At a random guess, we’ve covered approximately seventy pubs in Dublin at this stage and we’ve only just scratched the surface. But nonetheless, there is still fight left in us and we’ll struggle on through Pub Crawls and Random Drop-Inns until we can say finally, when anyone asks “Have you been in such-and- such” that yes, we’ve been there because, well, we’ve been everywhere.

So, with our mission in mind, on the last weekend in June and we hit the streets again. The five regulars met up at Molly Malone, but this pub crawl we had a special guest; we were joined by a good comrade World by Storm from Cedar Lounge Revolution. I was on hand to lead the way, and started by covering old ground. Our first spot was one we had crossed on our travels before, but we didn’t stop for a pint last time, such was the “welcome” we got. I’m glad I decided to give the place a second chance, as we were delighted with the welcome and the pint we got this time around. We were, of course, in McDaids of Harry Street. And while the sun shone down on us on this pub crawl, it was back to Guinness for all of us.

McDaids, by Carly Whelan, from Flickr.

A different day, a different barman and a totally different attitude. Whereas last visit, we were made feel so uncomfortable we left without ordering the pints, this time we were more than happy to stick around, the telly was off, there were plenty of stools for us to plonk ourselves down on, and the Guinness seemed to be the regulars choice. All six of us were happy with the fare, and took to nattering away amongst ourselves, inevitably about archaic Irish politics. McDaids was one of the pubs to take part in the Arthurs Day celebrations last year so I chanced my arm and asked the barman if they had any of the “250″ beermats lying around. Smart enough, he asked if I was collecting them to flog them on E-bay, obviously I’m not the first person to have asked; but kindly enough, he disappeared down to the basement and brought back up a stack. Nice one. A pub with great history this, one of those pubs to be mentioned in the same breath as Davy Byrnes, O’ Donoghues and the Baggot Inn, a favoured spot of Behan, O’Brien et al. The pint, at €4.65 was not overly extortionate considering we were just off Grafton Street. Definitely glad we gave this place a second chance, we were sorely tempted to stay for a few but we had four more pubs to go through, and plenty of topics of conversation to cover before the end of the night.

The Hairy Lemon, by the fantastic Infomatique, from Flickr.

So onwards and upwards to our next spot, The Hairy Lemon on Stephen Street. I’ve only ever been here once before, and that was to avail of their well reknowned lunches. But the fare was different today, as was the crowd as six fine pints of Guinness were put up in front of us in a pub free of the shirts and ties that were here last time I was.

Named after a notorious and nefarious 1950′s Dublin dog-catcher, the bar is a throw back to old Dublin. It was used as a location in arguably the best film to come out of this city, and one that depicts it best, Roddy Doyles “The Commitments.” And it hasn’t changed a bit since then; not that you’d want it to either. We stationed ourselves at a big kitchen table down the back of the pub in an area I didn’t notice on my last visit. This place was, in a former life, The Pymalion, a pub with a deep history of its own, being home to the punk and metal scene in 1980′s Dublin. We drank at our leisure, and again, the intricacies of political splits and the history of the Irish music scene were covered and recovered by all, with World by Storm chipping in as if he were a pub crawl regular; his insights and knowlege were very welcome! It was hard not to get comfortable here, and I had to remind our comrades that while the pints (Unfortunately steep at €4.80) were tasty, we had further to venture. Tip of the day for this place; all continental beers are €4… Deal.

Hogans, by 1541, from Flickr.

Futher, but thankfully not too far. Bypassing a couple of places in the vicinity, we headed to our next watering hole, Hogans on South Great Georges Street. An odd place this, it tries to strike the balance between old and new school Dublin, like crossing Brendan Behan with Ross O’Carroll Kelly and they do it quite well actually. Walking in the front door (which is actually around the corner on Fade Street, not far from the recently sad-to-be-missed Road Records) you’re met immediately by a long bar, a mere ten foot away from you. You could be forgiven for thinking that thats all there is, until you walk around the corner and find a duplicate of the bar backing onto it, and another huge area behind, with plenty of seating.

We took our place under a Queens Park Rangers calender, definitely out of place but amusing all the same. This place gets mental on Friday and Saturday nights, when the trendy types roll out and it tends to be wall to wall jammers- but Sunday afternoon pints work here too. The pint was well received, at €4.45 it was well presented and for taste was definitely around the 4/5 mark. It’s very rare you’ll get the 5/5 mark (from me anyways.) While I liked this place, we didn’t stay long, gathering ourselves together and heading Northside, for what is only the second time on the pubcrawls if I remember correctly. Shocking stuff really! But, not too far northside- the next port of call was Jack Nealons pub on Capel Street.

Jack Nealons, by Lilyandthejoh, from Flickr.

I love a pub with an open fire, and although there wasn’t one blazing on that Sunday, I made a mental note to drop back in when the harsh winter kicks in and a pint beckons. After a bit of confusion with us looking like we trying to gatecrash a private party upstairs, we eventually got a perch around a high table by the window, under a telly showing sheep dog trials, bizarre enough but enchanting all the same. Cue everyone looking up at me (the only culchie in the place) “how the f*ck does the dog know what way to go?!” With plenty of hyas and whistles. Mad stuff. The pub itself was established in 1905, and caters for a range of clientele- For while the last time I was here, it was a Friday evening and the place was packed with office workers from the area indulging in the bars impressive cocktail menu, Sunday seemed to be a regulars only affair.

We were joined here by veteran pub crawl part timers DMcHugh and ANagle, and the pints were really starting to flow now. Pints of the night here for me, and as such we ended up staying for more than intended. At €4.20, they were a steal. The place really had a nice feel to it as the evening outside started to dim and time had come for us to depart again and head for our last stop, The Bachelor Inn on Bachelors walk.

