Not a sore spot
Dublin 6 institution McSorley’s is the last port of call on the rather tame Ranelagh Village Pub Crawl (only six stops) usually undertaken on match days. It’s not a bad place to end up though, as the weekend scrums attest – a DJ playing chart hits and a 2am last call turns the lounge into a madhouse Thursday to Saturday. Father-and-daughter team Michael and Michelle Murray run a tight ship and their well trained, black-clad bar staff cope heroically with the crush of hen nights, tourists and Leinster rugby fans. It’s far more civilised over the other side in the dark old bar, formerly a chemist. Here a moneyed local crowd lashes into nightcaps after dining upstairs in the Wild Goose Grill. The wine selection is printed quaintly on empty bottles of plonk, but this is a place for drinking pints – and very tasty they are too.
3 Sandford Road, Ranelagh, Dublin 6. 497 9775
Walsh your step
You might have just arrived in Walsh’s, but the exceptional staff will have you feeling like a regular right away. Friendly and quick to get your order, within a few rounds they’ll know what to fetch you with just a nod of your head. This Stoneybatter local has a decent-sized lounge with plenty of tables to cater for a gang, while the bar has snugs and partitions for a more intimate evening out. Historic clippings are spread around the walls; our favourite is the newspaper report of the day a bus smashed into the pub, taking the snug with it. There is a large plasma TV but it’s rarely switched on, for fear that it would take away from the good conversation bubbling within these four walls. The customers are a nice mix of long-established locals and more recent arrivals, and the air is relaxed. Not great for food but fear not, the Manor takeaway is down the road and the Sorrento just up Arbour Hill. That might be a guilty pleasure, this pub most certainly isn’t.
6-7 Stoneybatter, Dublin 7. 679 9693
Show me what you Yacht
Back in the the 1970s and 1980s, victorious Dublin GAA teams would retreat to this Clontarf boozer with the Sam Maguire in tow, celebrating their latest All-Ireland success into the wee hours. Times have changed, but the pub hasn’t. It’s as if they’re just waiting for the next triumphant Dubs team to walk through the door. That could take a while, lads, so until then, don’t mind us as we enjoy the great view of the sea and the nautical theme of the bar. Just watch your head with those lamps hanging from the ceiling. Trendy types drink here of a Saturday evening before heading into town, but this place is busy seven days a week. The grub is great, with seafood an understandable speciality. The staff won us over with their prompt service and manners. We hope for their sake it’s not too long before Sam is back where he belongs.
73 Clontarf Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3. 833 6364
Not so Well
With a prime location at the junction of Upper Baggot Street and Mespil Road, you’d expect this boozer to do a roaring trade every day of the week. However, the Wellington is, unfortunately, rather uninviting. Its exterior, particularly the doors, are rather shabby, and the inside isn’t much prettier. We don’t always need pretty in our pubs but if the décor is found wanting the least you can do is offer some character. But the Wellington disappoints on this front as well. Pictures of Frank Sinatra and his Brat Pack pals, along with tacky sheet music wallpaper on the hideously large support columns, do little to inspire the 1950s vibe that we think the pub is going for. Emblematic of the severe lack of cosiness is the shortage of couch space or low tables, although to be fair the large windows give you a good spot from which you can watch the world go by.
1a Upper Baggot Street, Dublin 4. 660 7344
Oh Henry!
Such is the Tudor look of this pub, with its lattice opaque windows hidden in a boxy facade, that I’m half expecting to walk in and find Henry the Eighth gawking at me. Alas, I only find a lass who is a member of the Gleeson family, owners of this, well, tavern for the last 30 years. The low ceiling gives a sense of intimacy to this one-roomed establishment. The glistening glasses dangling behind the bar are a lovely touch and the walls are covered with portraits of actors past and present, including Colin Farrell, who has been known to drop by. If you’re really lucky, you’ll earwig on some great chats. We overheard something hilarious but unfortunately unrepeatable from the two codgers at the bar – too bad we can’t tell you what it is.
74 Irishtown Road, Dublin 4. 668 0039
Village of the damned good pub
This place truly feels like a country pub. Situated in the quiet, leafy surroundings of Chapelizod, it’s hard not to feel instantly relaxed as you take in the plush carpets, oak-lined walls and comfy couches. Patrons are a nice mix of old-timers who have been coming here for years, and hip 20-somethings who have made the bar their own since moving into the surrounding apartment complexes. In the eternal debate over which pub in Dublin offers the best pint of Guinness, the Villager deserves to make the shortlist at the very least. The beer garden is spacious and well-heated. The bar menu offers just toasted ham and cheese sandwiches, but served on wholesome batch bread and with a decent side of crisps, they’ll fill a gap and then some. Best day to visit the Villager? Definitely a Sunday. Not for raucous hell-raising action, but rather for a decent chinwag and great service. And did we mention those very lovely pints?
