 1960s/1970s pub exterior that you just don't see anymore.
It's now a fairly generic modern city centre pub, inoffensive and a decent enough place for a pint. Seeing as the other bars nearby are all rather different to the norm in their own ways (Token, Dice Bar, Frank Ryans) this would be a good choice for a more traditional pub.
I believe this was closed for quite some time; and until fairly recently possessed a wonderful example of a 1960s/1970s pub exterior that you just don't see anymore.
It's now a fairly generic modern city centre pub, inoffensive and a decent enough place for a pint. Seeing as the other bars nearby are all rather different to the norm in their own ways (Token, Dice Bar, Frank Ryans) this would be a good choice for a more traditional pub.
1013114 Token
This is a rare thing - an actual new pub, rather than a rebrand of an existing one.
Based in what was built to be retail units on Queen Street, this retro gaming arcade opened as a restaurant early this summer and then upgraded to a pub licence shortly after. It is still heavily food based, with little in the way of seating for drink-only purposes - however, nearly every games cabinet has a drinks holder.
Upstairs, there's a big range of original, non-emulated cabinets from the 70s to the 90s; downstairs there a range of pinball machines. Nearly everything is one token a go, with tokens 50c each in low volumes and reducing to as little 30c should you wish to buy rather too many for one evening! I'd recommend getting 10 at least.
Larger groups wanting food would be advised to book a table in advance as it was quite busy on a weekday evening.
Based in what was built to be retail units on Queen Street, this retro gaming arcade opened as a restaurant early this summer and then upgraded to a pub licence shortly after. It is still heavily food based, with little in the way of seating for drink-only purposes - however, nearly every games cabinet has a drinks holder.
Upstairs, there's a big range of original, non-emulated cabinets from the 70s to the 90s; downstairs there a range of pinball machines. Nearly everything is one token a go, with tokens 50c each in low volumes and reducing to as little 30c should you wish to buy rather too many for one evening! I'd recommend getting 10 at least.
Larger groups wanting food would be advised to book a table in advance as it was quite busy on a weekday evening.
N0215 Dice Bar
Formerly partially owned by the Fun Lovin' Criminals, this was one of the few 'alternative' bars in Dublin when it opened in its current guise back in 2001.
There has been a pub on the site for significantly longer than that, though - 1770 apparently. The building is a decent example of a older pub building, even if the front corner is a rebuild after a 2007 incident involving a Luas and a bin lorry.
The current operators were formerly involved in the Dublin Brewing Company, one of the first generation of craft breweries in Ireland which unfortunately closed down in 2003. They are still involved in brewing, which means that there are some beers only available in the Dice Bar - had I known this in advance I would have ensured to try these. A return trip must be in order at some point.
There has been a pub on the site for significantly longer than that, though - 1770 apparently. The building is a decent example of a older pub building, even if the front corner is a rebuild after a 2007 incident involving a Luas and a bin lorry.
The current operators were formerly involved in the Dublin Brewing Company, one of the first generation of craft breweries in Ireland which unfortunately closed down in 2003. They are still involved in brewing, which means that there are some beers only available in the Dice Bar - had I known this in advance I would have ensured to try these. A return trip must be in order at some point.
Friday, 13 October 2017
Dublin's Former Pub Chains
With the traditional lack of tied houses for the non-Cork based brewers in Ireland, Dublin has never really had that many cases of multiple premises owners until recently. Now, groups like Louis Fitzgerald, Mercantile, Press Up and Charlie Chawke (no single website) have sizeable holdings and even a brewery - Galway Bay - has multiple pubs. This generally started in the 1990s, with some of the current groups and also Sean Quinn's large group existing back then
Prior to this, most pub owners had one or two premises at most. However, there were two notable chains during this time which are no longer with us. A third, Madigans, exists to this day and may eventually get their own article.
J G Mooney
J G Mooney & Company was a Dublin-based spirit merchants who built up a sizeable estate of pubs, mostly larger scale. They had assets outside of Dublin and even outside of Ireland, but the Dublin premises are all we're interested in here!
Mooney pubs had formulaic names, rather like many UK chains have to this day - generally named in the format of "[Street] Mooney". A few reminders of this hang around to this day - N1098 Parnell Heritage Pub is still generally called the Parnell Mooney by locals, and some parts of the signage of the Abbey Mooney remain on the PermanentTSB on Lower Abbey Street
J G Mooney was a listed company and had diversified in to property and consumer electronics retail as well as its original core business. Shares were suspended in 1973 and after continued difficult trading, began divesting of its pubs in 1975. In 1976, the remaining premises were sold to the Madigan Group who, I believe, don't operate any of these premises anymore. J G Mooney was eventually liquidated in 1982.
