N0018 The Big Tree

This pub has been harder to get than it ever should have been. These days it only opens for matches or concerts in Croke Park and is generally packed out the door during them - I managed to sneak in during the Monaghan-Tyrone game when it was mostly empty.

A vast premises with a long history - although the claimed foundation date of 1543 is probably spurious by about 200 years - it is unlikely to have long left in its current format.

Planning permission had been received to build student accommodation on the site with a reduced sized bar; but more recently the entire site has been sold to the Dublin Loft Company hotel firm, with the Louis Fitzgerald Group retaining the right to operate the pub until September this year. This is presumably to ensure one last payday from the All Ireland finals. Planning has been applied for the hotel, which will retain a much smaller bar on the corner.

In the early days of Fitzgerald ownership, the Big Tree was one of the main nightlife hotspots in the city, with a noteable gimmick being the installation of phones on every table, allowing you to call other tables. This 'glamour' faded away over time and the pub ceased to operate a normal schedule in about 2010.

The interior is very run down, with the carpets probably the stickiest I've ever experienced. A huge beer garden to the rear has its own bars, portaloos and food trucks to cope with the deluge of fans arriving after the end of a match. It'll be interesting to see how the other local pubs cope with the volume should everything go to current plans.