N0280 Walshs

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.

RetroReview: S3359 Morgan Hotel

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.

N0279 The Drop Inn

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.

RetroReview: S3759 McGrattans

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)

1021189 Ruby Molly Hotel

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.

RetroReview: S3733 Intercontinental Hotel (as the Four Seasons)

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.

1013769 9 Below

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.