S3431 Schoolhouse Hotel

The rather large - due to the occasional match and gig traffic for the RDS and Lansdowne Road - bar of the relatively small Schoolhouse Hotel is in a space that looks every bit like a Victorian chapel, with vaulted ceilings and exposed woodwork. However, as the name suggests, this was a school and I suspect this may actually have subdivided in to classrooms originally, or was the school hall if not

The 1856 built St Stephen's School was converted to the hotel in 1997, rather sympathetically in my opinion, with its modern bedroom block effectively out of sight from the road behind it.

The bar is huge, but still has some nooks and crannies and a particularly cosy set of couches beside a fire under the mezzanine section. The photos on the hotel website show more closely packed internal seats and far less outdoor seating than I experienced, probably what its changed back to when there aren't any gigs or matches on.

Getting the last of the sunlight outside before retiring inside to near the fire - it wasn't the warmest by the time the sun went down - before heading back for a 66 from Merrion Square was a decent end to the Bank Holiday weekend

S3626 Charlotte Quay

Many of the "new" - post 1990s - pub licences in the South Docklands are used primarily as restaurants with drinks service as an aside, or not even currently done. I had a significant concern that this would be one of them, particularly as it has previously been branded as a seafood restaraunt

Taking the ground floor and basement of Dublins former tallest building, the otherwise residential Millennium Tower, this is mostly a restaurant - but has a separate bar to the side, and a significant amount of outdoor seating dedicated to this.

Addressing two sides of a corner of Grand Canal Dock with views of some of the better architectural work in Dublin across the water, this was a particularly enjoyable place to sit for a pint on a warm afternoon. A slight breeze was coming off the docks, and if sitting on the North side of the bar there was little noise other than that from the distance wakeboarders.

Its not particularly cheap and the drinks range isn't huge, but don't be put off thinking that it's a dining required place to visit.

N0131 The Beachcomber

Relatively poor recording of my sources of some info is giving me a conflict on the age of this pub - its website claims it was founded in 1963 by the current owners but I have a date of 1943 and a former name down. Killester was extensively developed in the 1940s, so I'm going to assume that the Duignan family took the pub over in 1963, but I could be wrong.

Regardless of which date it is from; there is a somewhat anachronistic but quite nice and decent condition 1920s/30s style interior to much of the bar, although the attention to detail is a bit lacking in one place. A quite substantial premises, it was busy with both food customers and those watching Sky Sports but there were still tables available.

Food here is primarily seafood, both on the bar food menu and in the dedicated restaurant upstairs. These are operated by Dorans of Howth, one of the fishmongers on the West Pier there. Despite my Grandfather having operated a fishing boat factory in Donegal; I don't generally eat fish so I hung around until Google indicated that the nearby chipper had opened to get food

Stepping in to said chipper - Lynch's - is like going back in time, with an interior decorated with Euro '88 memorabilia. With limited opening hours and somewhat feeling like it was in the owners house (I don't think it actually is, but anyway); it felt more like what you'd find in a small rural village, not very close to the city. The chips are fantastic.

N0176 The Watermill

Regular readers (there's at least two!) of the blog will know that I get somewhat annoyed when someone swipes my seat when I'm in the toilets. It's happened again. This pub was the least generally objectionable place for it to happen in, though.

A standard suburban pub in a row of shops likely dating to the 1950s, this was the pub in the film adaptation of The Snapper, which you can watch basically every weekend on Virgin 1 for the past few years. Like many of those pubs, its relatively narrow and surprisingly long once you get inside; with no real division in to a bar-and-lounge format.

Quite a lot of similar pubs to this don't do food; but there's a significant focus on food and particularly steak here; and this is probably the reason my seat was taken - it was a decent table to sit and eat at, rather than perching at the bar. I had been considering ordering food but decided to move on instead, now that I had nowhere to sit; so for the bars sake hopefully the seat-thieves did actually eat something

N0170 Raheny Inn

This is a quite traditional suburban pub that has an emphasis on live music - and at least when I visited, on live sports. As far as I can remember there were five different sporting channels on the TVs in the bar, primarily racing but also snooker and football.

These type of pubs are often quite community focused, and when doing a basic search to find any historical info that might be online, I found a reference to their substantial donation to a charity assisting with the ridiculous costs of religious ceremonies in nearby Edenmore. Otherwise basically all I found was every single working live band along the East coast mentioning that they had or will be playing there!

It seems that this pub was built during the general expansion of Raheny in the 50s and its not massively changed, except in interior decor, since. Its also mentioned in Ronan Keating's autobiography it seems - the random stuff Google turns up sometimes.

N0171 The Manhattan

Who doesn't want to go drinking with The Blues Brothers? For reasons unknown to me, The Manhattan has a Blues Brothers themed outdoor seating area - and a very substantial one at that.