The Bachelor Inn, by ClarkeC_99_88, from Flickr.

The Bachelor Inn is what you would call an institution in itself. There are some pubs in the city centre, like Neds on Townsend Street, or Molloys on Talbot Street that seem like they’ve been there for ever. The Bachelor Inn joins those; certainly a regulars bar, but not one ready to turn away eight pint hungry bloggers. The barstaff in the place are top notch- it was getting on by the time we got there, a bit like ourselves to be honest. There was no such thing as just the one or two in here, there were several return trips to the bar. And the best thing about the place? Hitting the magical hour where if drinkers aren’t out of the pubs, they turn into pumpkins, or get their names taken by over- zealous Gardai, the barman made his way up to the back of the pub to ask if we would care to indulge in another beverage. What a man. Of course, the answer was a resounding yes from all concerned. I’d be lying if I said I remember how the night went after that, but before I got to the stage where my memory went out the window, I made up my mind that I liked the Bachelor Inn very much. Deceptively large, it stretches way back towards the Bachelors Lotts behind it. A nice, clean and well run pub too, with plenty of seating up the back. There was a nice buzz about the place too, with plenty of buzz and laughter which, for a fairly tight regulars bar, didn’t quieten down when us shower entered! €4.40 a pint and no complaints, they do a regulars card, for… regulars, and possession of one of these grants you the honour of getting pints for a bargain €4. One to remember!

Right. So five more pubs down, and many more to go. A big shout out to World by Storm, and as ever, our other regulars DFlood, Hammy, ANagle and DMcHugh. We’ll be back soon, and if I remember correctly, pints are on Sam. Nice one.

Stubborn. I’m very stubborn.

Friends had just left Ireland for excursions abroad, and others have just moved homes. All events worthy of celebration. I hadn’t seen eight full hours of sleep in a few days, and everyone else invited to the crawl was much the same. Still, this is like Christmas mass at this stage. The pub crawl is a sacred thing, and many sore heads were evident at Connolly Station before departure.

Cleary's, credit to thatman1 on Flickr.

I’ve frequently gone past Cleary’s, or the ‘pub under the bridge’ with my father in the car. We’ve both meant to venture in, but never have, perhaps owing to the fact I’d drink a bit nearer to the bus stop (You know what I mean). Like many of the great Dublin boozers, Cleary’s has been in the hands of the one family for generations. On first entering, I’m struck by the interior, a beautiful bar which feels a bit like Ryan’s on Parkgate Street and a handful of others which don’t seem to have aged at the same pace as other pubs in the city. The bar is busy, and seems to have plenty of locals, impressive on a ‘GAA day’ in itself. Thinking we’re screwed for seats, the very likeable barman tells us to pop down the back. A huge lounge is there, most welcoming and plenty of room for an ever-growing group. Soldiers are coming back from the wars of the weekend, slowly dripping in to the group. Sam notes a snap of the Irish Citizen Army on the wall of the bar, always a thumbs up. The pints are perfectly fine, in fact a step above the norm. All in all, I’m off to a flyer.

Or so it seemed.

Harbor Master, credit to flickr user jellyshots

The Harbour Master really takes you back when you step inside. A beautiful restaurant/bar, the decoration is top class. It is telling that one of our company, who works in design, is impressed by the attention to detail in the presentation of the premises. Everything here looks wonderful, food included. Everything, down to the Guinness.

One of the lads complains of a one-pour pint. I’m ever the optimist however, and proceed to tuck into my own. It dawns on me, and everyone else at the table, that these are rubbish. If you read my pub crawls, or Random Drop Inn’s, you’ll know I’m not in the business of slating pubs. I’ll leave this one by saying on leaving the premises, two or three half full pints littered a table of seven. A disappointing one.

Never mind that, we’re on a boat now.

Quay 16, credit to Flickr user infomatique

This is great. Perhaps our most unusual one to date, the MV Cill Airne ship rests on the River Liffey and provides excellent views of NAMA buildings, The Point and the docklands in general. The dreaded price list turned out to be not so scary at all, in fact I was taken aback that a Guinness on board was in the same price range as one in any city centre pub today. We rest on the deck enjoying the views of the city, and lose track of time completely here. In all truth, I could have abandoned the tour (abandon ship seemed weak) here and been content for the night. Alas, crawls don’t work that way.

I don’t doubt they would frown on large groups of lads treating this one as a ‘pub’ as such (It is definitely a restaurant first) but a visit to the MV Cill Airne should be on your agenda. Without sounding my young age, it is…pretty cool?

I move the pub crawl on, in the direction of Pearse Street. The pub I wanted to visit next seems closed, not closed as in “we’re not open yet”, but closed as in “we’re not going to be open again”. panicking, I push on for Cassidy’s on Westmoreland Street.

Cassidy’s seems closed. Not closed as in “we’re not open yet”, but closed as in “we’re not going to be open again”. I think on my feet, and opt for Fitzgeralds on Aston Quay. I’ve never even gone in here to use the toilet, and this is a real gamble. All I know of this pub is that a ‘ghost sign’ now stands out front, from the time this was the Daniel O’ Connell.

Straight away, I cop the sight of t-shirts behind the bar. Normally, this is a bad sign. There are a few exceptions (Kavanagh’s, Mulligan’s) but generally a pub shifting t-shirts is a bit shamrocky for my liking. I’m pleasantly surprised by Fitzgerald’s but, and as The Shins come on the radio I realise I’m doing ok today. Against the odds, this pub crawl is working out.

