This hotel has been renamed at least twice over its lifespan, most recently from The Regency Airport Hotel after a gangland murder - connected only to the hotel by circumstance. Its previous guise as the Crofton Airport Hotel was as notable in its own era for its importance as a music venue (including early U2 gigs) and as the radio studio location for Alternative Radio Dublin / ARD during the "super pirate" era in the 1980s
The hotel looks more than a bit messy from the road - you have a modern single story extension containing a convenience store and the entrance to the bar; the original hotel building with what almost looks like a growth of an extension out the roof (itself festooned with external fire escapes, masts, plumbing etc); followed by a ~70s extension and then a ~90s extension. There is planning in to tidy quite a bit of the front up with a new block, though.
The most recent rebrand coincided with some renovation works, and the signage adjoining the road has been equipped with a covered fourth star, presumably expecting an upgrade from the existing 3. Part of this involved a total refit of the two separate bar facilities, which are now marketed as "McGettigans D9" and "The Croft" respectively. Its all one licence, and McGettigans is closer to the road, so this is where I went
What you get is the modern identikit Dublin bar - metalwork, leather, fancy lighting, lots of cocktails on offer. It'd be fancy by the standards of the area, and would be quite normal if dropped in to the city centre. I think the era of people travelling outside their area to another suburb to go to a "fancy" pub is over, though.
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