A Perfect Level of Detail - Goad Fire Maps

I'd always hoped that I'd stumble across a map of Dublin with every pub marked on it as such, preferably with its trading name and as many possible details as you can fit on a map. 

While the OSI 25":1 Mile series maps from the turn of the last century do, occasionally, mark pubs and provide a trading name in certain areas of Dublin - particularly outer suburbia such as this long gone pub in Whitehall...

Image sourced from geohive.ie. Original map is now Public Domain

...They do not provide much coverage in the city centre, which is where the majority of pubs that no longer exist are.

However, a post by BeerFoodTravel last month on the Dublin Hop Stout Brewery featured the Goad Fire Maps of Dublin, which appeared to show extremely high detail of what individual buildings in Dublin city centre were at the time of the maps printing (1893). High quality scans of these maps exist on the British Library website; covering Dublin, Cork and Limerick; covering core industrial and retail areas of each city.

These are the first maps I have found that explicitly mark pubs and hotels accurately as such; and unlike Thoms Directories of the time - and up to the 1950s - there is no use of euphemism - "Spirit Merchant" etc - and no recording of places with inappropriate licences for on-sales either. In some areas of the city, the volume of pubs recorded at the time reaches almost unimaginable levels; and often more than I had recorded

Goad Map extract of the corner of Commons Street and North Wall Quay in 1893 via British Library. Original map is now Public Domain

1893 is nine years prior to the start of my era of interest, but pubs are relatively static items. Scanning over the many maps available has given me a list of about 60 premises to investigate; in the form of premises marked as pubs or hotels which I did not previously have any entry for. 

I've worked to verify the first fifteen so far, and have added six pins to the map - and most of the remaining ones may yet be added after some further Thoms research when the DCLA reopens; although Dublin did feature many Temperance Hotels in that era. 

One premises has turned up as being a tied house of the Mountjoy Brewery, not something I was aware that they ever had; and further information to go against the idea that Dublin did not have tied houses, something I have written on in the past.

December 2020 Licence Update

Physically huge file update to work through - over 200 licences renewed since last month, particularly in the North City area which could suggest a delay in a specific court; but very little in the way of substantive changes

New:

1016097 Mackenzies, Hanover Quay - Press Up venue that opened about a year ago! 

Unions, Pickets and High Court Judgements - Women behind the Bar

Women have a long traditional of working in, and indeed owning pubs in Ireland, going back to the on-site sales of the brews of alewives from homes across the country.

And there is plenty of scholarly writing on the role of women in brewing and retail of alcohol during this period, including a fine blog on the topic by a Trinity PhD. Specifically for Dublin, there is this piece for a historical journal covering 17th Century female brewers and alehouses.

Some of my own personal interest in pub history comes from a woman running a pub, via genealogy, with the mother of my great-grandfather's third wife ("great great grandmother", while inaccurate, is easier to write) having operated N0105 The Deers Head in the 1910s; claiming successfully for £5 11s7d damages caused to the premises during the Rising

However, it isn't even fifty years since women working behind the bar - or on the floor - of pubs became accepted in Dublin's unionised pubs. The term used during the period where this was debated was "barmaid", which is what I will use in this post - although I don't think its particularly appropriate in the modern era.

Distilled down, there were two factors in the push against barmaids - misguided concern for their health from working in an 'unsuitable environment for women'; and pure sexism, attempting to protect jobs for men only. However, possibly due to how many women actually owned pubs in Ireland, only the latter ever really crops up here.

While Irish licencing laws were separate from those in Britain even prior to Independence, the situation in British law is worth looking at, and with a particularly Irish tinge to what happened 

There was a "Joint Committee on the Employment of Barmaids" which reported to the British Government in 1905, recommending that they be banned entirely. Interestingly, a review of this report in The Economic Review in 1906 claimed that "The custom of employing women as barmaids is practically unknown in Scotland and Ireland"

Various Bills attempting to bring in such a ban, either allowing existing barmaids to continue working, or throwing the claimed 100,000 of them in employment in England and Wales at the time out of their jobs, were floated after this report up until the 1908 Licensing Bill, but were dropped. A significant element in this was the formation of the Barmaids Political Defence League by Eva Gore-Booth - the sister of Constance Marcievicz - and their temporary disruption of the political rise of Winston Churchill in the process. 

This defeat didn't stop later suggestions to bring in such a ban, on ever more spurious grounds, though, this being from 1930

So, with no prohibition on women working in the trade in Ireland, a long tradition of them doing so and female owned pubs around the country, were there many barmaids in Dublin? Apparently not

Irish Press, December 17th, 1962

With newspaper journalists of that era often being heavy drinkers, it is likely that they would be quite able to answer that question themselves!

There was a reason for this however - Dublin's then strong barmans union (the Irish National Union of Vintners', Grocers' and Allied Trades Assistants - now part of MANDATE) prohibited the employment of women in unionised pubs, and the majority of Dublins pubs were unionised. Most non-union pubs were smaller, family operated premises with the larger and busier pubs that made up most of the volume of the trade, and of employment of external staff, being signed to union agreements. While the union organised across Ireland and indeed the UK; the majority of its membership was in Dublin.

Dublin's infamous longest strike - that at Downeys pub in Dun Laoghaire - actually related to the replacement of a unionised staff member with a barmaid

The first attempts to get this ban overturned came from a less than ideal source - the publicans union (Licenced Grocers and Vintners Association) seeking to be able to employ barmaids so that they could pay them less than men, this being explicitly legal until 1974. That barmaids were frequently employed beyond the reach of INUVGATA was also raised.

Irish Press, June 18th, 1964

The INUVGATA argument against women raised in their periodical, as quoted in the Herald on October 20th, 1966, was that allowing women in on lower wages would destroy the future careers of apprentice baman, who by this stage were actually doing some form of professional training - I presume via CERT which came in to being in 1963. Obviously the idea of just paying women the same escaped them!

While INUVGATA and the LGVA may have not allowed barmaids, we already know they did exist - and indeed some were also unionised - I would imagine mainly those in hotels, based on being in the ITGWU who, as their successor union SIPTU, are still a major union for hotel staff. The union successfully fought for a pay increase for their 35 members in the trade in 1967.

Irish Independent, 15th July, 1967

This was still significantly less than men were being paid, as was the standard at the time.

The LGVA next floated the idea of hiring women in late 1969 - identical stories appear in the Herald and the Independent within a few days of each other - but this time it is a shortage of apprentices being given as the reason rather specifically saying they wanted to pay them less.

The INUVGATA first acceded to women working in unionised pubs in 1972; but not at the bar. It was an agreement over the hiring of what would now generally be called 'lounge staff', but possibly more accurately called waiters in the agreement with the LGVA 

Irish Press, 29th May 1972

This agreement came some months after the High Court had ruled that a ban on women working in pubs was unconstitutional, judgement by Mr Justice Kenny in this case being reported in March 1972; arising from an injunction against picketers and INUVGATA over pickets that had begun in 1971.

These were far from the only pickets over the hiring of women, but detailing every picket by the union would be a pointless task (which is why I only bothered listing cases of the actual customers picketing in another article)

I have not, yet, been able to find at what point INUVGATA allowed women to become members and hence work in unionised pubs - it was not well reported as far as it seems - but it may have been part of the National Wage Agreement 1974. This was done in the run-up the aforementioned 1975 legislation requiring equal pay (in theory, this is) which would have removed their main concern.

Additionally, the legislation which prohibited gender bars like this was tabled in 1975, becoming law in 1977

I wouldn't be surprised if a trip to the Labour Court archives could help here; but that currently isn't possible.

The first reference I can find to INUVGATA barmaids is in the Irish Independent of October 6th, 1977, when a union rep claimed to have ten women as members, two of whom were chargehands (supervisors)

RetroReviews: S0115 The Bankers

This pub is amongst my favourites - a small pub in the city centre where you've got a decent chance of getting a seat, and which has good food and something beyond the standard 8 taps that smaller premises sometimes have.