Relatively recently called the Cock & Bull as a sister pub to the one in Coolock; you may think that the current name is part of the recent-ish trend of naming various things in Dublin after bits of New York. Nolita, N0088 Bleecker Street, the original idea of calling HSQ "Soho", and so on. But it isn't - its the original name of the pub from the 1840s

The pub is heavily food based, but its also very large so there is still plenty of space to sit for drinks. The drinks options are numerous as there is the full standard macro range; and then an equivalent number of craft/"fraft" taps of various kinds. Having seen one Hope IPA on the taps and ordering that, I was asked "which one?" - as they had both the standard and the session. I think there were actually four different Hope taps, as well as other Irish craft.

If you arrive at a time when there's a lot of food service going on, it'll be quieter to sit outside. Google is turning up absolutely nothing for the Blues Brothers connection, but there's plenty related to it out there to look at.

N2076 1661

Some pubs have a quick lick of paint before reopening after a short closure, and maybe take down some branded stickers or similar from the old operators - I see this quite frequently. Getting back in business as quickly as possible is often the main target for an operator.

However, while this happened here before, it didn't this time. The first rebirth of the pub happened only a few years back, and is documented by The Dublin Inquirer. Originally a run-down (albeit relatively new - the building was replaced in the late 1990s) markets early house with a colourful and somewhat problematic clientele, The Claddagh Ring became The Capel Bar in 2015/2016, but this wasn't to last and it closed last year. The original clientele didn't go away, from what I was told, which doesn't really provide a solid basis for running a pub with Dublin's cost base these days.

This time, the pub has had a total refit to an extremely high standard instead, and isn't opening early. Doors open at 5pm, with a doorman to let you in to the dark painted, red leather and brass decorated interior. The early house licence is being retained for now, but for occasional use for after parties or similar and not regular operation.

There are still beer taps here, albeit not that many - for this is a poitin bar. Available neat or in mixed drinks, there is a larger range of poitin here than I think I've ever seen even in specialist off-licences.

The cocktails are named after notable local interest items, either current or historical - meaning that you can order a Pantibar or Hacienda a few hundred metres away from the pubs in question! On the historical side, there is the Barney Kiernan, named for the former pub next door, closed in the late 1940s and quite important in Ulysses - Publin has covered this before - with another being named for the Claddagh Ring itself.

The quality of the fitout and knowledge of the staff of their products - and their provision of samples prior to purchase to someone who knows little about poitin - set this place apart from a lot of other "gentrified" bars in Dublin. It may be on a sidestreet, but it isn't too far from either Smithfield or Capel Street so there should be plenty of custom,

S0411 Stags Head

I repeatedly think I've reached the last of the "what? You haven't been there?" pubs when I get one ticked off the list. This is one of those.

Last renovated significantly in 1895, this was formerly the John Bulls Tavern & Albion Hotel; a name which sounds more like somewhere to get a fry up and a pint of Carling in Benidorm than somewhere in Dublin. However, it is name which if retained would have at least given me a two-pub Brighton-related pub crawl to do, along with The Sussex upstairs at M O'Briens.

Dame Lane is obviously busy with pub-goers these days; but it is relatively secluded from Dame Street. This is why there is a mosiac advertisement for the pub embedded in the footpath at the laneway which leads through to Dame Lame - but this hasn't always been exactly as it is now. It was removed for repairs in the early 2000s, and reinstalled upside down, facing those exiting from the laneway rather than directing those heading down it - but it's still there giving people an indication of what lies behind the buildings.

This pub is usually busy at nearly all times of day; with tourists during the day and the general Dame Lane/Dame Court crowds at evenings; and it was even busy enough on a fairly quiet afternoon when I visited. There were still seats at the bar, and I ended up in a strident debate with some of the other bar-sitters over whether Dubliners or non-Dubliners know their way around the city better. Having had my Dublin-born mother not realise you could get from Palmerstown to Ballyfermot without using the N4, and generally needing drawn directions to find her way anywhere, there was only one side I could go for!

1008060 Green Hen

There is a trend recently of higher-end Dublin restaurants obtaining pub licences to allow them to offer drinks to those who may not be eating (and minorly irritate me be adding premises that may require bookings). I had noticed this myself, with premises like 1014271 Dunne & Crescenzi adding a licence to a long-established restaurant, but it had already been called out in the Morrisseys 2017-8 review of the licenced trade in Dublin, so its probable I'd even read and forgot that before re"discovering" the trend

The Green Hen is one of these places. There are some pubs that work primarily as a restaurant, but this actually is a restaurant - you really won't get in here for just drinks normally; which does make the use of a pub licence a bit odd. However, it was absolutely dead in Dublin on the day I visited; so there was space at the bar and there were also some customers sitting outside also just drinking.

The beer selection is minimal; with cocktails, spirits - primarily a decent whiskey range - and and a very significant wine list making up the rest of the options. But realistically, you'll be going here for the food if you do - I just opportunistically jumped in when I realised they weren't busy!

