I think I had actually had lunch here some time ago in a previous job that involved regular visits to the adjacent hospital. However, I'd never counted it and had opportunity to have lunch here again, with sufficient time (5 hours) to ensure I didn't fall foul of the new drink driving rules off one pint.
This is a very boring hotel bar with fairly mediocre pints and very mediocre food. There's nowhere else nearby (since Copper closed down about 4 years ago, anyway) although you could head over to Ollies in Ballaly- without even being there I'd guess it might be more interesting.
Saturday, 15 December 2018
N0623 Bradys Castleknock Inn
It may have been subconscious - I do read the commercial property pages in the papers, deliberately; and check the 4 Dublin planning authorities sites - but as I walked up to Bradys I wondered if it was going to be a redevelopment target. A large two floor building with an extensive carpark, in an established housing area and near a railway station it seemed ripe for someone to buy, knock and shove apartments on it.
And it appears that's the plan. Although I had expected them to retain a pub on the site - there aren't that many nearby - there is none in the current submitted plans.
Approaching the pub there is a blank enough door to the side in to the bar and a larger one in to the lounge. I assumed the bar was closed due to said door, and went in to the lounge. It turned out the bar wasn't closed and the lounge was basically empty.
After a local found a barwoman to serve me, I retired to a corner and wrote some of the longer ago posts on here - almost catching up to the present for once, until my laptop battery died. It's a decent suburban boozer and I'm sure it'll be missed by locals - but there must be more value in the land for the owners.
And it appears that's the plan. Although I had expected them to retain a pub on the site - there aren't that many nearby - there is none in the current submitted plans.
Approaching the pub there is a blank enough door to the side in to the bar and a larger one in to the lounge. I assumed the bar was closed due to said door, and went in to the lounge. It turned out the bar wasn't closed and the lounge was basically empty.
After a local found a barwoman to serve me, I retired to a corner and wrote some of the longer ago posts on here - almost catching up to the present for once, until my laptop battery died. It's a decent suburban boozer and I'm sure it'll be missed by locals - but there must be more value in the land for the owners.
N2354 12th Lock Hotel
Recently-ish reopened, this "boutique hotel" is in a small building between the Royal Canal and the Dublin-Sligo railway line at Castleknock. I wasn't sure if it was a modified original building, but it appears from the sale documents from 2012 that describe it as "purpose built hotel" that it isn't.
Now for a bit of a diversion - there's an oddity, but mostly explainable, in Dublin that the Grand Canal has or had pubs at nearly every lock and the Royal Canal doesn't - and the few along the Royal Canal are mostly recent enough builds. The probable explanation here is that passenger traffic along the Royal Canal ended a lot earlier and was replaced by the Midland Great Western Railway at a significantly improved speed and less stops.
So, confusingly, there was a "Twelfth Lock" pub at the same numbered lock of the Grand Canal, along the Lucan-Newcastle Road. As far as I know, this burnt down in the early 1990s when it was named the Fox's Head and was not replaced despite receiving planning to do so.
Anyway, the 12th Lock of now is on the Royal Canal, is a hotel and is very much run as one, although if you tell the waitstaff guarding the seating that you just want a drink there is no problem in buying same and selecting your seat.
Its a hotel bar all the way through and hence not the best place to pop in for a pint alone; although I'd think that it'd be a nice place for walkers along the tow path to rest for a bit.
I live near the Royal Canal myself, and have never seen as many boats along the rest as are berthed along the canal here, so there is something else to see if visiting.
Now for a bit of a diversion - there's an oddity, but mostly explainable, in Dublin that the Grand Canal has or had pubs at nearly every lock and the Royal Canal doesn't - and the few along the Royal Canal are mostly recent enough builds. The probable explanation here is that passenger traffic along the Royal Canal ended a lot earlier and was replaced by the Midland Great Western Railway at a significantly improved speed and less stops.
So, confusingly, there was a "Twelfth Lock" pub at the same numbered lock of the Grand Canal, along the Lucan-Newcastle Road. As far as I know, this burnt down in the early 1990s when it was named the Fox's Head and was not replaced despite receiving planning to do so.
Anyway, the 12th Lock of now is on the Royal Canal, is a hotel and is very much run as one, although if you tell the waitstaff guarding the seating that you just want a drink there is no problem in buying same and selecting your seat.
Its a hotel bar all the way through and hence not the best place to pop in for a pint alone; although I'd think that it'd be a nice place for walkers along the tow path to rest for a bit.
I live near the Royal Canal myself, and have never seen as many boats along the rest as are berthed along the canal here, so there is something else to see if visiting.