My first visit here was probably before an Olympia gig, due to Brogans being full, but I've been back many times since.

One notable occasion was when I was invited along to a stag party for someone I didn't know - I did know one of the other members of the group and they wanted a tour guide for the afternoon. Having rescued them from Buskers and relieved them of the orange wigs they'd bought in Carrolls; The Bankers provided a table for food as it always seems to be able to do - despite the city being very busy.

I eventually extracted them to move on to another pub when the best man appeared to be falling in love with the waitress - unrequitedly, I suspect - and they didn't really feel like leaving him there to make an idiot of himself when they could instead all make idiots of themselves collectively somewhere.

The Bankers made more use of its outdoor seating on to Dame Lane for outdoor dining (when that was allowed), and hopefully this continues when weather and regulations are suitable.

RetroReviews: S0112 O'Neills (Suffolk Street)

A vast, labyrinthine pub, much of which faintly smells of roast meat at all times of day from the famed carvery.

O'Neills sits on the corner of Suffolk Street and Church Lane, a street I'd guess most people don't know the name of (although it is signed), in a definitely Edwardian building that is often mis-identified as Victorian by its design.

There's multiple sub-areas to the pub, including a whiskey bar and a substantial open roofed beer garden on the top floor.

I don't go here all that often, but not that irregularly either. As far as I remember, this is the first place I tasted the revised recipe Brewdog Punk on draught (which is not even the current recipe, I think; but which at that time I peferred greatly to the original - my views may have changed on that); and when some of my group of friends were still in college in Trinity, this was often the closest pub with a decent smoking area and seats.

Its one of the few pubs in Dublin which generally has all three of the major stouts on tap - and with the addition of O'Haras - provided the location for an interesting taste test in 2008.

November 2020 Licence Update

Not a lot this month - file may be missing some content as some renewed licences seem to be missing so I can't do a deletions check

New:

1016704 Johns Bar, Thomas Street - Press Up venue opened in the brief period of open food pubs.

Renumbered:

1016355 Guinness Storehouse formerly S3723 - I presume the licence was redefined for the extension to the Gravity Bar

RetroReviews: S0107 Lundy Foots / Czech Inn

My motivation to keep writing these retrospective writeups has been repeatedly hit by further levels of restrictions - but there's going to be no pub specific content until December (if even) and I don't have much of a pipeline of unspecific, historical posts either so here we go again. Lets see if I can keep writing them for more than a few days this time...

This pub is in a modern building, but has a low licence number in the old geographic based sequence - because, as far as I can tell, it is the licence of the former Red Hackle on Parliament Street, the site of which was part of the overall development here.

This premises first opened as Isoldes Tower, for the remains of this part of the city walls was found during the excavations for the redevelopment of the site in the early 1990s, when there were grand and optimistic plans to make the overall Temple Bar area a critical cultural quarter - which rather fell apart; but having a niche bar in an apartment development very much matched the plans of the time. 

That incarnation had a reputation as an after work pints place; and also for being somewhere between a gay-friendly pub to being a 'soft' gay bar, like its near-ish neighbour at that time, S3178 The Front Lounge, which later tilted to branding itself as a gay bar.

However, its more recent and still somewhat extant incarnation as a Czech bar - not really a Czech themed bar, more a bar for the Czech diaspora in Dublin - is probably better known. The Czech Inn element of the pub - which was the main 'drinking' bar anyway - still exists upstairs, but the downstairs section has now been converted to what seems to be a faux-old bar in the style of a Press Up venue, albeit its actually not run by them.

The current name comes from a tobacconist who traded on Essex Street & Parliament Street in the 18th/19th century and follows a trend of naming a premises after a former business on-site or nearby, e.g. 1007830 JT Pims or S0005 JT Sweetmans

I've not actually been in since the premises was solely the Czech Inn, and its not like that can be corrected any time soon!

RetroReviews: S0106 The Porterhouse (Parliament Street)

The first of the Porterhouse pubs, and probably the first "craft beer bar" in Dublin, this premises opened in 1996 and originally hosted an on-site brewery - various bits of polished brass pipework between the floors has lead to tourists I've brought here assuming they are actually drinking inside a brewery to this day!

An escape, of sorts, from the normal standard of pub in Temple Bar, with the drinks offered not generally being to the taste of a Welsh stag party; it can still be quite hard to get a seat here even off-peak in normal times. 

Once again, I've been here too many times for a writeup to resemble a single visit. 

RetroReviews: S0094 Bruxelles

Amongst the times I've been here, I landed in late on the night of Ireland's second grand slam win in 2009 - via the last bus in and a taxi from the bus depot, as they only ran to there that late back then. I'm not quite sure how I got past the door staff either, come to think of it.

Bruxelles is quite a lot older than many people used to its image as an indie/rock bar would imagine - both in its current incarnation, which dates from the 1970s, and in general - having opened in the 1880s. Prior to its current setup, it was The Grafton Mooney, a branch of the JG Mooney chain, and before that again it was the Zodiac Lounge - which explains some of the odder astrological decor which remains in places.

I've been here a fair few times, which always causes a shorter review than a single visit

Picketed Pubs - by Punters

Most peoples ideas of what a picket on a pub would entail is going to be a labour dispute - and indeed they have been plenty of these over the years. Come Here To Me! has already documented the 14 year picket of Downeys in Dun Laoghaire, and I've mentioned a few city-wide strikes in my run-down of previous city wide pub closures. But there's much more than a single post to write on labour relations in Dublin pubs; considering there's an entire book written on trade unions in Guinness already. The entire history (and realistically, decline) of the union movement in Dublin pubs is probably deserving of similar.

You are less likely to think that it may be the drinkers of the pub picketing; but this has happened in Dublin.

A lot, in fact; and for a rather baffling array of reasons. It seems to have been a thing primarily during the 1970s, and hasn't generally happened any time recently. The 1970s was a time of great industrial unrest, with many people well used to strikes and their associated pickets occurring at various times in nearly every employer in the country, so possibly consumers were just doing what seemed natural.

This is another heavily newspaper archive driven piece of research, and newspaper reports on pickets are generally due to pub owners seeking - and often receiving - injuctions to move on picketers. It is entirely possible there were plenty more cases of this happening that did not escalate to court. 

Generally, pickets were at a single pub but there are cases of all the pubs in an area being picketed, and one case of an ersatz "union" of punters - the Public House Customers Union -  called for a citywide picket over drink pricing in July 1970. 

It is unclear if they were behind organisation of a patchy but citywide picket on this issue in December 1971. This picket was not particularly successful, possibly because with so many pubs involved there wasn't an easy option for other customers to just swap to a non-picketed pub. However, isolated pickets could be very successful, with as high as 95% drop in trade claimed by the operators of the Cardiff Inn during a 1974 picket. 

Price increases appear to have been the most common cause of a customer picket, with another frequent one being to protest a ban on singing - the Cardiff Inn picket mentioned above being for this purpose. There are some other oddities in the list below, though - who ever knew bagatelle was that popular in Dublin? (except for everyone who has read Publin's post on the last pub with a bagatelle table, that is)

List of strikes documented in newspapers:

* January 1971 - N0741 Edenmore House - then The Satellite. Claims that 200 people had been barred unjustly.

* December 1971 - citywide with hotspots in Stoneybatter, The Coombe and Ringsend. Protest at a price increase

* February 1972 - "Andy and Eugenes", Cork Street. I have not been able to trace what pub this was later called. Claims that new owners were not serving "old people" - it doesn't specify do they mean elderly customers, or prior customers.

* March 1973 - The Penthouse, Ballymun. Dispute over barring of customers

* September 1975 - N1638 The Cardiff Inn, Finglas. Protest over ban on singing.

* September 1974 - The Royal Oak, Finglas. No details provided as to reason

* July 1975 - N0237 The Homestead, Cabra. Protest over ban on loud singing. One report gives the address of N0231 Matts of Cabra for this so it may have been  a multi-pub dispute.