The smoking area is excellent, I first mistook it for some sort of quiet room, decorated with a few old Guinness murals and with plenty of room for a reasonable crowd, it’s only a tiny drop of rain that makes me look up and realise where we are standing. One of the lads opts for a bowl of soup, always a safe bet, and returns content fifteen minutes later, insisting it was great. With its location, it’s hard to imagine a pub like this having any ‘locals’ as such, but it is a most decent effort. In short, it’s fine. I’m glad it was there today, and I’d probably drop in again.

By now, it is obviously Sunday night. I want to go to a pub that is, at most, six minutes walk away, but people are having none of it. Everyone is hungry, apparently. A flexible fellow, I decide perhaps Madigans on O’ Connell Street will do. There are, as some of you will know, three Madigans within a stones-throw of one another around O’ Connell Street. It remains an ambition of mine to one day do a pub crawl of Dublin that will consist only of visiting pubs called Madigans. I think it will be a nightmare for people to read. This one, is the one with a sizeable snap of Jack Daniels in the window. Up by The Gresham.

Maidgans, credit to flickr user susan crawford. I love this snap actually.

Once again, I’ve never been in here. One of my locals, The Hop House, is too close to justify it. I like this one but. The Guinness is great, the bar man a really nice character, and the pub homely, far larger that it appears from outside. It’s one of those pubs you’re at a loss to describe in too much depth, but also would be hard pushed to fault. It’s by no means as exciting as the MV Cill Airne, but it is a nice conclusion to an enjoyable pub crawl.

With that, we were done. Another five down. Another Sunday evening complete, and everyone returned home. Quite the weekend.

As you should know by now, every month this blog organises a pub-crawl. In rotation, a different person chooses the five pubs in advance, picks a meeting point in the city and makes sure not to let any details slip to the rest of the group about what pubs are to be visited.

Sunday, 19th September. 4pm, Love Lane.

Myself, HXCI and veteran JFlood meet up to start our 13th pub crawl.

This time around I chose the area of Beggars Bush and Lower Baggot Street. Firstly, because I worked in the neighborhood over the summer and though I got to know the place well, never set foot in any of its watering holes and secondly, seeing as it was the day of the All Ireland final, I guessed it was far enough away from Croke Park to ensure a pub crawl free of hordes of GAA fans.

Setting off at a few minutes past four, we crossed the historic Mount Street bridge, past No. 25 Northumberland Road, and into the area knows as Beggars Bush. (Yes, it did get its name for being the “traditional assembly-point for country vagrants”)

Our first stop of the afternoon was Jack Ryans of Beggars Bush. The first thing that struck was me was the amount of photographs along the wall opposite the bar. Thankfully they weren’t all the all too frequent mix match of Italia ’90 posters, cliche paddy wackery saying and reproduction sign posts. The photographs, all of the immediate area, showed the changes that had occurred over the last 300 years. That’s what you want to see in a pub. Something original. Something that you wouldn’t see anywhere else. I had read online that there was a picture of American poet John Berryman on the walls as well, who lived in the area and frequented Ryan’s Lounge in the 1960s, but I couldn’t see it myself.

We took our perfectly poured pints from the friendly barman (who said thanks at least three times) and settled down in the lounge. Here, we were joined by DFallon who admitted to taking the scenic route from the Quays to Beggars Bush (via Leeson Street!). At €3.80 a pint, these were the cheapest and quite possibly the best pints we had this pub crawl.

Jack Ryans, Beggars Bush. 2010

Jack Ryans, Beggars Bush. 1962.

After a lengthy discussion on the recently screened James Connolly documentary, we left Jack Ryans and headed down Haddington Road, past the Church bell tower that British snipers used during the Rising, and into Smyths, the less upmarket neighbour of The 51. Smyth’s is a perfectly nice, small pub that proved to be a life-saver as it began to lash rain shortly after we arrived. (It became famous in 1999 for being the first pub in Irish history to be sold online) We were the only ones in the ‘Bar’ side of the pub and enjoyed our window seats. The pints were fine and came to €4.50 each. A price that you’d expect to pay for a pint of Guinness in Dublin city but it was noted that Jack Ryans (The Beggars Bush) which was less than 5 minutes walk away charged 70c less. JFlood, the only smoker of the group, remarked on the large, plastic covered ‘smoking area’ at the back entrance of the bar.

Back entrance to Smyths. Undated.

Onwards and upwards. We slipped down Eastmoreland Lane and took a right, bringing us onto Upper Baggot Street. (I hate backtracking on pub crawls). The Waterloo and Searsons are next door to each other and during my ‘pub crawl homework’, it was a difficult choice on which one to pick. I had never set foot in either. In the end, I chose The Waterloo manly for the fact that Searsons had been recently bought over by the Superpub empire Thomas Reads. I had hoped The Waterloo retained some charm, it was like many other pubs in Dublin in the 1960s, a haunt of Patrick Kavanagh and Brendan Behan.

Today, the Waterloo is a large, ‘trendy’ bar. ‘Souless’ might be a little bit strong, but it’s not far off. The most memorable physical aspect of the place is the towering church-like roof. There was a Christening party well under way upstairs but we managed to get decent enough seats in the empty smoking room. A couple of kids started the classic game of seeing ‘who can run around our table as fast as possible without hurting themselves’. One little boy banged his hand against a table and started crying, he lost. Finishing our average pints (€4.50) and grabbing a handful of free leaflets and magazine on the way out, we made our way back Southside.

Stomach’s were growling at this stage, so we made a pit stop at Beshoff’s on Mespil Road. Here, we were joined by our Corkonian CHTM! pub crawl virgin Mary who was in jolly moods after the Rebel County’s win.