Mooney premises I am aware of are:
Abbey Mooney (closed, now a PermanentTSB branch)
Baggott Mooney (closed, now a PermanentTSB branch)
Bohemian Mooney (now N0232 Bohemian House)
Bohemian Mooney (now N0232 Bohemian House)
Earl Mooney (now a branch of Anns Bakery)
Grafton Mooney (now S0094 Bruxelles)
Liffeyside Mooney (reopened in 2022 as Meaghers)
Parnell Mooney (now N1098 Parnell Heritage Pub)
Update 2022: When reading a publication by the Institute of Public Administration that was basically a set of 20 year-end roundups for 1967-1986, I found a reference to Mooneys buying the Brazen Head in 1973. I wasn't aware of this; and it turns out that it's because, well, they didn't. They never completed the sale, blaming problems with the leases of the flats included in the premises; and this was eventually settled in court in late 1974. I wonder whether this was the real reason for failure to complete the sale considering their other issues in 1973.
Belton Group
Patrick Belton, TD (easily confused with his son Paddy Belton, TD who later ran the chain) opened his first pub in 1937 on Collins Avenue - a road which, apparently, he himself named - their political persuasion should be determinable from the name alone, if not some of the others!
The corporate structure of the Belton Group was not as clear as the PLC structure of Mooneys, so its slightly harder to extract information from archives on them. Companies within the group included Europa Inns Ltd and United Bars Ltd but many pubs were held in individual companies.
The Belton Group peaked at around 20 premises in Dublin in the mid 1970s and ran down from then on as investments and diversifications faltered. They were primarily in suburban areas, unlike Mooney who focused on the city centre.
In 1972, they were involved in a failed bid for J G Mooney (above) and in 1974 they were involved in, but later withdrew from a bid for the Murphys brewery which apparently owned 140 premises at the time (almost if not entirely in Cork). By 1977, they had made a proposal for major developments of premises adjacent to the Ilac Centre which also did not proceed, and this was cited as a major reason for later financial issues.
In 1972, they were involved in a failed bid for J G Mooney (above) and in 1974 they were involved in, but later withdrew from a bid for the Murphys brewery which apparently owned 140 premises at the time (almost if not entirely in Cork). By 1977, they had made a proposal for major developments of premises adjacent to the Ilac Centre which also did not proceed, and this was cited as a major reason for later financial issues.
The Group went in to receivership in 1986 and liquidation in 1987, with final payments to creditors as late as 1993. The ownership of the pubs was extensively scattered. Most are still trading.
Paddy Belton moved to London in 1987 to attempt to re-commence in the pub trade (reported as gossip in the Sunday Press, a FF paper likely slightly happy that an FG publican had failed, but died on May 22nd, 1987.
Belton premises I am aware of:
1001214 The Traders, Walkinstown
S1476 Submarine (now Rory O'Connors), Crumlin
1002299 The Graduate, Killiney
N0041 Keatings (now Ryans), Store Street
N0051 Beltons (now Lowrys), Summerhill Parade
N0123 Rendezous (now The Beaumont House), Beaumont Road
N0142 The 19th (now Kitty Kiernans), Collins Avenue
N0041 Keatings (now Ryans), Store Street
N0051 Beltons (now Lowrys), Summerhill Parade
N0123 Rendezous (now The Beaumont House), Beaumont Road
N0173 Swiss Cottage - sold in 1948. Demolished.
N0175 Autobahn, Glasnevin Avenue
N0589 Oasis (now Cabra House), Cabra. Closed.
N0175 Autobahn, Glasnevin Avenue
N0589 Oasis (now Cabra House), Cabra. Closed.
N0824 Towers / Seven Towers, Ballymun S/C. Closed.
N0909 Black Sheep (now Liz Delaneys), Northside Shopping Centre. Closed.
S0797 Thirsty 1 (later the Farmhouse), Monkstown Farm. Demolished.
S0797 Thirsty 1 (later the Farmhouse), Monkstown Farm. Demolished.
S1527 Blades / The Blades (now Bradys), Terenure
S2096 Finches, Rowlagh
Hunters, Frederick Street - I think this became Reynards. Gone anyway.
The Leinsters (later the Deerhunter, Glenageary). Closed.
S3099 Central Hotel, Exchequer Street
The Leinsters (later the Deerhunter, Glenageary). Closed.
Seven Stars, Parnell Street - demolished for the Ilac Centre.
Beltons, North King Street - demolished
Beltons, North King Street - demolished
N0600 Ashling Hotel
This hotel stands alone on a site further down Parkgate Street from the other pubs. Extensively rebuilt in the late 2000s, it has a very swanky bar/lounge with table service for drinks. It's the dearest of the lot on the street and it was also the quietest from a noise perspective - it was actually fairly busy, mostly with people working on laptops with coffees and pastries rather than drinking.
Its not somewhere I'd see much reason to go to unless staying in the hotel or a business meeting in the area.
