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Tuesday, 28 May 2024

Celeb's Favourite Pubs: 1985 style

Another archives dig and another bit of gold - the Sunday Press gave a full page in August 1985 over to asking Irish notables, possibly a bit less "celebrity" than an equivalent piece today, what their favourite pubs were. 

As the Sunday Press was a national paper, there's plenty of pubs outside of Dublin, and because there's only ten I may as well list the lot of them

Neil Jordan

Neil references two pubs, one of which we'll have to guess at as its not named. "A pub on the quays, beside the cinemas. It had a big marble table and the dockers stood around drinking their pints" - this sounds like what is now, after a high quality refurb, 1018821 Meaghers on Eden Quay, which sits beside two former cinemas; the only place which had cinemas plural on the quays anyway.

His second mention is for N0171 Manhattan in Raheny

Anne Doyle

Ann, as they call her for some reason, choses S0012 The Duke, then widely known as Tobins

Ivor Kenny

(Ivor Kenny was a founder of the Irish Management Institute)

Ivor opts for Kelehans, Bushy Park, Galway; a pub which is still trading but obviously outside my scope for normal content

Gay Byrne

Gay Byrne opts for two pubs in Dungloe and, by random coincidence of where my family is from and having done a writeup of Dungloes pubs, I've actually been to one of them, even though it is currently not trading

Beedys was, and indeed now is again shut (it did reopen), when I did my writeup; and Johnnies, as he calls it, is Mulherns across the road from it. I don't know its licence number as it appears to have not surfaced on the register whilst open; and has been shut for a while. 

Mary McEvoy

S0035 Mulligans, Poolbeg Street is given here; along with Tí Johnny Shéain in Inverin. This pub is not trading as a pub, but has been converted to a cafe, Pota. I believe this pub was popular/important with people involved in TnaG/TG4 in its early days; as it is extremely close to it - but this list predates TG4 by 11 years!

Lord Henry Mountcharles

The 'rock and roll Lord' gives four different answers here, after his own home bar (whether this was reinstated following the fire, I don't know); and may indicate that he was not frequently in Dublin despite opting for three there.

S0059 Buswells Hotel - as a Fine Gael politician at the time, this would make sense, location wise; the Champagne Bar in the Phoenix Park Racecourse (this having recently reopened), and for after the races, N0205 Ryans of Parkgate Street.

He also picks Morans Oyster Cottage in Clarinbridge, for its seafood but also its pints.

John Hume

John Hume opts for what he refers to as a "talking pub", Da Vincis on the Culmore Road in Derry. This is now a hotel of the same name.

Noelle Campbell-Sharp

(Noelle Campbell-Sharp was a magazine publisher at that time. She is still alive at time of writing and now better known for arts involvement)

Noelle opts for the Horseshoe Bar of S0061 Shelbourne Hotel, for its cocktail prowess

Jim Kemmy

(Jim Kemmy was a Democratic Socialist Party and later Labour TD for Limerick)

Jim's choice is the White House in Limerick, which claims to be Limericks Oldest Bar

Fergal Quinn 

(Fergal Quinn was the founder of Superquinn, a Senator and, at the time, chair of An Post)

Fergal opted for a pub that was already gone, Mary Maher's in Corofin, Clare.

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