The Waterloo.

Our fourth stop of the evening was Larry Murphy’s on Lower Baggot Street. I expecting more from the place. It was empty, dark and a little bit depressing. No one was particularly happy with their pints (€4.50). The decor wasn’t interesting, the barman wasn’t very friendly and the loud jukebox music didn’t really help sell the place. We were great happy to move off. (That saying the pub does enjoy favourable reviews on Yelp, they all mention “after -work” weekday drinks though)

Larry Murphy's Pub. (Photo - Chris Brearley)

Last but not least was Hartigan’s. I had originally had picked it out for my first pub crawl but like a lot of pubs that day, it was closed. The wooden paneling and general decor was quite nice on the eye. Despite having such strong links with generations of UCD students, I was a bit disappointed about the lack of Earlsfort Terrace memorabilia on the walls. (Former residents of nearby Hatch Hall (UCD student residency) still meet socially in Hartigans pub on the first Wednesday of every calendar month; a social gathering known as “Hatch Wednesday”)

Though Mary was disappointed with the response of the bartender after she asked for her pint of Carlsberg to be changed, nearly everyone agreed that these were the best pints of Guinness (€4.35) of the pub crawl. Close call between Hartigan’s and The Beggars Bush definitely.

Hartigan's

If you ever find yourself in the Beggars Bush area, do drop into Jack Ryans. If you ever get stuck in bad weather on Haddington Road, check out Smyth’s rather than The 51. I wouldn’t go out of my way but if your ever on Lower Baggot Street, The Waterloo is probably your best bet. Avoid Larry Murphy’s unless there’s a big after-work session going on and if you like your Guinness, you could do a lot worse than Hartigan’s.

Unless you’re a newcomer to CHTM, you’ll know that on one Sunday a month the three of us, in the company of a small group of friends head out on a pub crawl, with pubs selected by one member of our troop but not revealed until we’re standing outside the door.

So, Halloween evening, and it was pubcrawl time again. This week, the pubs were selected by JFlood, the only person outside of the CHTM trio to have ventured to pick a route so far. The starting point was Charlemont Luas stop, not far from Ranelagh, so we had a fair idea what side of the city we were headed for. Four thirty was the alotted meet up, and we didn’t have far to go to the first stop, The Barge on Charlemont Street.

I’ve been told that on a warm Summers day, there’s nowhere like the place, getting your pint from the bar and then heading out to sit by the canal and enjoy it. No such luck today, four thirty, Halloween afternoon, dark and dreary Dublin. Not inside The Barge though, a large airy bar split into three levels, the ground floor, a mezzanine area and the second story.  A beautiful place to look at inside, and spotless throughout; I was quite taken with the place on first impressions. What I wasn’t mad about was that most of the trade was taken up by a Sunday lunch crowd. Now this isn’t an offence in itself, but I’m not crazy on the idea of having a few scoops somewhere in the knowledge that there’s a family tucking into dinner beside me. The food looked and smelled great, but it was the Guinness we were here for. We took up position in an excellent little snug hidden upstairs with a couch and two arm-chairs squeezed into it and hit the bar to be welcomed by the news that the barman would drop down our pints; a nice touch.  The pint, at €4.40 went down well- they obviously take pride in their presentation, as unlike a lot of places that do food, the glasses were spotless and the pint looked perfect. I quite liked this place, it was nice to be tucked away from the hustle and bustle, with the barman down to us after a few minutes asking if we wanted another. But, we were only staying for one so had to make our apologies.

The Barge Bar by Bill in DC, from Flickr

As expected, JFlood led us yet again away from our comfort zone of the city centre. His previous pubcrawls had taken us around The Liberties (my favourite pubcrawl yet by far) and Rathmines so it didn’t suprise me when we headed up Ranelagh Road.

The next pub was one I don’t think half of our group had ever set eyes on before, never mind set foot in. Hidden away on Mount Pleasant, behind the new school on Ranelagh Road and with rows of neighbouring on either side, The Hill is reminiscent, situation wise at least, of Gravediggers in Glasnevin- hidden away in  residential area. But as often the case, a hidden pub can be a hidden gem and such is the case for The Hill. A smashing looking bar inside and out, this place looks like its been here since time began; they’ve maintained the Victorian stylings down through the years, and is the kind of pub that feels like its been passed down through generations. A quick look in the Irish Times archive shows it was last on auction in 1999 so that dispels that notion.

We got a few inquisitive looks as we entered, a definite sign of a locals bar, but thats to be expected as the bar lies off the beaten track. The barman again offered to bring the pints down and we sat ourselves in a raised seating area up the back, under the telly. And whilst Liverpool were on, and there were a few regulars watching, the volume wasn’t pumped up as it would normally be and we had no problem talking over it. Not too far away from Rover’s heartland of Miltown here so myself and DFallon exchanged a few nods at the expense of the regulars nattering about their lifting of the LOI trophy on Friday night. It did suprise me when one of them let a roar out of him when Liverpool scored with a few minutes to go- in Rovers absence from Miltown, he had obviously adopted an English club… Again though, a beautiful pub.

The Hill, Ranelagh. Pic by Hellplex, from Flickr

Obviously extended into one of the houses next door, the pub seems a lot larger inside than it does out. The pints arrived, and at €4.15 certainly weren’t to be sniffed at; the pint of the night for me. Conversation flowed in this place, and where we normally end up ranting about Michael Collins towards the end of our monthly pubcrawl, he was a target of out venom in our second pub here, (well, more the Neil Jordan film about him. A car bomb? In Dublin Castle? Now there’s historical revisionism.) Nice warm bar, interesting surroundings, great pint and a spotless jacks led this to be pub (as well as pint) of the night for me.