* March 1976 - S1428 Marble Arch, then The White Horse, Drimnagh. Dispute over price increase

* September 1976 - N0624 Abbey Tavern, then The Cappagh House, Finglas. Bagatelle club picket after member is not given a replacement for a "bad pint".

* October 1976 - S1441 The Lamplighter, then The Weavers, The Coombe. Dispute over barring.

* October 1978 - all pubs in Leixlip including 1011787 The Salmon Leap which is in Dublin. Protest over barring of customers.

* January 1980 - The Towers, Ballymun. Price increase dispute

October 2020 Licence Update & Year-on-Year

The licence file updated to the 30th of September has been released, which is the one that should always be the most complete for a year - however, as Revenue themselves warn, a premises not being listed does not mean it isn't licenced.

The only change of interest is:

Removals

S3982 O'Donoghues, Blackrock - this has been closed for as long as I've done the blog and has re-appeared a few times

There's only been one new pub opened in Dublin since March (Johns on Thomas Street); and its not on the register yet. There's very little else going on so this small an update is to be expected.

However, I can still do a year-on-year to September 2019 to look for any pubs which appear not to have been renewed, so I can change them to red on the map. This is often a waste of time as places reopen, but it does keep it a little tidier. If somewhere is definitely still trading (or was in March 2020), I won't list it as there are a few more than normal of those missing this year.

Removed Year-on-Year

• 1000966 Paidi Og's, Mulhuddart. This is proposed for redevelopment so it'll be back, possibly with a new number 
• 1006793 3 Spirits, Capel Street. Gone for good, converted to offices
• 1011474 White Hart Inn, Balbriggan - converted to housing
• 1013188 Etihad Lounge, Dublin Airport - Facility closed and converted to the East Lounge with its own licence (1015966)
• 1014008 Black and Amber, South Circular Road - demolished. I have a suspicion the licence transfered to Brewdog, but I can't prove this. Same building landlord.
• Dg0496 Black Raven, Skerries - converted to housing
• N0018 The Big Tree, Dorset Street - will reappear as a hotel licence in time
• N0096 Hill Street Sports Bar - converted to housing
• N0173 Swiss Cottage, Santry - demolished for apartments. Restaurant in development may use licence
• N0300 The Lord Mayors, Swords - closed and planning applied to demolish for apartments
• N0320 Island View Hotel, Malahide - closed, proposed to demolish for apartments
• N1024 Artane House, Artane - long closed, reappears every so often, may finally have been sold as hotel plans for the site have ended
• N1119 Long Mile Inn - closed for a long time but no plans, likely to reappear
• S0039 The Long Stone, Townsend Street - demolished for redevelopment. May reappear on new premises
• S0194 The Hill, Mountpleasant - closed but will likely reappear
• S1470 Agnes Brownes, Thomas Street - closed but will likely reappear
• S1513 The Brewery, Newport Street - closed for redevelopment as a hotel, licence will likely reappear for same
• S4466 Odessa, Dame Court - closed a while back for redevelopment as a hotel but I don't think this ever happened.

As you can see, I've been to a few of these - those hyperlinked plus Odessa before the blog - so this has dented my completion stats a bit. The current floating figure is 587/1020 licences visited

Is counting licences a suitable way to measure the number of pubs in Dublin during current restrictions? Not at all. But hopefully it will be again, and I've nothing else to go on.

RetroReviews: S0092 The George

The oldest (since 2015) and longest serving (since ~2017) of Ireland's gay bars; The George has expanded from the original pub building in to a significant space across two floors - and part of the loading deck - of the adjacent 1970s office/retail building - one of the ugliest in Dublin and which replaced a vastly more interesting one - to provide two further bars, a dancefloor and a smoking area.

Yet another review suffers from a lack of things to write about due to having been there too often to pick out specific items like I can on a single posting. Lets try to dredge out some filler...

This was the first pub in Dublin I ever saw an ATM in; although I'm sure it wasn't the first - and my local in Maynooth already had one by then anyway. 

It may be the only Dublin pub to receive a serious non-gangland, non-paramilitary related bomb threat; although any such threats have to be taken seriously after the Admiral Duncan bombing.

Such, erm, "stars" as Coolio have performed there over the years; but this has to be taken in the context of the context of some of the acts that Diageo brought over to play random pubs in the Arthurs Day years, plus other events like Green Day playing the White Horse, making it rather a non-event in the world of musical acts and Dublin pubs.

I'm far, far too old to be heading out on the scene like a teenager these days; but as one of the only consistent late night every night venues in the city, I've made my way here after a few weeknight gigs over recent years

RetroReviews: S0090 Hogans

I have had one, necked, pint here due to receiving an SMS (remember those?) just after paying to tell me that the original instructions for someones going  away party were wrong, and they had tables in 1010890 Market Bar instead. 

It all counts, though.

RetroReviews: S0048 Kennedys

I used to go here quite a bit and, well, I'm not really sure why I haven't recently. I had a few pints here one of the early years the Pride parade went to Merrion Square, probably not the year they had the bar on the Square though, and that's possibly the last time.

S0015 The Gingerman has basically replaced this as my general go-to pub in this area.

RetroReviews: S0085 Bad Bobs

This is another haven't-been-here-in-years place, so long ago in fact that it was still called the Purty Kitchen; but not long enough ago for it to have been called Bad Bobs the first time around.

Most nights here were rather on the late side, and despite the hideous bar queues, rather on the boozy side. So I really don't remember that much...

RetroReviews: S0033 Padraig Pearse

This seemed as rough as a badgers arse the one time I went in; which is approaching ten years ago now; however going on some surprisingly positive reviews on Google, Tripadvisor and the like, I may be judging it rather harshly; as it sounds like plenty of other city locals bars. I think it was after a particularly dire Trappatoni era game in Lansdowne so anywhere could have seemed bad!

RetroReviews: S0031 O'Neills

This pub on Pearse Street makes specific claims as to its Victorian heritage on all their branding, yet it is not on "the list" that most people go to - from Kevin C. Kearns infamous pub book. 

As far as I can tell, the pub dates to the 1860s with the current building from the mid 1880s, well in the Victorian era; and the interior is accurate enough, so I'm not sure if this was an accidental or deliberate exclusion by Kearns. It isn't on his almost list either.

Freemans Journal sales ad, January 31st 1885

This is a little out of the city centre that its off the main tourist trails - unless Book of Kells visitors come out the side exit from Trinity I'd guess - but there's plenty of offices around the area which provide a base customer load normally.

Being a bit outside the city, I've been here more often before or after matches and gigs in the RDS or Aviva than for any other reason, albeit it has also been a useful place for organising meetups due to being closed to Pearse Station.

The operators here also own the pub directly across the road, S0032 Trinity Inn. However, this is never open to the public - you need to pre-book a party that is suitably large (50+) to justify opening it up.

RetroReviews: S0018 Bowes

An imperiled Victorian boozer with a strong journalistic history - the Irish Times was located across the road for many years, and staff would often end up here; particularly after the 70s closure of The Pearl a few doors down

Two applications to extend the pub in to adjacent buildings have been refused in recent years, but it may be worth dropping by to see its Victorian splendour now, just in case a further application is approved.

RetroReviews: S0015 The Ginger Man

I quite like this pub - but I'm not gone on its name!

The Ginger Man, as the eponymous main character of the novel by JP Donleavy is an irredeemable violent alcoholic; which doesn't really make for a good name for a pub in my eyes. 

Located on the busier end of Fenian Street, this has often been the boundary pub when coming from the Aviva - the first that isn't ridiculously busy. I've spent the evening after an FAI Cup Final here, or grabbed a final pint after a concert.

The pub has a range of own-branded beers, but the supplying brewery is mentioned on the menus - this is far from the norm unfortunately. They're all Irish craft suppliers, too.

RetroReviews: S0009 Doyles

This vast premises used to be two distinct pubs - and could end up swallowing a third in time - so has quite a few distinct spaces within it, and some differences in crowds as a result. Trinity students make up much of the audience in all parts of the pub, though.