31 Main Street, Chapelizod. 626 1766
The Return
I haven’t missed TramCo in the months it’s been closed – the truth is, I had never set foot in the place to begin with. Somehow, those alcopop-fueled 20-somethings staggering around outside at 3am just never quite drew me in. This mega-pub was once the poster child for all that is Rathmines on a weekend.
Mick McMonaghan, the new General Manager, knows this. “Towards the end…” he says, and makes a diving motion with his hand, implying ‘downhill’ or possibly even ‘plane crash.’ Thus, a full refurbishment and relaunch, including a mock-country pub setup in the foyer, new plasma screen TVs and an expanded beer garden. The centerpiece is a line of bespoke beers and a new name: TramCo Brewery.
From disco to artisan brewer? This sounds like more a demographic lurch than a shift; sure enough, talk soon turns to drawing “the mature drinker.” But it’s a risky move. Ireland lacks both the traditionalism of the real-ale movement in Britain and the innovation of the craft-beer industry in America. Without these, new Irish brands have been slow to gain traction. Unlike TramCo, Dublin’s successful brewpubs benefit from tourist-heavy locations.
One solution is solidarity; nearly every small Irish brewery poured at last month’s Septemberfest in Farmleigh, and the Porterhouse often hosts Messrs Maguire beers. “We would definitely be interested in other beers and other regions,” Mick acknowledges. “We’re supporting the brew, not just ours.”
Passion for beer is crucial, too. Our last talk comes on a day when the brewers themselves are in TramCo to train staff, which can only bode well.
Yet you can’t ignore that this is still TramCo: a cavernous space that needs to be filled. Already host to BBQs and local cover bands, there are plans for everything from homemade savoury pies and bagels to a tie-in with the neighbouring hotel. In a pub trying to be everything to everyone, the fear is the beers might get lost. Not so, says Mick, “Four beers are just the start. We’ve 14 empty taps and it is set up that way. We’re prepared to take time with it.”
121 Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6. 496 8049
Temple Bar goes ‘avant-garde’
Given its location, it’s no small irony that 24 Eustace Street has been a much-maligned spot. Previous incarnations proved ill-fated: Switch’s popularity was bewilderingly short-lived, while the Hub faded out with nary a whimper. (The fact that the toilet doors didn’t close properly can’t have helped matters.) After a bout of furious rebranding and redecorating, the Think Tank was born late last year. The venue/club has been billed ostensibly as “an avant-garde artistic melting pot bringing together art, music and visual elements to create a truly innovative club experience.” After this bout of self-congratulatory buzzword overkill, hopes aren’t exactly mile high for the venue’s long-term health around these quarters. Its atmosphere – aided by perfectly perfunctory bar service – remains oddly cavernous yet sparse at the same time. Adding insult to injury is the studiously hip decor – artsy murals, minimalist seats, you name it – that you thought had long gone out of fashion. Or perhaps the Think Tank crew are ahead of the curve and it’s all about to come back into fashion. Either way, if Ireland’s creative illuminati (ahem) migrate from the Bernard Shaw to revel in ThinkTank’s ‘conceptual’ haven, we’ll eat our drainpipe jeans.
24 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. 086 806 7145, thethinktank.ie
Strawberry Hall Forever
this gem of a watering hole has been around for centuries; fans will tell you it actually predates the Brazen Head, which famously claims to be Dublin’s oldest pub. But whether it’s the oldest or not doesn’t matter – it’s one of the best. Situated by the beautiful Strawberry Beds, the family-run Hall attracts an eclectic crowd, as well as the odd celebrity (Madonna, we’re talking about you). Another star attraction is Dublin’s last working Bagatelle (Russian billiards) table. In the winter the pub is cosy and welcoming, but in summer it really shines, as you sup a pint in the open air and hear the Liffey babble gently in the background. You’ll feel a million miles from the madness of city living, especially as you watch the poor saps caught in the M50 gridlock at the nearby overpass.
Strawberry Beds, Dublin 20. 821 0634
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