So back into the cold and dark and onwards to our next stop, Russell’s in Ranelagh village. Another eatery this, but as the evening was getting their wasn’t too many around. An odd place this, for while in was clean and tastefully decorated, it just lacked a certain something- there wasn’t much on the walls to distinguish what kind of a crowd it draws; normally you have a few pictures, snaps of locals or whatever. Russell’s? Nothing that we could see. According to one of the lads, its a big rugby pub, but you wouldn’t know it apart from the ads on the front doors. The pint came in at €4.40 and wasn’t too bad, less care for the presentation here though as two of the four pints were over-filled, while not a mortal sin, its something I know the Guinness quality control team frown upon.

Russells of Ranelagh from YPYounge.ie

Where the first two pubs oozed character, both I would say due mainly to their locations (The Barge right next to a lock and The Hill looking like it was just dropped into a row of houses by accident, I just couldn’t take to this place- it felt more restaurant or bisto than bar, and I don’t think any of us felt too comfortable here. Upstairs looked great, and the smoking area is out on a balcony which is a nice touch but we didn’t fancy the cold so we stayed inside, again up under a telly at the back of the bar.

So onwards to Smyths, just down the road, but not before a quick stop in the Ranelagh chipper and bags of chips all round here. Suprising to see the McDonalds on the corner closed; you’d think they at least would weather the recession- apparently not. Anyway, into Smyths, quite a nice spot,  most of the tables inside occupied, and the ones that weren’t had glasses on them, suggesting a busy evening. With the football just over, I’d presume it was that. Up at the bar I ran into an ex- workmate of mine, a retired civil servant and she swears by this place; I trust her judgement.

Smyths of Ranelagh

As I said, there was a decent crowd in here, so we made our way out to the smoking area. Wood panelled, well heated with a flatscreen showing La Liga, we were all happy here. There are Trinity residences around the corner and what we presume were some of the residents, most of whom embraced the halloween spirit and were wearing fancy dress, took up most of the area, but we found a nice little corner right under a heater. The pint, at €4.45 was the business, well presented, a decent head and tasted great; or my belly may just have been happy from the bag of chips ten minutes earlier. One of the lads definitely got costume of the night approval from CHTM anyways as Super Mario walked past, moustache specially grown for the occasion. Legend. We stayed for a couple here, comfortable as we were, and Smyth’s is definitely a spot I’d have no qualms about coming back to.

I’ll be honest and say this is where it starts to get hazy. JFlood had the next spot picked, McSorley’s, only a few doors down. Chris, my old workmate had told me to head up there either way, recommending it as a great spot. And it was a great spot, though not necessarily my kind of spot. The barman was dead-on, dressed in the garb of the local secondary school, we knocked a bit of craic out of the American football on the telly that nobody seemed to be watching except him.

McSorleys, Ranelagh. from their Facebook

As I said, a nice place, candle lit tables lined the walls, and several of them were occupied. Where Smyth’s seemed to be a youger crowd, McSorley’s came across as more of a thirty- something spot.  They do food, and I’d say the place gets busy on a Friday and Saturday night (its a late bar and so stays open until two o’clock at weekends) but tonight was just a steady stream of custom so we nabbed ourselves a high table close to the bar. Pints were €4.45 and there were no complaints.

We did visit one more pub, Birchall’s but I’d be doing it an injustice to try and review it as I simply can’t remember a thing about the place other than that the pints were somewhere around the €4.40 mark and were fine. And I’m sorry, thats all I remember, not from the drink, honestly. Myself and DFallon were sober enough to make our way back to the Luas stop, somehow befriend the drunkest woman in the world (by befriend, I mean she came up and started talking to us before lying down on the platform.) So there you are, six pubs, five that I remember. Standout of the night though had to be The Hill. But for it’s Rovers associations, it’d be perfect.

Unless you’re a newcomer to CHTM, you’ll know that on one Sunday a month the three of us, in the company of a small group of friends head out on a pub crawl, with pubs carefully selected by one member of our troop but not revealed until we’re standing outside the door. Five pubs with a bit of history thrown in, what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Unbeknownst to ourselves, we hit a landmark on January’s crawl and didn’t celebrate it in style. We’ve been wondering how long it would take us to reach the hundred pubs mark on CHTM! and we did it here, and in less than a year- with three of our number drinking bottles of Lech and another a Lithuanian beer called Svyturys in O’Byrnes Bar, on the corner of Capel St. and Bolton St. Don’t get me wrong, we found it to be a lovely place; any pub with an open fire gets our vote of confidence pretty much straight away. It was just the fact that we thought our hundredth pub would be a great pint of Guinness in an institution like Mulligans or the Lord Edward; our fault really, covering them in the first couple of pub crawls.

O'Byrnes Bar, taken from the Tale of Ale blog

O’Byrnes though- a lovely pub with sound staff and a great taste in decor- the walls are bedecked with some classic 7″ records alongside old Hot Press covers and obligatory pictures of the Dubliners, Thin Lizzy and the likes.  We neglected to take the comfy looking couches inside the door in favour of the seats down the back beside the (unfortunately dying) fire. This place has been known as a “corner of death,” in that any business opened here in recent years rarely lasts too long, but the current owners have done a fine job in bringing something to the place, offering a range of Irish craft beers and ales which come highly recommended from the excellent Tale of Ale blog. Great tunes filtered in over the stereo too, a mix of classic and Irish rock. As nice as it was, its a pub I’d like to return to on a busy night to really see what its like. As with all of the pubs on this crawl, there was no smoking area. Lucky we only had the one smoker with us so!