And so concludes the visits to the pubs of Parkgate Street. The area of the city in general still has many more pubs - even with closures in the last ten years of a fair few others - so I will return.
Its not somewhere I'd see much reason to go to unless staying in the hotel or a business meeting in the area.
And so concludes the visits to the pubs of Parkgate Street. The area of the city in general still has many more pubs - even with closures in the last ten years of a fair few others - so I will return.
N0204 Eamonn Rea's
The pub is the last in the main row of buildings on Parkgate Street and is named after Limerick All-Ireland winning hurler and 2013 Limerick Person of the Year Eammon Rea who bought it in 1989
An unusually laid out pub, with what you would assume were lounge and bar doors going in to the same room, with a large, low bar in the middle of it; this pub offers pizza and pint deals as their food offering.
It was even quieter than the others during a weekday afternoon, but as it offers live music on weekend evenings it is presumably busy during those periods.
N0206 Nancy Hands
This is another food focused pub on Parkgate Street, one which also does the music and dinner 'shows' more commonly associated with somewhere like S0366 Johnnie Foxes. As a result its a fairly touristy pub compared to the others on the street.
The pub interior is interesting and includes various salvaged items - a staircase from Trinity College is pointed out specifically on their website as one they want to draw attention to.
Was a quiet enough place for a pint on a weekday afternoon after the lunch crowd had subsided.
The pub interior is interesting and includes various salvaged items - a staircase from Trinity College is pointed out specifically on their website as one they want to draw attention to.
Was a quiet enough place for a pint on a weekday afternoon after the lunch crowd had subsided.
N0205 Ryans
Parkgate Street has a lot of pubs on it for a small enough street, particularly when you consider it only has buildings on one side. It has a lot less than it had before, though, with N0207 Liam Walsh and N0202 The Millennium both currently closed, and the Sadlers Inn turned in to an insurance office.
Its also an area I'd never gone for a pint in, despite passing it frequently on the bus. So an expedition was in order to rectify this
First up was this branch of the FXB Steakhouse chain, one of the three with pubs attached. FX Buckley started out as a chain of butchers that my mother always considered too expensive when she lived in the city centre - this pub is, however, not expensive at all for where it is.
Pints of lager for a fiver and a decent sized steak sandwich (containing three small steaks) with chips for 10.50 is pretty decent in the city centre.
Atmosphere in the pub is decent, although it maybe doesn't need quite as many signs reminding us its a Victorian pub - there are enough reminders like the striking plates for non-safety matches beside each table!
Its also an area I'd never gone for a pint in, despite passing it frequently on the bus. So an expedition was in order to rectify this
First up was this branch of the FXB Steakhouse chain, one of the three with pubs attached. FX Buckley started out as a chain of butchers that my mother always considered too expensive when she lived in the city centre - this pub is, however, not expensive at all for where it is.
Pints of lager for a fiver and a decent sized steak sandwich (containing three small steaks) with chips for 10.50 is pretty decent in the city centre.
Atmosphere in the pub is decent, although it maybe doesn't need quite as many signs reminding us its a Victorian pub - there are enough reminders like the striking plates for non-safety matches beside each table!
Monday, 9 October 2017
1013222 Hudson Rooms
This will probably be the longest time between a visit and a post on it, at nine months!
This premises first showed up on the register with a restaurant licence late last year and now makes an appearance with a conventional 7 day licence. At the time of my visit, only the restaurant licence was on the register so only it got recorded.
Specifically branded as a gastro pub, this is in a cluster of food outlets around the cinema entrance of Liffey Valley S/C and probably gets most of its trade from cinema goers. From memory, the food and drinks were fine and definitely superior to the other pub on the premises (1011234 TGI Fridays)
This premises first showed up on the register with a restaurant licence late last year and now makes an appearance with a conventional 7 day licence. At the time of my visit, only the restaurant licence was on the register so only it got recorded.
Specifically branded as a gastro pub, this is in a cluster of food outlets around the cinema entrance of Liffey Valley S/C and probably gets most of its trade from cinema goers. From memory, the food and drinks were fine and definitely superior to the other pub on the premises (1011234 TGI Fridays)
September 2017 Licence Update & Year-on-Year comparison
Two licence updates in two working days isn't the normal release rate - and this one is the big one as the final list for the licencing year.
Firstly I'm going to deal with the normal month on month comparisons:
Additions:
1012867 Temple Bar Inn, Fleet Street - new hotel
1013222 Hudson Rooms, Liffey Valley. Have already been, review upcoming.
1013229 Dollard & Co, Wellington Quay. New premises, food orientated but fully licenced.
Returns:
1004780 Fleet Street Hotel - obviously not a licence cleanup as I thought
Next to the year-on-year comparisons.
The following licences have not appeared at any stage during the past year, and as the premises is closed, I'm removing them from my master list and changing them to red pins on the map. They may re-open although some of them have planning permission in to demolish.