1003470 Canal Bar
This large building beside Ashtown railway station is a pub I pass up to ten times a week, but had never called in to before. There is a restaurant upstairs but the pub itself still has extremely high roof. The decor in general is a bit confusing - jokey posters, TVs in the toilets, netting on the ceiling. The pub has been here for a fair few years so I assume there was an original theme which has been modified over the years
There's a decent drinks menu and the food options look fine also - and there's always that separate restaurant upstairs if need be.
I probably rushed my visit here as I was planning to visit some other pubs along the railway line in a fairly limited timeframe, and kept calculating my time to home as if I was still in the city centre - forgetting I had already done a portion of the journey. This affected my next visit as well until I remembered I wasn't drinking on Pearse Street or otherwise adjacent to the Dublin City Archives where I had started the day.
Friday, 14 December 2018
N0207 Dillons
Every pub reopening is welcome, particularly when it is a premises which has been shut for a prolonged period of time. However, sometimes one is a little annoying to me in terms of my completion map - popping a blue pin up in a sea of green. Dillons did that, so I ensured it went green as soon as possible - I believe it was the second night when I turned up.
This was Liam Walshes / The Furry Glen (no, not the gay night of the same name - the pub was called that) in the past and had been closed for many, many years. It re-appeared on the licence register a while ago retaining its original number - the N and S series numbers are from pre-2006 or so, and reopened in mid-November.
Operated by the same owners as S1441 The Lamplighter (which actually closed for a refit immediately on opening here, with staff moving over for the interim), this pub has been renovated to a clean and modern standard but is still very traditional. There's a totally standard macro lineup of drinks available.
Friendly and approachable staff complete the setup here. Its a busy street for pubs (albeit there will probably never be as many as there were as recently as the early 2000s - Saddlers, Millennium and Judge Darleys all unlikely to return) so hopefully they can carve out their niche.
This was Liam Walshes / The Furry Glen (no, not the gay night of the same name - the pub was called that) in the past and had been closed for many, many years. It re-appeared on the licence register a while ago retaining its original number - the N and S series numbers are from pre-2006 or so, and reopened in mid-November.
Operated by the same owners as S1441 The Lamplighter (which actually closed for a refit immediately on opening here, with staff moving over for the interim), this pub has been renovated to a clean and modern standard but is still very traditional. There's a totally standard macro lineup of drinks available.
Friendly and approachable staff complete the setup here. Its a busy street for pubs (albeit there will probably never be as many as there were as recently as the early 2000s - Saddlers, Millennium and Judge Darleys all unlikely to return) so hopefully they can carve out their niche.
S0184 Leeson Lounge
I keep saying I'll catch up with posting, and I never do... this is from some weeks ago at this stage.
This is a rather odd pub for Dublin, and I quite like it based off my visit. A rambling living room of a pub, this is probably the closest to the lounge in a 70s house of any pub lounge in the city. I do presume this is the aesthetic it was going for.
Other pubs on the same night had been quite busy, but I was able to find a massive sofa in an alcove all to myself. Rather oddly, despite the pub being perfectly dry, there was a painting on the wall which had been completely consumed by mildew to the point of being unintelligible.
There was a nice, relaxed atmosphere here with a fairly interesting range of customers. The pub has live music sessions frequently, with quite a lot of jazz and blues on the schedules I've seen - I wonder if some of this moved from from JJs after it closed for renovation/redevelopment.
I can't remember what I drank considering how long ago this was, let alone the range of drinks on offer. If it was either amazingly good or incredibly bad I suspect I'd have remembered!
This is a rather odd pub for Dublin, and I quite like it based off my visit. A rambling living room of a pub, this is probably the closest to the lounge in a 70s house of any pub lounge in the city. I do presume this is the aesthetic it was going for.
Other pubs on the same night had been quite busy, but I was able to find a massive sofa in an alcove all to myself. Rather oddly, despite the pub being perfectly dry, there was a painting on the wall which had been completely consumed by mildew to the point of being unintelligible.
There was a nice, relaxed atmosphere here with a fairly interesting range of customers. The pub has live music sessions frequently, with quite a lot of jazz and blues on the schedules I've seen - I wonder if some of this moved from from JJs after it closed for renovation/redevelopment.
I can't remember what I drank considering how long ago this was, let alone the range of drinks on offer. If it was either amazingly good or incredibly bad I suspect I'd have remembered!
Thursday, 6 December 2018
December 2018 licence update
A relatively small but quite significant update this month:
New
1014544 The Ivy, Dawson Street - I wasn't expecting this to offer drinks without food, and indeed it may not, but it is licenced to
1014816 Canal Boat Restaurant, Mespil Road
Reappearance
N0256 Union Cafe, Churchtown Road - former McGowans licence reappears under its original licence number for the new restaurant (with full licence) here.
Reapperance/renumber
1014760 Richmond Gastropub, formerly N1113 Village Inn, Tyrconnell Road. I have drunk here before under the old guise.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)