Another ticked-due-to-work hotel, I set up outside broadcasts from inside and outside (OB truck) the nightclub in the basement here, which I'm pretty sure isn't operating anymore and probably won't ever again...
I actually had the pint to tick off in the bar, which had a terrible name - Grumpy McClaffertys - which seems to have latterly just become McClaffertys and possible isn't even called that at all.
Next door to, and fairly similar in scale and style to, The Drop Inn; this pub was notable for having run out of my standard pub ticking pint (Smithwicks); and also having more visible Republican stuff on show than common in Dublin pubs - albeit this is still not unheard of (S2517 Peadar Brown's being very proud of their rebel songs events, pin badge sales display and so on); and indeed it was one of the main distinguishing factors between the pubs in Dungloe that were referenced in the previous writeup.
Something else interesting, but rather hard to photograph without drawing massive attention to myself, is that there is a ceramic model of the pub, in the pub - on the shelves behind the bar. There's a number of pubs that have a Lego model of themselves on display, but I've not seen one in ceramic before.
Another hotel I've not been in since its refurb; I was here quite a bit when I worked in radio as they were a heavy advertiser; and we did multiple outside broadcasts here - from the rooftop suite (which, at the time, had an Airstream caravan craned on to it's huge, huge outdoor area - not sure that's still there!) and gigs from the bar area.
I also attended my brothers engagement party here when I was 18, which he didn't think I was going to get in to - the bar was very, very strictly >21s at the time. I just dressed a bit more formally and I could probably have convinced the doorman I was 30, so no bothers.
Rush Village is quite well stocked with pubs, and I attempted to do them in order from the train station out to the Harbour - but the first pub was, or at least seemed to be, inexplicably closed when I visited. So the second pub became the first, and the first became the last - it was definitely open later.
The second first pub ended up being The Drop Inn, a pub connected to one of my previously visited pubs, which was also first of a trip by virtue of the closer pub opening later - DG0493 The Coast Inn in Skerries. However, the Drop Inn is a smaller pub, with quite a small and cosy front bar being where I had my pint.
This was a very traditional instance of an outer suburban or provincial town bar on a weekday daytime, with a reasonable crowd of regulars watching the racing, and a fairly limited selection of drinks on offer; being quite like the pubs I've written about drinking in in Tullamore or Dungloe in that regard; and at 5.50 a pint; probably not far off what Tullamore at least would be charging these days.
I've been here a fair few times, and somehow my main memory is of managing to drop my phone in my soup when having lunch once.
No, I've no idea how I did that either
The layout here is a bit mad, if its a weekday the smoking area is a carpark for other offices, and you may run in to Anne Doyle, as she is in a long term relationship with the owner; (albeit it was not listed as her favourite pub when quizzed in 1985, years before she was dating Dan McGrattan and probably before he owned it - I just want to link to that piece I found in the archives)
This large hotel, with a huge bar, wraps around N1090 Hacienda, literally - it is its neighbour on both streets.
Go drink in the Hacienda instead. The bar here is terrible. Was bottle only when I visited, and the range was about five different bottles in total.
Shay even takes card now, so just ignore the hotel and go to him instead.
I was here once, the day of my brothers wedding; and about all I can remember from it are:
1: Alan Whicker was doing the Irish launch of his biography in another room, with people floating in to the bar with their copies of the book. I did, eventually, see him.
2: They had the heaviest single-use hand towels I'd ever seen before or since
Its changed brands since, from one five-star brand to another; and I'm very unlikely to go back here. Alan Whicker is dead for over a decade, so no chance of running in to him here, either.
This was another place I assumed I might need to 'dress nice' to get in to.
I didn't. I still wouldn't try get in here in a pair of short bought in JD Sports, but normal clothes look to be absolutely fine.
This is quite a nice, but fairly expensive cocktail bar. The printed menu is entirely house defined cocktails, some clearly influenced by some of the classics - but I heard people ordering classics by name.
It is sited in a basement - if the name didn't give some indication of that - specifically that of the Stephens Green Club. Many places say it is in the basement of a "former" club; but the club building that did not continue when the Hibernian and United Services Club merged in to the Stephens Green Club in 2003 is number 8, and this is definitely in the basement of number 9.
Ah, my youth, where the feck did that go...
A premises divided across multiple rooms of a Georgian mansion, this was definitely more interesting as Spy than it is now; but its probably still worth a look. I was a regular attendee here in 2006-8; but not since.
This months update is delivered with thanks to Revenue's Statistics Department; who delivered me a replacement file when I noticed the original one was missing the county - which would have made it extremely hard to do an ingest and comparison on!
New licences:
1021114 Premier Inn, Newmarket Square - this means all operating Premier Inns are now on the public licence register; and I assume the few still in development will too
Reappearences:
N0029 Goya Lounge, North Strand - the former Strand House (not the current pub of that name), not currently trading
Renumbering:
S341 Schoolhouse Hotel, Northumberland Road renumbered to 1021502
This was a "saving it for formal attire" premises, as I suspected I might have trouble getting served in my normal clothes. And indeed, nobody in the bar I went in to - the hotel has multiple, with the No. 27 Bars seeming to be the least formal - was dressed even vaugely like I would normally do. Chinos and a polo shirt might do it; and there were definitely people wearing runners.
However, the offering isn't stuffy - they do have an oysters menu, but they also offer burgers, toasted sandwiches and similar bar food; and a substantial tap list including multiple independent Irish offerings - Rye River are highlighted as a supplier of Irish products on their website, an element I wish more places serving tourists would do, rather than just relying on Guinness to be the Irish option on the menu.
The food isn't cheap, but also isn't obscenely priced; and the pints are actually close to reasonable - you can certainly pay a lot more in a lot less nice surroundings nearby.
This has to be the least likely "drank there with work" place, surely - but, I did.
First time was doing an outside broadcast from the Gravity Bar; where they were extremely welcoming hosts - food and drink on tap (quite literally) for myself and the presenters.
Second time was a work Christmas party in a side bar further down the structure.
I've never actually done the tourist tour of the place.
A very traditional Dublin pub, named after the author of the lyrics of our National Anthem, who once lived on the site - surely this is one of Dublin's older pubs?
Nope, its one of the newer ones - indeed it was the first pub in Dublin, possibly in Ireland, to have a licence moved in from outside its local area "at par" - one licence for one new pub, rather than requiring the extinguishment of multiple licences as was the norm for standalone pubs.
I think I visited here shortly enough before starting the blog, when I vaguely thought I'd like to try every pub - but I didn't take any notes. I think I had severe trouble getting a seat, though.
There's a bit of a bias towards places I used to go to when I worked in the city centre here; but that was not intentional.
However, from the November writeup, it probably will be. As of the time of writing, I'm (deliberately) between jobs, starting a new one in the city centre on Monday - expect to see plenty of the old regulars come back, and some of my more recent ones (Kealys, McGraths) drop away.
N0002 Madigans Connolly - long gap before the train to Rush, writeups from their to come
N0006 Brew Dock - hiding from the rugby crowds and waiting for a train
1015426 Rubys - dinner spot one night
S0077 Nearys - regular meeting location
S0035 Mulligans - to wash away the horrors of a newly visited place beforehand (writeup to come)
1003568 The Old Spot - I was rather (>45mins) early for the place I was intending to go to open
N1130 The Foxhunter - the only bus I could get out of the city that wasn't crammed was a C1 that doesn't go anywhere near my house, so I had to change buses at the last common stop. Which happens to be outside here...
S0083 Beer Temple - food and pints in a decent spot to get a seat in before a gig in...
1001292 The Olympia Theatre - never calling it that stupid name