S0123 Grogan's

After a few recent fake-retro pubs - including one blogged further up South William Street, or a re-visit snapped on my Instagram (actually, as I write these posts after the fact, this was about a week before the photos was taken) - its nice to actually get to write about a properly traditional one.

Grogan's has an interior that's relatively untouched for 40 years or more - the dark wood and leatherette having been maintained but not torn out during this time period.

The fake-retro pub in Dublin annoys me greatly - they never emulate what they intend to well and instead give you a limited pastiche of what is still available elsewhere. The walls of many of the fakes are covered either with random tat bought from a pub interiors wholesaler or cheap prints; but Grogan's has artworks for sale instead. There are also more drink options in Grogan's available than in some of the fakes - where authenticity is aped by not offering much more than the Diageo/Heineken/C&C core.

The beer I consumed here was Persistence Brewing's P60 - and I will admit that it is only after looking at the website that I've realised that the PXX naming system includes the ABV% of the beer and isn't (necessarily anyway) a joke on Revenue forms - having only ever seen P45 and P60 before.

Their logo includes a Dublin address, and the beer name includes Dublin - but they are not currently made in Dublin, but in Kilmallock in Limerick. The macro brewers do this too, of course - "Roundstone", "Kilkenny", etc.

One oddity of this visit was one specific sticker that had been placed in the toilets. Stickers on vending machines, hand dryers and other suitable surfaces are relatively common in certain pubs; with some blogs, and football teams - both League of Ireland and European - being the most common ones I've noticed. This one, however, encouraged animal sacrifice to a 00's TV presenter... who at least appeared to find it funny.

1005429 Barts

This is quite a new pub, taking over the premises of the former Eden on South William Street. 

Significantly larger than you might expect from the outside, and decorated in a modern but tasteful (for newer pubs in D2!) manner, food seems to be the primary purpose here during the day - to the point that I felt that I had to ask if I could just order drinks; even though there were already other customers clearly doing just that. However, they have DJs later on - and there's plenty of floor space between the tables for standing at least if it does get that busy.

There was a decent range of drinks available - particularly in comparison to the last pub - and everything is in good condition - particularly in comparison to the last pub!

S4097 Johnny Rush's

This is a faux-traditional pub in the shell of what was a boomtime, southside bar with all the accompanying fixtures and fittings.

The name was just Rush then, maybe appropriate for Dublin in the last boom. And the 'renovation' was certainly a rush job - the toilets still date from then it seems; both in style and in equipment - everything worn, little working fully. There is a comical coaxial cable join feeding one of the TVs, done in a manner that shows it was done by someone who knew how to make it work but didn't care enough to run out to Decwells and spend a few quid on some proper connectors.

Totally Dublin reviewed it, in 2015, and had much the same experience to me. My personal highlight was seeing they have the same 1990s seaside print on the wall as my parents have above their fireplace - which doesn't really set the tone for somewhere I intend to drink!

May 2019 Licence Update

Nothing too huge this month

Additions:

1015320 Churchtown Stores - new pub in Churchtown replacing a former hardware store of the same name

N0185 39/40, Arran Quay - this has been off the register for years in what is likely an admin error as its been open most of the time; this is its original number from decades ago also.

Renumbered

1015300 Union Cafe Churchtown from S0256

S0110 International Bar

This was next up on my Easter Sunday trip to visit pubs that are normally very busy. The International is a fairly small premises with a big reputation in a high traffic area; and is normally rammed; but there were tables available with the relative quiet that afternoon.

This quietness was to be repeated in every pub I visited, with the exception of S3903 Pygmalion, which was sufficiently busy to have doorstaff with counters on, and which I skipped for some winter weekday evening instead!

The International is on the oft-repeated list of "real" Victorian pubs in original condition, and meets most of the expectations for one. There is a TV, but it was on silent; and its normally off in most photos I've seen

The pub is mostly known for its comedy nights, 7 nights a week, which are actually upstairs despite one long-running night being called The Comedy Cellar; and live music either in the basement or the main bar depending on the event or style. I think the proper atmosphere would need to be sampled on a night where there is something going on both upstairs and downstairs; and with the ground floor bar busy - but its both easier to get in to pubs when they're quiet; and easier to drag myself away!

1004780 & S4458 Fleet Street Hotel

This is my second-last twofer of a premises, having a hotel licence and a standard publicans licence (with some overlap in described location) which I suspect is from the days of the basement nightclub being run completely separately.

The current bar here, Cafe 1920, is usually crammed every time I go past - at any time of day or night - and generally has a security guard in the doorway. I visited on Easter Sunday afternoon - and it was empty without any security. It isn't very large - the former bars here were larger, but the basement seems to be out of use and possibly some space has been given over to the TGI Fridays next door. That is also covered by this licence, but I've really had enough of TGI Fridays food at this stage!

The bar has been recently renovated and is quite snazzy, although probably more targeting a food audience than pure drinking. Its also likely to be entirely full of tourists on busier days.