Bodkins, by the ever brilliant Infomatique, from Flickr

And so, we ventured across the road to Bodkins. Probably our first “student bar” to visit on a pub crawl, this was more a space filler between bars one and three than one I’d normally pick. Lets call it a “cultural experiment.” We were joined here by a pub crawl newbie and happily started into the Guinness. €4 a pint, not bad for the city centre, but certainly not the best pint of Guinness we have tasted on our rounds; a bit of an aftertaste and it lost it’s head very quickly. They do a €5 bar menu and thats probably the cause of that. They also have free wifi and do a “laptop loan” (“unless you’re an asshole” as per their site, which is fair enough.) There’s not many places left in the city centre with pool tables, but this being the closest DIT Bolton Street has to a student bar, you can see why they’re there, alongside a signed Man. Utd. jersey in memory of a young lad that passed away, a jukebox and plenty of televisions showing the footie.  It has drink deals (three bottles of Sol for a tenner and that kind of thing, ) but in complete opposite from our next stop, its certainly no local.

Cumiskeys, taken from Google Street View

Our next stop? Up towards Broadstone Station and into Cumiskey’s on Dominick Street. Happy to get in out of the wind and drizzle, we took up a spot in the corner just inside the door. I’ve been in here a couple of times before, and it really is the epitome of a regulars bar; it has the feeling that you’ve just walked into someone’s sitting room, and for me, thats certainly no bad thing. There was no barman either when we walked in, soon to be remedied as a man we later found out to be the owner welcomed us, took our order and told us he’d drop it down. A snug, welcoming pub with an obliging barman? Heaven. €4 a pint here, and we were joined by another couple of pubcrawlers, JohnF and Ang, and a special guest in the form of Tommy Graham from History Ireland magazine. Tommy is a regular here and himself and his better half filled us in with the history of the Hendron’s building across the road and of the surrounding area.

I’ve read reviews of this place that marked it negatively for being a regulars spot, but we certainly didn’t have that issue, and this was one of those pubs that one pint became three and we were tempted to stay for more. I ended up wishing that I’d started the pubcrawl here, as I’d originally intended to do, as at least then we could have had a 100th pub worthy of a place in the top five pubs we’ve visited over the last year or so, or at least ended it so we could stay as long as we wanted. My top five, if you want to know, and in no particular order were: Cumiskeys of Constitution Hill, Mulligans of Poolbeg Street, Mother Reilly’s in Rathmines, the Lord Edward at Christ Church and the Dame Tavern, off Georges’ Street; Not all because of how I rated their Guinness, that was one of the main reasons, but for atmosphere, uniqueness and “returnability.” Unfortunately we had to stick to rules and take in five pubs so the time came and we had to leave Cumiskey’s. Some of us had a Bohs fundraiser to head to, others planning to make their way to the excellent Sleepless Soul night in The Good Bits. All I have for this place is praise, a lovely pub, with lovely people and a lovely pint.

We bypassed McGowans’s (the Copperface Jacks of Broadstone) and headed into The Phibsboro House. Guinness was the drink of choice here and again rang in around the €4 mark. Deep in Bohs territory, where some of us feel at home, DFallon was behind enemy lines, most definitely in this bar, a meeting point for many Gypsies fans before home games.

Clarkes Phibsboro House, from Google Street View

A large bar that stretches way back, it is divided into two by a wooden partition and a swinging door. We were the only people in the front part of the bar at the time, while there seemed to be a good crowd in the back, coming and going from the toilets. Its generally around this time where things start to get fuzzy for me and tonight was no exception. (We really should bring out a dictaphone on these adventures, the conversations tend to go from interesting to surreal fairly quickly.) I do seem to remember some a poster with Jack Charlton on it and a framed Irish Volunteers poster.   A nice place, but we didn’t stay too long, heading onwards toward The Hut, deep in the heart of Phibsboro, and mine and JayCarax’s stomping ground.

The Hut is a place I’ve seen a fair bit of as its generally my pre-game drinking spot. A good Bohs bar this, taking it’s name from the old dressing rooms in Dalymount. Pre-game, The Hut is generally thronged with young and old wrapped in red and black. Not tonight though as we take up residency in the snug behind the bar, somewhere I’ve never ventured before as it’s occupied by long established regulars during the day. I neglected to take my notebook with me on this pubcrawl and to be honest, the buttons were starting to get blurry on the phone (modern technology, eh?) so I don’t recall the price here. From previous visits, I think it was around the €4.20 mark and the one thing I do remember is it was a great pint, and we stayed for a couple; then again I’ve never had a bad pint here before so I wasn’t expecting one now! It’s a solid local bar, and one thats often frequented by the prison officers from Mountjoy; during the daytime the preserve of regulars, with the horses on telly and lads in and out to the bookies nearby. But on a Sunday night, the weekend was winding down and the place was far from packed and the football highlights were on with few taking any interest apart from ourselves. The staff, as usual were polite and weren’t slow to serve. The problem with a lot of city centre bars is staff who’ll only take one order at a time. I can’t imagine them getting away with that in here.

So onwards and upwards it was, some to Dalymount, some for a dance at the Sleepless Soul night. A good day of drinks and chatter, and while I was going over old ground, it was covering new territory for the others. I hope it was as good for them as it was for me… The next pub crawl belongs to JayCarax.

This is not a pint. Read on....

New here? Once a month we visit five Dublin pubs, give them a quick once over, and review them here. Simple.