In ordinary times, I've never seen Doyles even vaguely quiet - so I've usually gone on somewhere else - but I've still been in quite a few times both pre- and post-July 2016 when I started writing up new visits.

Probably the most memorable visit was when I had to convince an English stag party - I had worked with one of them so got asked to tag along - that they were not going to get in to S3794 Lapello with leprechaun wigs - or, in one case, tracksuit bottoms - on. 

The tracksuit wearer then returned from the adjacent hostel they were staying in wearing a full suit plus waistcoat. He was designated to go to the door of Lapello first while I headed off home!

RetroReviews: S0005 JW Sweetmans

Previously Messrs Maguire, this is - I think - the oldest Brewpub in Dublin - not that there are a huge amount of others (Rascals restaurant, S3452 The Camden, 1010753 The Open Gate and 1013149 Urban Brewing being other places you can drink in view of a brewkit), having operated nearly constantly for 20 years.

I'm trying to remember the last time I was in here; and it was definitely a few years ago. I will need to correct that soon as I've rarely had a bad visit.

English Pub Names

Todays posting by Dublin By Pub on the Turks Head today mentioned it as a common name in England, and additionally touched on the use of Head in pub names, and the name to sign connection that is common across the water

In Ireland, the "standard" pub name is the surname of the current, or a former owner; but this is far from universal, with plenty of pubs having "names" - but how many of them could have been pulled from some English town?

The Morning Advertiser, a licenced trade publication in the UK, does occasional lists of the most common names amongst their readership - the most recent being from 2019. The 'Head' trend is mentioned there also, as it happens, but the list is jarringly unlike a list of the top Irish names - which would almost certainly just be the 24 most common surnames plus "The Village Inn"; or even a Dublin list that would be lead by Madigans and Graingers.

But which names do sneak in to Dublin?

The most common name in the UK is apparently The Red Lion, which you don't see in Dublin. The hotel which became a shop and is now becoming a hotel again on Georges Street was called this, and the name moved across the road to what is now S0066 Capitol Lounge; and it was also a former name of the recently demolished Grays of Newmarket Square - which is being replaced by a hotel of the same chain, oddly.

We can all but eliminate most of the Royal connected names straight away, at 2, 6, 9, 12, 13, and 19 - the Kings Head on South King Street in the 70s having long left us; 

However, the Royal Oak at #3 is still represented by S1509 Old Royal Oak in Kilmainham; and formerly by the fairly well known but departed boozers on Parkgate Street and the Finglas Road.

Number 4, The Plough, has also existed in Dublin in the past - but as this (N1063, closed long before the blog began) was opposite the Abbey Theatre, it was more than likely a reference to The Plough And The Stars.

At 5, we get our first direct name hit with The Swan - and a fine pub that S0127 The Swan on Aungier Street is. 7, The Bell, is represented by 1007597 The Bell in Blanchardstown

#8 could have got an entry had I written this article some years ago - 1011474 White Hart Inn in Balbriggan is never coming back, after being converted to apartments; as could 10 - S0020 The White Horse was renamed to the Dark Horse in about 2011 and has since closed anyway.

Ten down (13 with the mass exclusion of the Royalist names) and we've got three current pubs - none of which are particularly English - but there's another 15/12 in the list.

Eleven gives us the New Inn - there was one of these on New Street before road widening destroyed the area, and it was a noted gig venue. Like the Kings Head, being named after the street should be seen as a get-out!

14 - Wheatsheaf - well, we had N0120 Sheaf o' Wheat before a name change, if that counts.

Fifteen and sixteen give two innoccous enough names you'd not notice as "English" if we had them - The Ship and The Rising Sun - but we don't.

The seventeenth most popular in the UK gives us one of the more common ones in Dublin, at least until a few years ago. The Black Horse in Kimmage has been renamed (1013317 The Four Provinces); The Black Horse in Inchicore is closed and derelict; and the Blackhorse Tavern is now N0240 The Hole In The Wall. 

18 is another nearly like 14 - Fox & Hounds doesn't really cover N1352 Foxhound Inn.

Number 20, Chequers, is presumably related to the British Prime Ministerial weekend residence and is also not seen in Dublin.

21, 22 are another two total misses - Coach & Horses and Cross Keys. 

23 - White Swan - is a miss, because the colours or attributes we've given to Swans are never the obvious one. Dark, Silver, Missing - we've had those. White is a bit tautological surely?

Number 24 is where Dublin publicans may have had a bit of fun with the name. I've often seen this given as "the" most common pub name in the UK; but its 24th here and the list is not upside down; so there's plenty of possibly wrong people out there.. or the list isn't right. 

The George and Dragon.

Nobody in Ireland would use this name - referencing the mythology of England's patron saint - but when you already own a succesful gay bar called S0092 The George, and are opening another down the road... S3781 The Dragon (now Nolita) works very well! I have no idea if this was the logic used by Capital Bars, though.

#25 is The Nags Head, another total miss here.

Du

RetroReviews: N2741 MV Cill Airne

Dublin's only floating pub - well, with a normal pub licence - and also the last Northside numbered pub I had to do a looking back writeup for.

This is near work, and particularly a few years ago when there was nothing much else around, was the usual place for post work drinks, Friday long lunches and going away parties. When I briefly worked somewhere else still near enough by, the downstairs restaurant / private bar was the place for larger work events, and it retained its position for going away parties

The ships history is summed up quickly by the IBSF, who were also involved in the renovations of the two canal barges that operate as restaurants with Passenger Vessel liquor licences, which I will eventually get around to eating in.

RetroReviews: N2404 The Grand Central

A lovely looking pub - a converted banking hall - that I've just never really liked enough to go back to much. 

I can remember having a fairly mediocre dinner here with my partner early enough on in the relationship (over a decade ago now); but that wasn't my first visit - I picked it as I'd had a decent meal there before. I've nearly gone in a few times since, including when I suddenly remembered I'd never been to N1103 Wynns next door.

RetroReviews: N2538 The Old Borough

This is one of the longest ago legal visits here - a single occasion, being the work Christmas party where I worked in 2006. As a result, I can't remember particularly much about it - other than not being let in to N2211 Wrights afterwards in the politest manner possible.

"Do you think you've had a few already lads?" "Yes, bye..." *bails in to adjacent taxi*

Its a Wetherspoons now, and I was walking up to the door to make the required visit when I remembered that Christmas party and hence knocked it back off the list.

RetroReviews: N2256 The Academy

A frequent gig venue for me, sited in what was originally the Irish Music Hall of Fame - and was licenced then as it is now as far as I can tell; and was then Spirit nightclub, which is what I first attended it as. 

Spirit had a branch in New York, which seemed insurmountably cool at the time.

RetroReviews: N2169 The Spencer Hotel

Fairly standard modern city centre hotel with a cocktail bar open to the public. I've done a lot of work events here but have only been in the bar once - and I don't think anyone really cares about the AV setup in the conference centre!

RetroReviews: N2168 Boxburger HQ

This pub is inside Eastpoint Business Park, which has security at both entrances - so I'm not sure how practical it is to visit as an outsider; but it has a perfectly standard pub licence. It has had a few prior names but has more recently refocused to its burger offerings.

I had a full burger loyalty card here by the time my (then) job moved me to a client site and never got to claim it!

RetroReviews: N2160 The Woolshed

A large, sort-of Australian themed sports bar in the Parnell Centre, where I've seen many unfortunate events happen on screen - Brighton's repeated Championship play-off failures primarily. Actually, I'm not sure I've ever seen the team I wanted to win win here!

RetroReviews: N2057 The Morrison Hotel

A high-end hotel bar, open to non-residents and offering similarly high-end food; and specialising in unconventional Afternoon Teas; the Gentlemens Tea featuring meat and pints instead being probably the best known.

RetroReviews: N1955 The Laughter Lounge

I *think* this is the largest dedicated comedy club floor in Dublin; and in normal times operates nearly every night; but it hasn't been open since March. It is due to reopen in a few weeks as I write this, with distanced, pre-booked table seating only and at somewhat of a price premium - but that is clearly required to operate at all.

