I really didn't like this pub when I used to occasionally frequent it, when I worked in Swords and was getting trains back from Drumcondra frequently. The first time that is - long term readers will be able to tell that I've worked near Swords again in the over a decade I've been doing this.
The renovation for reopening here has been going along for *three years* at this stage, and when I visited, the main front bar had only just opened. The wine bar section - in what was the pubs smoking area - opened first, with the bar just getting open in time for the All Ireland final - the mens football one; they missed the hurling. And missed two previous years worth of finals, semi finals and gigs.
The pub is still a building site. The vast majority of the huge building is not yet open, meaning that the small area that is is actually entirely new to me - I only ever drank in the big lounge out the back in my 2006 era (I may have actually been here in 2007, but I left that job very abruptly early in 2007, so I probably didn't)
The front bar is clean and operational, but still smells of damp. The drinks selection is OK; and with brand new lines, well presented.
It's already better than it was last time - it's not owned by Sean Quinn, it almost certainly doesn't have sewage in the keg room - but I'll still continue to drink in McGraths.
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