This pub crawl was made all the better by the fact we’ve decided to attempt to couple all future crawls with a cultural event. We’d met up earlier than usual on the Sunday in question to take in a walking tour of Grangegorman Military Cemetery, and as such were feeling pretty chuffed with ourselves. Pints are great, granted- but they’re always nicer after a day out.

Anyway, this months pubs….

Right opposite the Ha’penny Bridge, I was always amazed by the fact a large premises at the entrance to Merchants Arch was allowed sit vacant for so long. Once an Abrakebabra, and a rowdy one at that, it must be one of those city centre business premises doomed to failure in any guise I thought. Now, with the arrival of the Merchants Arch Bar, maybe all has changed.

This pub is one of those pubs where you have to make your way past a young woman with a menu in hand to get in. In post Celtic Tiger Dublin, it’s a pretty standard fixture with any Temple Bar establishment. While I’ve heard the food here is excellent, I’ve a good feed in me already and besides my student pockets don’t allow it (PRIORITIES), and a round of pints are the height of it. The interior of the pub is beautiful, I’d compare it almost to the downstairs of the nearby Workman’s Club. Minimal and classic. There is no clutter here on the walls, like in the ‘done up’ (read: completely ruined) Eamonn Doran’s only a short distance away. There, it’s all Michael Collins, Shamrocks and the little people.

There is rugby on the telly. I know absolutely nothing about rugby. I know one thing though, this is loud. Just too loud to let conversation flow freely. Despite the bar being quite busy for the time of day, nobody is really watching the game. The pints arrive quickly and are worthy of a thumbs up. All in all, this new venture gets our support and I think I’ll be back. It’s hardly the only pub in Dublin where the telly gets more priority than it maybe should.

I’m delighted to see something good done with this premises, it was a shame to see a building right next to the Ha’penny Bridge rotting away.

We’re off to The Lotts next. This is the pub which famously got behind the Mexicans at the last World Cup, talk about a lucky selection.

The small bar seems to be a locals spot, and the rugby really is drawing a crowd here. We opt for the lounge, and Sam orders a burger and chips. He insists the quality of the food is mentioned in the review. There are some framed boxing gloves around the place, but again the layout is simple and minimal here. I really liked the pint here. I rarely drink in this part of town bar late night visits to the likes of The Twisted Pepper around the corner, but I would be likely to return. The bar staff are friendly, the jacks clean and they even had an offer of a free drink going related to the rugby match for all those in the snug providing someone did something. Did I mention the fact I don’t know anything about rugby?

The Lotts has the look of a bar that has seen a makeover in recent times, very well presented and it seems to be a case of the bar being for regulars and this part of the place for those who, like Sam, fancy a burger and chips. Nothing wrong with that. The ‘proper dinners’ look lovely too, for what it’s worth. At the bar, the standard sight of 2/3 men reading the Sunday papers can be found.

We head off towards Aungier Street and JJ Smyth’s. This pub is well-known for hosting jazz nights upstairs, but we’re here for Sunday pints downstairs. A plaque you’ve probably passed is that in the wall of JJ’s, to mark the place where Thomas Moore was born.

Moore is perhaps best known for his poem ‘The Meeting Of The Waters’.

There is not in this wide world a valley so sweet
As that vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet,
Oh! the last rays of feeling and life must depart
Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart.
Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart.

It’s one of the great Dublin ironies, as first pointed out to me by Lorcan Collins of the 1916 walking tours, that the author of ‘The Meeting Of The Waters’ would find his statue in the city next to what was one of the last public toilets in Dublin! Moore always has a placard, beer can or something humourous in his hands, facing towards the old parliament.

I’m going into tour guide mode myself here…back to the pub. It was commented by several of the party that this was the best pint yet on the tour. I’d share the sentiment. It appears to be locals, locals and more locals here, but the barstaff are friendly and welcoming and there is always a thumbs up for barstaff who bring pints down to the table.

The toilets were basic at best, the kind of thing you imagine Michael O’Leary would have installed if he was running a hotel, but overall the pub was one we enjoyed. Jazz music is played here six nights a week apparently, and we may well return to check it out.

credit to informatique, of course. Where would we be without him?

From here, we’re going a short distance up the road to The Swan Bar, or John Lynch’s. I’ve always been fascinated by the exterior of this public house, it looks extremely ‘English’ almost and reminds me of a few pubs I distantly remember from a trip to Manchester as a child. Inside, it’s got a beautiful long bar, another feature I love in pubs. It’s pretty quiet when we drop in, but we’ve found this to be common enough now on Sunday evening pub crawls.

Again, it’s a great pint. They’ve got the telly on, and I’m happy enough as I get to see supersaint Keith Fahey lift a trophy for Birmingham F.C. What I like about the pub however is that the telly isn’t blaring away, the volume is low and it’s not interfering with conversation.

Located near to DIT Aungier Street, Wexford Street more often gets a look in for cheeky lunchtime pints with anyone I know studying there. Never mind that, give this place a look.

I like to throw a wildcard pub into my pub crawls. I once brought everyone down to the MV Cill Airne, so we could drink on a boat. For this one, I decided upon a trip to Against The Grain on Wexford Street.

Against The Grain

It’s a craft beer pub. Pints of Guinness are off. You can get one, but we’re not going to. Instead, we opt for what you saw in the first image of this post. For €6, you can sample three beers from around the world. We opt for a “lucky dip”, and between 3 of us there are now 9 beers we’ve never tasted before us. It’s an exciting touch to the Sunday affair.