This is one of the few premises with nothing on the ground floor (well, the door is); which is something I keep intending to do a list up of to use some time up... expect that soon!

RetroReviews: N1927 Cineworld Cinema

This is the mainstream cinema with the most pub-like bar in it; albeit 1013664 The Stella in Rathmines and S3035 Irish Film Institute have actual bar and restaurants that you don't need to go see a movie to use.

There is an actual bar, and more normal bar seating here; but you have to pass an initial ticket check to get in to it.

RetroReviews: N1900 Hilton Garden Inn

Until a few years ago, we used to go here for "breakfast" at ~10am on the last working day before Christmas as a tradition; albeit this has since moved to 1015426 Rubys out of sheer laziness (its closer). On occasion, the bar would be open by the time everyone had eaten.

RetroReviews: N1833 The Harbourmaster

Its near work, and near where I worked previously, and near the train station that serves my line - so I've been here quite a bit.

Its a very nice restored building and the atmosphere is fine. This is another pub that's suffering writeup wise from having gone there too often.

RetroReviews: N1556 Murrays

The only pub I've heard the officially paid musician singing rebel songs in. Which I suspect is purely because I've missed the music in a fair few places!

RetroReviews: N1195 Clifton Court Hotel / Lanigans

The pub with the most baffling array of stuff hanging from the ceiling I've ever seen. Well, I've seen a single item more baffling - a neon violin lighting rig in a nightclub in rural Meath - but this beats it for variety.

This is a frequent stop before a night in the Laughter Lounge or occasionally a gig in the 3Arena.

RetroReviews: N1194 West County Hotel

I've had more carvery dinners here than I can ever remember; due to it being rather near an elderly relatives house.

RetroReviews: N1124 Tom Taveys

I ended up watching this debacle in this pub, with some Legia fans - they thought that they could get tickets on the gate; and we thought we could watch it in McDowells.

The game was actually sold out - and in Tallaght - so they weren't getting in; and McDowells was closed so we all ended up here instead.

Despite not being Pats fans, they bought us a round after they won (there were only two of us, for refere,ce). Which also happened after Legia beat Dundalk in the Aviva - Premium is not officially segregated so we had Legia fans sitting beside us inside the ground. Legia have a bit of a negative reputation; but so far its just been beneficial to me!

RetroReviews: N1111 Black Lion Inn

As with the previous post, Inchicore generally means football for me - and this was often the only pub doing food in the area (1014760 T Kinsella, the Village Inn as-was had signs up for food, but didn't actually sell it for many years before it closed), I would often end up here for dinner if going to an evening game straight from work.

RetroReviews: N1109 McDowells

As is often the case with a pub I've been to quite a bit, there's not going to be as long a post here as for a single visit - its hard to remember every detail, and even if I could the post would end up being pages long.

This is the St Pats "home" pub - it is directly in front of their ground - and as far as I know is actually owned by the club, albeit leased out rather than run directly. I've only ever been here for football related matters, either before or after games; both as a neutral and as an away fan; or to watch a St Pats away or neutral domestic venued European game which I could not get tickets to. 

The pub has spent substantial amounts of time closed in recent years; although I believe it was open until COVID at least.

RetroReviews: 1014760 T Kinsella

This is out of sequence as I forgot it had changed licence number when re-appearing...

Formerly the Village Inn - and very briefly the Richmond Gastropub when it initially reopened - this was a quite grim boozer when I had my solitary pint here, in 2007 or so. I walked in and ordered/paid for a pint before asking for the food menu, as advertised outside; before finding out they didn't actually sell food.

Pint sculled, and across the road to the Black Lion then!

The new operation does sell food and has been significantly refurbished.

RetroReviews: N1099 Sackville Lounge

This tiny pub has probably caused more heartache for the pub aficionados/Pintmen of Dublin in the past few years. My first visit to it was probably only in 2015 or so, but its been a regular since - an experience shared with many others who go and want to go back.

The pub has closed, reopened, closed for COVID like everywhere else, and then published a statement that it was not reopening that has since been refuted but got significant media coverage, much of it never updated to reference the refutation. New owners, who operate other premises in the city are apparently prepared to reopen it immediately on it becoming legally possible.

A "one-manner", the entire pub area is about the size of a large dining room in a 70s or 80s suburban house; with the gents toilets in the basement and the ladies an utter afterthought upstairs; and used to be decorated with a full set of GAA jerseys. 

Prior to its first closure in January 2017, you could get the standard range of auld lad pub pints here, along with toasties - stored pre-made in a tiny fridge behind the counter; just as they should be in this kind of pub; but when it reopened in September 2019 there were some slight modernisations to the offering of drinks, and the toasties took a few weeks to come back. Despite the reopening being flagged for some time, there were plenty of people who were unwilling to believe it had happened and I had to send people photos from the pub when I managed to get in a few days after they opened the doors again!

I'm looking forward to returning here when it reopens again. As a public plea to the new operators - the slight rework before the 2019 reopening was sufficient (except maybe some further works to the toilets - but there's only so much you can do with Victorian fittings) - don't do anything else!

RetroReviews: N1074 Madigans North Earl Street

This pub is rather anonymous and as such I can't really remember anything - my Google Timeline says I was here though!

RetroReviews: N1070 Nealons

Oh Nealons. Saved from what appeared to be certain closure, but ruined in the process - showing how much of a pubs atmosphere is actually the staff.

I used to go to a regular meetup here. We went back after the new owners came in; for a single month, before moving up the street to N0084 The Black Sheep instead.

Its a beautiful pub internally; but its not what it was when Eddie was holding shop.

RetroReviews: N1062 The Flowing Tide

I've been here both under my own steam; and also when my sister got convinced that the band we'd just seen in The Academy may come in afterwards; as that is what they used to do after gigs. Realistically, they were now too old and boring to go on the lash after a gig and anyway, the metal cachet of the Flowing Tide isn't quite what it used to be (see reviews on that link claiming it was gone by 2010)

RetroReviews: N1061 Madigans Abbey Street

I know I've been here; and I can even tell you when - June 16th 2007 (was going to a gig in The Point) - but I can't remember anything else. 

RetroReviews: N0593 Downeys

"Make sure you don't go to Cabra after" was the command issued by my friends wife before we headed in to a game in Dalymount.

We did head to Cabra, as all the pubs in Phisboro were rammed and we wanted a quieter pint. As far as I remember the pub was fine, as was the chipper next door. I think she probably meant "don't go to Matts" though.

RetroReviews: N0304 The Harp / Carnegie Court Hotel

As previously mentioned, I worked in Swords a Very Long Time Ago, and this was our usual after work spot. It was the second-closest to the office but won our trade with the finger food.

Basically, when the kitchens closed in the evening they would fire any finger food that was left out to the regulars. Could end up being nothing depending on the day, or it could be a feast.

If you relied on getting a free dinner,  you could end up wobbling down to the chipper (remember, the kitchen has closed) - and this could be after hours of drinking if you were on a 4pm finish; which is something I'd never advise anyone to do now; but we were all young then.

September 2020 Licence Update

As has been the norm recently, licence files are being released with little of note in them

The only relevant change is a potentially significant removal of a pub which is known to be doomed to development, and I believe has not been trading since March despite having kitchens (and space), but I'm not going to say for certain that its not reopening - N0623 Bradys Castleknock Inn

RetroReviews: N0301 The Betsy

My visits here were two incarnations ago, when this was The Slaughtered Lamb - it has been Empire in between. 

I worked nearby, it was fairly normal on Fridays to go to The Harp after work; but it didn't have pool tables, which is where the Lamb came in. It was 2006, I can't really remember much more than that!

RetroReviews: N0241 Halfway House

I used to work with someone who was from a slightly earlier era of road warrior - that which predated there being hot delis in every petrol station. He had his personal list of what he considered to be the best carveries in every area of the country.

As a result, if I was working with him anywhere near Ashtown; we had to have lunch here. 

I'm not a huge fan of carveries. 

RetroReviews: N0213 Frank Ryan's

I've only been here once I think, which actually surprises me a bit. 