Premises which were explicitly removed during a given monthly updated rather than simply not appearing as renewed will have been been changed to red already; as will anywhere where the extinguishing of the licence is reported in the press.
I've excluded anywhere currently on the market for rent/sale as these are likely to reopen in the short term
1000996 Paidi Og's, Mulhuddart
1007880 Hilton Charlemont - had multiple licences so probably a cleanup
1010777 Kylemore House, Kylemore Road
S0271 Walters, Dun Laoghaire
S1429 Bridge House, Crumlin
S1590 The Enbankment, Saggart
S3900 Burn Beach Club, Stillorgan
Firstly I'm going to deal with the normal month on month comparisons:
Additions:
1012867 Temple Bar Inn, Fleet Street - new hotel
1013222 Hudson Rooms, Liffey Valley. Have already been, review upcoming.
1013229 Dollard & Co, Wellington Quay. New premises, food orientated but fully licenced.
Returns:
1004780 Fleet Street Hotel - obviously not a licence cleanup as I thought
Next to the year-on-year comparisons.
The following licences have not appeared at any stage during the past year, and as the premises is closed, I'm removing them from my master list and changing them to red pins on the map. They may re-open although some of them have planning permission in to demolish.
Premises which were explicitly removed during a given monthly updated rather than simply not appearing as renewed will have been been changed to red already; as will anywhere where the extinguishing of the licence is reported in the press.
I've excluded anywhere currently on the market for rent/sale as these are likely to reopen in the short term
1000996 Paidi Og's, Mulhuddart
1007880 Hilton Charlemont - had multiple licences so probably a cleanup
1010777 Kylemore House, Kylemore Road
S0271 Walters, Dun Laoghaire
S1429 Bridge House, Crumlin
S1590 The Enbankment, Saggart
S3900 Burn Beach Club, Stillorgan
Friday, 6 October 2017
"August" 2017 Licence Update
Revenue have silently updated the licence file at some point recently, with a date of the 31st of August on it. The update date on the actual website hasn't changed, but the files have.
There's a bigger list of changes than some months and most of them are pretty substantial.
The map has been updated
Added:
1011790 Nash's, Patrick Street. This closed many years ago and the old licence number (S4327) had been removed. It was recently sold.
1012980 Irish Whiskey Museum, new pub licence for this museum on Grafton Street
1013039 Robertas, new pub on Essex Street
1013114 Token, new pub on Queen Street
1013149 Urban Brewing, new pub in CHQ
1013164 Pearse Lyons Distillery, new visitors centre on James' Street
N0028 Cusacks, North Strand - had been missing previously. I've already been to this pub
S4458 Fleet Street Hotel - some form of cleanup of the licencing here seems to be underway (see removals)
Removed
1004780 Fleet Street Hotel
1010778 Fleet Street Hotel - duplicate licences cleaned up
S0255 Tuning Fork, Rathfarnham. Long closed and to be demolished
S1450 Barley Mow, Francis Street. Decades closed and recently for sale
S1511 Carrigans, Old Kilmainham. Long closed
Renumbered
1013026 The Dominick Inn from N0110
There's a bigger list of changes than some months and most of them are pretty substantial.
The map has been updated
Added:
1011790 Nash's, Patrick Street. This closed many years ago and the old licence number (S4327) had been removed. It was recently sold.
1012980 Irish Whiskey Museum, new pub licence for this museum on Grafton Street
1013039 Robertas, new pub on Essex Street
1013114 Token, new pub on Queen Street
1013149 Urban Brewing, new pub in CHQ
1013164 Pearse Lyons Distillery, new visitors centre on James' Street
N0028 Cusacks, North Strand - had been missing previously. I've already been to this pub
S4458 Fleet Street Hotel - some form of cleanup of the licencing here seems to be underway (see removals)
Removed
1004780 Fleet Street Hotel
1010778 Fleet Street Hotel - duplicate licences cleaned up
S0255 Tuning Fork, Rathfarnham. Long closed and to be demolished
S1450 Barley Mow, Francis Street. Decades closed and recently for sale
S1511 Carrigans, Old Kilmainham. Long closed
Renumbered
1013026 The Dominick Inn from N0110
Historical photos now added to map
I have now added links to historical photos of nearly 100 pubs - mostly closed ones but also a few premises where the building has been fully replaced on-site.
This has been done using mutliple image libraries; primarily the Dublin City Libraries one, the Duchas Collection and the RTE Stills Library. Images run from the 1950s to almost the present day depending on the library. All contain vast amounts of content, well beyond pubs and you can lose days going through them if you have any interest in history.
I've also discovered that Dublin City Libraries has a database of some other collections which I will now be working my way through.
I've also discovered that Dublin City Libraries has a database of some other collections which I will now be working my way through.