The event was a colleagues leaving party, and he picked here as they had Galway Hooker on tap which was his preferred drink at the time - this was quite some years ago, so there wasn't huge market penetration by any Irish craft producers yet. 

I'll go back, I'm sure - I've an outstanding Tekken Tag rematch in Token to play.

RetroReviews: N0191 Pantibar

Now a sufficient fixture on Dublin's gay scene that even Enda Kenny turned up there as a PR event; I was rather sceptical when it opened. GUBU, its previous incarnation, which I'd visited, hadn't done well enough to stop it being planned to be turned in to a CafeBarDeli (not that that chain lasted), the economy was definitely sniffling and Panti had no obvious experience running a bar. But I went early on regardless and have been there multiple times since.

Its still there 13 years later, which is basically geriatric in the lifespan of Dublin gay bars other than The George - there were some that lasted entire months in the early-mid 00s, with five months being how long Paddy McKillen Jr kept one open for in the 2010s. So I was very, very wrong. 

Its changed a bit over time - there's been multiple different setups downstairs mainly - but is overall much the same as in 2007. A sister venue, 1015498 Penny Lane, opened across the road in mid-2019.

RetroReviews: N0175 The Autobahn

I went to a friends 40th here. He's now over 50.

I really can't remember very much about it!

RetroReviews: N0145 Fagans

"Berties local", or so its claimed. I believe he now drinks in N0123 Beaumont House instead though.

I was in here once, in about 2005. Well, it was actually twice - in the same day. We were looking for somewhere to watch a football match, and Fagans claimed their satellite dish was "broken"; so we ended up watching it in Kennedys instead.

However, either Kennedys food menu didn't appeal or didn't exist that day for whatever reason, so we ended up in Fagans for food afterwards. Where they were showing another match. I did ask the barman how much the Saturday afternoon dish realignment cost!

RetroReviews: N0144 Kennedys

This is the Kennedys in Drumcondra Village.

I watched a match here in about 2005. That's it. The reason I watched it here will be in the next post, though.

RetroReviews: N0107 Kimchi Hophouse

This is Dublins other, older genuine Korean pub - meaning that actual Koreans actually eat and drink here, rather than it being a tourist theme pub. Located in and preserving much of a fine old Dublin pub, including its original name board as The Shakespeare, they do decent food here.

They also rescued my football match viewing after N0106 The Metro as-was failed us, as detailed in the previous post in the series.

RetroReviews: N0106 MeMa's

When I was in this, once, it was still The Metro. I never went back for a reason you'll shortly see

We had been trying to find somewhere showing a football match, which I think may have been Brighton vs Bournemouth on the 09/10/2010 - that's just taken me a good half an hour checking for Sunday early kickoffs in the right era to find - which was a League One match at the time and not a Premier League match as it would have been in the past three seasons!

There were two of us, and two Bournemouth fans who had somehow found the same pub willing to show it - there were bigger sporting events on against it. However, at half time, the barman announced that a regular was coming in who'd "want the golf" and changed over.

Out we went a-wandering, both sets of supporters as one; and found that N0107 Kimchi Hophouse actually had a Sky sub and no other match on, and settled in there instead. 

I've been back to the Hophouse, and I'm sure I'll go to MeMa's, but the turfing out rankled enough that I never went back to the Metro!

RetroReviews: 1014978 The Wild Duck

This is getting published out-of-order, as I had it on my list under a former licence number, and it has since changed.

This sort-of outlet of Whelans took over the location of the former Spy nightclub, which is what this was when I visited it. 

Spy was a relatively low-end venue with a rather difficult layout for the DJ box and dancefloor as far as I can remember. I'm fairly sure there's plenty of nights nobody can remember, though, as all you can drink packages were sometimes on offer here.

RetroReviews: N0082 McGraths

My Dad's old local when he a: lived in Drumcondra and b: drank - so in excess of 35 years ago at this stage!

This was my preferred of the two pubs near Drumcondra train station for after-work pints, but we ended up splitting with my less-favoured N0080 Quinns unfortunately. I've not been back here for actual pints in quite some time; but there is now a decent off-licence in what used to be the front lounge (I think? Always went out the back to the big screen anyway), which I have used a few times if heading for a train that will leave me home after 10.

1013164 Pearse Lyons Distillery

As Dublin's alcohol tourism venues slowly reopened, and until I was barred from leaving the county along with tens of thousands of others, I was knocking them off the list; and this was I believe the latest to reopen.

While the adjoining pub of shared ownership is still closed and indeed has said it will not be reopening with its current tenants; a full conventional pub licence is used here to give flexibility compared to other options.

The tour here starts with a whiskey and an AV presentation, presented primarily by the late Pearse Lyons - his final caption with his birth and death years leading to one of the other visitors on the tour to become somewhat upset - followed by a tour of the graveyard. Yes, graveyard - the distillery is in a former church.

After entering the church you are shown the standard distillery kit and then lead to the tasting area if you have paid for a further tasting; this including gin in most tasting options as well as various ages or cask treatments of whiskey.

A notable thing on this tour is that the staff are both aware of and fully open about where products that are older than the distillery are obtained from. Plenty of new Irish distilleries have products with age statements going back to over 30 years old in some cases, with huge numbers offering a 10 or 15 when they are only trading for three or four; and while Alltech are no different here the staff will tell you whether a product is Cooley or Bushmills sourced. Alltech are one of the older of the new distilleries, having initially run product at a temporary plant in Carlow from 2012 prior to the Dublin site being available, so far more of the offered whiskey is actually their own, which may lead to this openness.

The duty distiller was also willing to give the mash bill percentage for the product going  through the stills at that time; which was a partial oats mix; and they are not just willing to say where they buy their malt and grain from - they have the branded bags on show.

As with the other touristic options, this is a very good time to visit - there are plenty of spaces available on tours, which are limited in numbers for social distancing purposes.

RetroReview: N0081 Tolka House

This was a regular spot for lunch when doing work in the Bon Secours Hospital just up the hill a bit, and I definitely had a sneaky pint at least once when doing so. I can't really remember very much about it, though.

RetroReviews: N0080 Quinns of Drumcondra

"Hey! Quinns is closed!" you might say. "It's still on the licence register, and anyway, it was awful enough to make me want to write it up", I'd reply.

In 2006/7, this was on my way to/from work and I was dragged in here for pints occasionally by a colleague who inexplicably didn't like N0082 McGraths down the road. I didn't like Quinns, so it was a trade-off as to who had to suffer each time! Pub smelled bad, crowd was often rough, drink was dear and poor, etc etc.

In 2014, it was temporarily closed for absolutely hideous food safety violations. I felt vindicated.

Its now closed entirely and likely to be knocked for student accommodation, which may use the licence for a licenced restaurant on the ground floor; or may flog it off.

RetroReviews: N0066 The Findlater

A mate of mine from Brighton (via Derry) used to head here before Ireland football matches in Croke Park; so I'd frequently meet him here, particularly if one of his group needed my second ticket. 

I honestly can't remember anything, at all, about the pub other than it being perfectly safe for a bunch of English accented guys in Ireland jerseys. The last Ireland match in Croker was 11 years ago; and I've not been back since 

RetroReviews: N0065 Eccles Townhouse

When I visited this, it was the Aurora Cafe Bar, and was a common lunch spot after doing work in the Mater Private or one of the many consultants clinics along Eccles Street. It has now been re-positioned as accommodation with an on-site bar; although I'm sure its still a fine place for a de-stressing pint and panini after fighting recalcitrant software all day. I was last here in 2013 at the latest.

RetroReviews: N0055 74 Talbot

My one visit here was a mistake. It was also still Mother Kellys back then.

Mother Kellys had quite the reputation. A local nickname of "The Pharmacy" applied, due to the apparent ease of getting certain possibly prescription products there.

I had been in N0006 Brew Dock, but wished to watch a football match - and Brew Dock only has terrestrial TV which is rarely used (you may not notice it at all - there's a projector upstairs and they put more TVs during the Euros). I decided to go up to Talbot Street rather than the potentially much safer idea of trying N0041 Robert Reades as-was and ended up in Mother Kellys

The pub was being 'run', to some level, by a single bar woman. She managed to remember, and indeed pour my round on the second go before I'd even got to the bar; and also managed to eject someone who was going around the pub trying to sell a single, presumably shoplifted, bottle of Smirnoff to patrons. 

Between the absolute headbanger status of most of the clientele, the guy trying to sell vodka with his reason of "I've just got out of the Joy and need money"; and the inch deep of 'water' (read: piss) on the floor of the toilets I should have bailed at half time - except due to the remembered order I actually had three pints in front of me, as the mate I was with had accidentally got a round also while I was wading through the mire downstairs.

Never again. I popped my head in to the refurbished and renamed 74 Talbot, and on seeing a similar crowd and not one of the promised "craft beers" - engraved on the windows - on the taps, I left. 

RetroReviews: N0053 Graingers Talbot/Amiens Street

 Grainger is one of the more common surnames above the door of Dublin pubs; and unlike, say, Madigans - they don't appear to all be the same person/family. I'd imagine someone out there knows the relation between them all; if there is one that is.

When I first started going to this Graingers, it was a very traditional Dublin city centre pub; very convenient to Connolly Station and often very quiet. I've never failed to get a seat here.

Over time, it has had some work done and is now primarily a craft beer bar; although some of the regulars seem to have stayed; and while its probably a bit busier at the times I'd usually end up there; its still possible to get a seat. 

RetroReviews: N0033 3Arena

Its a big concert venue and the drinks dear & crap. I've been lots; including before it was rebuilt - the old series licence number shows its carried over from then.

RetroReviews: N0006 Brew Dock

Another of my frequent locations, being sort-of near work and matching what I want in terms of beer and food. This is one of the smaller Galway Bay bars but still manages 24 taps and the normal food menu. 

Like many Galway Bay pubs, this had a bit of a mixed history prior to them taking it on - it was an early house, went through multiple name changes and ended up closed; but has thrived with the GBB format.

Craft competition has popped up nearby over the years, with 1013149 Urban Brewing opening up and N0053 Grainers re-targetting; but it has held its own.

I've noticed that because I usually write up a specific visit; some of the shorter posts in this series are for pubs I visit a lot!

RetroReviews: N0002 Madigans Connolly Station

In the UK, railway station pubs usually slot in to two categories - boring or beautiful. In Dublin we get original yet still quite boring, we get bonkers, forced twee and sort-of beautiful in this case. Externally, there is little or nothing appealing to the pub in Connolly; but inside Madigans you get to see quite a bit of the 1840s railway architechture; some of it lit quite nicely from memory.

Memory here isn't the best though, as while I was here relatively recently; like all visits to in-station pubs it was very quick - 29 minutes for a train due to just missing one. By the time of the evening my trains go to hourly, the pub is closed so its Graingers across the road for any 59 minute waits.

RetroReviews: 1013315 The Button Factory

Another gig venue, and one I haven't been back to that much recently - for some reason bands I go see have mostly moved to the Olympia it seems.

This has a theatre licence, but now also operates a standard bar under somewhat disputed conditions.

RetroReviews: 1011804 The Bridge 1859

I initially said some of these pubs might have been last visited 15 years ago. This one's 16; as I forgot that I got in to a few places underage... and under a completely different ownership and setup I must add!

Back in 2004, this was still known as Bellamys, and I was rather tall and able to pull a Homer Simpson grade five o'clock shadow, so it was quite easy for a barman to not bother checking ID. That it was during the Young Scientist should have been of some concern; but as we'll see in another post much further down the list; that alone definitely didn't raise eyebrows elsewhere...

So - the pub's been fully refurbished since. Its now run by the same people who run 1004917 Lemon & Duke, so maybe that writeup will give you a better idea of what its like. But I drank here, on the same licence, so it counts under my rules.

RetroReviews: 1010890 Market Bar

This premises has undergone a vast and hopefully temporary rework to enable it to operate more viably under COVID restrictions; and I haven't been in since - or for some years actually - so I can't reflect current realities here.

Back in t'day, when I were a lad... or March, and its normally known, the Market Bar was a vast open plan pub/restaurant known for its rather odd acoustics and its resultant ability to be EXCEPTIONALLY LOUD despite having no music playing. It is in an old market, or at least part of it - the bulk of the South City Markets still operates as the Georges Street Arcade, in to which there is (normally, anyway) a secondary entrance to the bar.

RetroReviews: 1010804 The Drunken Fish

This is a Korean bar - one that's actually drunk in by Koreans, albeit that's not unique in Dublin - in a fine listed building; namely a former excise stores. Originally opened as a modern bar called Excise, which I have a very vague feeling I may have drunk in in about 2006; I've definitely been here quite a few times since it opened under its current guise in about 2014.

The floor levels in here are somewhat confusing; due to the preservation of parts of the listed building it is in - the main street facing entrance is up steps, with the bar then down steps back to much the same level as the street! From memory, last time I went in here the drink selection was all Heineken Ireland and missing the more drinkable options at that, but that was a few months ago.

When I worked a bit closer, I was a very frequent customer of the take out / fast food part of the business, which operates as "Mix & Mix" from one of the modern extensions of the building. There is also a more conventional restaurant above this and back in to the upper floor of the original building; which uses a call bell system to call wait staff to your table - something I've not seen anywhere else.

RetroReviews: 1010576 Yamamori Sushi

I recently wrote about my first visit to the other pub-licenced 1010212 Yamamori on Georges Street which describes this place relatively well.

There is more of a bar setup here; as well as a nightclub and obviously, the restaurant. Have the chicken katsu, its better than you'll make yourself.

N1983 Jameson Distillery Tour

As with the other distillery tours in Dublin, a full pub licence provides flexibility here - although currently, you get your tasting on the tour and a single sample or cocktail afterwards; with table service to tables scattered around the extensive bar area.

Now is a good time to go on the various distillery tours - in the case of Jameson, everything has been spaced out to provide social distancing, and while numbers are heavily limited it is very likely you can same-day tickets.

RetroReviews: 1008963 Porterhouse Central

I've been here countless times before; the most recent in mid-February. I've been here as Judge Roy Beans (underage - its totally new operators since 2004!), I've been to the nightclub as Lillies. I've been to the Dingle Whiskey Bar that shares the licence. Its nowhere near the most frequently visited pub for me, but it would be hard to even try remember every time.

The Porterhouse provided Dublin's earliest craft beer bars and that's the main offering on the ground floor; along with a restaurant area at the back offering fairly decent conventional pub grub. The whiskey bar next door has a huge selection, including their own Dingle products but also a near complete set of current Scotch distilleries.

The nightclub on the upper floors has relatively recently been relaunched as Lost Lane; having been the infamous Lillies Bordello prior to this. Lillies, with its members only Library bar, bottle service and so on attracted an odd if varied crowd. I somehow ended up here one night from the rather other-end-of-the-scale Sin in Temple Bar; and another night when my employer decided it would make a good Christmas party venue for some reason. Its website is still up, for now; if you want a look back in time to what was one of the last vestitages of 1990s/pre-crash 00s Ireland.

RetroReviews: 1008888 Dublin Airport T1

This is the catch-all licence for some of the bars in T1 in the Airport; primarily the one allll the way down in Ryanair-land which is the most likely one you'll have used.

RetroReviews: 1008359 Weston Aerodrome

There is a proper bar and restaurant here; on the upper floor of the terminal building. Its not bad, but its an irritating walk to the bus stop afterwards so maybe get a taxi - its not like you'll be flying out, unless you're very wealthy of course. 

RetroReviews: 1007885 Jampark

I haven't been here since it rebranded (from The Wright Venue); and indeed I haven't drunk here in ages, but I have and that's what matters for the list!

RetroReviews: 1006699 St Bridget (Dublin Bay Cruises)

This is borderline to include really; as it is a passenger vessel - a boat - not a land based premises. There is a pub on a boat, namely The Boat, but its permanently moored; and the St Bridget is definitely afloat

This is the Dublin Bay Cruises vessel, from which I've done a Halloween special broadcast for work, as well as attended a The Original Rudeboys gig in Dublin Bay which we organised. 

There is a small but functional bar on board the boat. The trip out into Dublin Bay is amazing in good weather and well worth a go.

RetroReviews: 1006303 Opium

I had a fairly poor Christmas party here - in terms of atmosphere and attendance more than anything else - and don't massively remember much else about it. Wouldn't be my type of place to go to, normally. But I've drunk there, so it counts.

RetroReviews: 1004033 Vintage Cocktail Club

 Its hard to say whether this was the first of the fancier cocktail bars in Dublin, but its likely to be up there - although it isn't the first licenced premises in its location; Pal Joey having been there previously. In the Pal Joey era, it had a ground floor - now, you enter via a door to the stairs, having to buzz in as if its a speakeasy... which, as it holds a conventional publicans licence, it by definition is not

That prohibition era vibe is what they're going for; and have mostly managed to get. The prices are rather on the steep side and that's likely why I haven't been back in about five years!

RetroReviews: 1004031 The Workman's Club

The place that (sort of) started it all for Press Up's bar stereotypes; the once hipster mecca, and somewhere I've not actually been in quite a while. The licence also covers Bison Bar, which is linked upstairs; and is a bit of an oddity in that regard as Press Up have multiple licences in this overall structure for their different units.

I've probably been to Bison more often than the Workman's itself; as its directly beside a bus stop home and quite conducive to leaping in for a pint when you see over 20 minutes on the screen; although since the off-peak bus services were increased a few years back this has really died off.

The Workman's was what it says it is - its the former City of Dublin Working Men's Club; the club itself having moved to Strand Street Little in 2003; where it was still operational in 2017; but I think may have closed since, as the building was up for sale in Summer 2019. There ever very few ever of this type of club in Ireland, and even fewer still operate.

They've kept some of the interiors from that era, giving possibly the most genuine atmosphere of any of the modern Press Up locations - the original S2119 Captain Americas also has its charm, but they bought it.

Bison is a lot newer, not being a former sort-of-pub; and is more food focused.

RetroReviews: 1002905 Croke Park

I'd never noticed how so many of the places at the lower end of the register weren't "really" pubs before. Two stadiums and a conference centre in the first bundle of posts is a bit excessive but it doesn't leave many more of the same to do

I've not been to Croke Park as often as the Aviva; but I have been to at least one gig here at which I had rather crappy stadium pints; and I'm fairly sure I had more at the 2007 League Final too.

RetroReviews: 1001986 SSP Dublin Airport T2

This is the catch-all licence for the Select Service Partner operated bars in Dublin Airport T2; and the Budweiser tap in the Burger King... if you've had a pint that you paid for in T2, this is probably the licence you hit - the DAA licence covers mostly duty free and the lounge.

What is a Pub?

No, this isn't some existential post about what makes a somewhere feel like a pub in someones mind (just go read The Moon Under Water for that); its what is the legal definition. Currently, the LVA are trying to claim that somewhere that looks like a pub and acts like a pub is "not a pub". They've said this about fifty times so far today on Twitter, trying to create some division between licence classes in peoples minds.

On this blog, I accept the following licence types as pubs:

• Aerodrome Licence
• National Concert Hall Licence
• National Conference Centre Licence
• National Cultural Institutions Licence
• National Sporting Arena Licence
• Passenger Vessel Licence (for vessels which ply their trade entirely in Dublin)
• Publican's Licence (6-Day)
• Publican's Licence (7-Day Ordinary)
• Publican's Licence (ordinary) - Theatre
• Publican's Licence (ordinary) Horse Racecourse
• Publican's Licence (Ordinary) Hotel - (Public Bar)
• Publican's Ordinary Railway Refreshment Rooms Licence

The reason for this is that all are allowed serve you alcohol without the requirement to purchase food (in normal times, clearly) and while some are clearly impossible without a ticket; there were plenty of ticket-only pubs in the boom.

I would also accept the Early Closing variants of the 6- and 7-day licences and the Omnibus Station Licence if these ever appeared in Dublin again.

Its very, very easy to argue that the first 6 categories shouldn't count; and I wouldn't even bother arguing about it; nor would I bother arguing in favour of the single racecourse licence - seeing as Leopardstown actually has conventional licences anyway.

However, the LVA are now repeatedly claiming that a pub that holds a Theatre licence is "not a pub", and has even doubled down with a claim that they don't represent hotel bars; which I find exceptionally spurious.

We don’t represent them.That venue is not a pub and does not hold a pub licence. We don’t represent them just as we don’t represent other places serving alcohol like hotel bars, restaurants, theatres, shebeens etc

— LVA (@LVADublinPubs) August 16, 2020

The LVA has a committee member who represents a hotel chain; with no non-hotel licences that I am aware of it. The Irish Pub Awards, which they co-organise, gave its 2017 Dublin region Best Music Pub award to S3207 Darkey Kellys (hrm, that's probably the shortest positive write-up I've ever written).

If you exclude theatres from your idea of "a pub" in Dublin, you lose not only Berlin but also 1001735 RIOT, the Wild Duck in Temple Bar, 1005429 Barts on South William Street and a number of other places that are clearly Not Theatres Or Restaurants, which is what the LVA are trying to batter down on Berlin being.

If you exclude hotels, as I don't think they actually do except when further digging down on an argument, the list of places that basically everyone else thinks of as pubs rockets. Would you exclude the Library Bar from Dublin's pubs? Its on the licence of the Central Hotel, S3099. 

PMacs Drury Street is on a hotel licence. The Gasworks is on a hotel licence. The now closed Alfie Byrnes was on a hotel licence. All the various bits of the Mercantile complex are on a hotel licence. There's over 120 hotel licences in Dublin and about a quarter of them have bars that would be considered pubs by basically everyone

The LVA could very easily have just condemned the scenes in Berlin and pointed out that other operators are not doing it - instead they've spent an entire day trying to insist it isn't a pub as if this somehow changes the situation instead; which I simply cannot understand. Throwing the hotel bar sector under the bus is particularly strange too.

1010263 Pacinos

Pacinos restaurant on Suffolk Street has two sort-of secret additions, the Blind Pig in the basement and the Little Pig not-in-the-basement (well, someone else has already said its upstairs). Both are reservation required; and both have convoluted entry procedures - the linked article gives away the Blind Pig one but we went to the Little Pig; which is even more convoluted and which you can find out for yourself if you go.

Its a fully pub licenced premises, so I would assume that in ordinary times you can just go for cocktails; however at the time of visiting, food was not optional. Our 2215 sitting would also be impossible now, but the regulations had not been hardened by then.

The offering here is the quite common Prohibition-era style cocktail bar. Considering Prohibition era cocktails were devised to hide unpalatable bootleg spirits; and all the Dublin ones aping that style use good quality ingredients, any attempt at authenticity is gone from the start, but they go deep here to try and keep it feeling era-appropriate. There is an antique pull-handled toilet with no cistern siphon in the gents, so you need to pull multiple times to get a flush, for instance.

Its a small room and the available space for customers has been further reduced to allow for distancing, with tables moved appropriately apart and some new permanent fixtures at the bar to stop it being used

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Hidden behind a pub in Dublin is the Littlen Pig Speakeasy. Social distancing has led to the stools at the cocktail bar getting some new regulars #dublin #dublin2 #pub #pubs #dublinpubs #sony #lowlight

A post shared by Every Pub In Dublin (@everypubindublin) on Aug 1, 2020 at 4:23pm PDT

The cocktails we had - its a few weeks ago now, so I can't remember all of them, but they included an Aviation and a Sazerac - were all well made and the required accompanying meal was very good; and while it met the 'substantial meal' rules, was not like having to eat a carvery at 11pm.

In the circumstances, this was a very satisfactory end to the evening and I'll willingly return - when I'm allowed out of the county maybe!