The staff are friendly, and we’re told that every Friday they do a ‘Meet The Brewer’ night, where you can sample a beer for free. To go one better, on a Tuesday, they do a two for ones on dinners. This premises has always been doomed (how many different names have been over the door of 11 Wexford Street?) but we really, really hope Against The Grain is here for the long haul. Diversity, they say, is the spice of life.

With that, we’re done for another month.
–

Best pint (of plain…) of the crawl: JJ Smyth’s.
Best find: Against The Grain
‘That’s clever’ moment: The boardgames in the corner of Against The Grain. You might stay longer…..
Best use of an old dodgy kebab shop: The Merchants Arch

(Once a month the three writers behind ComeHereToMe, joined by a small group of friends, visit five Dublin pubs and then write about their experiences. A different person each month picks the five pubs and they make sure not to give away any details. What fun.)

A successful pub crawl essentially needs two things: good company and first class drinking establishments. A bonus feature is sunny weather. Last Sunday’s CHTM! pub crawl had all three.

Kicking off at about 3pm after a enjoyable and educational stop at the Irish Jewish Museum, myself, CHTM! poster CMurray, CHTM! crawl stalwarts JFlood and Hammy and  CHTM! crawl regular ANagle, who was starting with us for the first time (she usually joins us after the second or third pub) set off from Portobello.

Crossing over the Robert Emmet Bridge at the Grand Canal, we made our way into the lovely old village of Harold’s Cross, named after “a cross erected to mark the extent of the lands of the Archbishop of Dublin and to warn the Harold family of Rathfarnham not to encroach”. This was an area I knew relatively well because of getting the 16 bus through it often enough to friends in Ballinteer and because of attending a number of funerals and cremations at Mount Jerome Cemetery. However, it’s not an area I would usually drink or dine in. So, four out of the five pubs were new to me.

With a bit of pre-planning on my side and a lot of luck with the weather, we were able to enjoy the sun, in the three nice beer gardens of the first three pubs, and then as it got darker and colder, the well respected Guinness in the last three, more traditional pubs.

So, with the sun shining down on us, we strolled the ten minutes up to the first pub Rosie O’Grady’s, the furthest one away. An imposing red building, we entered in through the side entrance, beside the car park. Entering, we could see a carvery doing brisk trade on our right, a lovely looking beer garden straight ahead and a long bar to our left.

Rosie O

Taking advantage of the comparatively quiet Sunday afternoon football drinking sessions, Rosie O’Grady’s has started doing a ’3 pints for 10e’ offer during football matches. With most feeling it was far too sunny and warm to start on the Guinness, we got pints of Bulmers and took them out to the beer garden. (It should be noted here that the lovely bartender, when one of us ordered the 3 pints for 10e, offered to keep one of the pints on tap for us for collection we needed it). CMurray noted this was rare for someone to do for a non local. How friendly.

The beer garden was busy enough with tables being occupied by a mixture of families and groups of friends. A couple of heads were turned towards whatever football match was on the tiny little TV in the corner. Not long after settling in, we were joined by DFallon who had been on the Irish History Podcast’s Viking tour guide.

With the deal too hard to resist, another round was bought. CMurray, who hadn’t eaten since little after 8:00am, decided try to try out their Pork Cavery. Seemingly satisfied, he finished the plate.

Criminally cheap pints (when football matches are on), friendly bar staff and a decent sized beer garden definitely made Rosie O’Grady’s a hit for most of us.

Making our way back into town now, our next stop was Peggy Kelly’s just opposite the park and Mount Jerome Cemetery. Though they offered wide selection of European and International bottled beers, most of us stayed on the Bulmers which came out at a fairly average 4.85.

Peggy Kelly

Though they had an enclosed smoking area, we decided to take our pints out to a couple of picnic tables they had to the left hand side of the pub, essentially in the car park. The location wasn’t great and I doubt we would of took those seats if it wasn’t sunny but it has to be said there were nicer tables out towards the front entrance of the beer which were taken.

At Peggy Kelly’s we were joined by messrs. JBrophy, pub crawl veteran, LMcGlynn (surprisingly) pub crawl virgin and birthday boy and near enough local, NDunne. Though I have nothing really against Peggy Kelly’s, I don’t see really why you’d go out of your way to head there unless your going for some post-cemetery action pints.

Following the Harold’s Cross Road back into town, our third resting point was Sean Mac D’s which has only opened in the last few months. I immediately took to the place. Lots of space. The colours of the walls and decorations were soft on the eyes. The place was busy (always a good sign) but we managed to find a comfy couch in the corner. Two of us ordered food. It was both delicious and cheap. One of us spotted that a table had been recently vacated in the smoking area, the group pounced. Beside us a gang of people were playing guitars and singing. None of them looked like they’d got any sleep the night before.

Sean MacD

It was in the smoking area of Sean Mac D’s that we were joined by our guest of honour Papa Tony. The larger than life, funny, friendly father of JBrophy. Conversation at one side of the table turned to the history of Maynooth, the other side chatted about football. The sun shone. Life was good. A quirky pub, Sean Mac D’s definitely got my thumbs up.

Moving on, we headed further into town and back over the bridge at the canal to our fourth pub, The Harold House. Coming into through the lounge area, our gang, which had now swelled to 10, turned heads. We were loud and boisterous compared to the quiet pub which only had a few locals sitting around engrossed in conversation. The bartender was happy when we shuffled our way out to the beer garden, which to be fair, wasn’t exactly nice on the eye. Old tables, empty kegs and a security camera were all to keep us company. The pints were good though, that’s probably the most important thing.

The Harold House, Clanbrassil Street. Credit - skylens.

Our last stop on the pub crawl was Francis McKenna’s which is only across the road form The Harold House. Deceivingly small, the pub was packed full of friendly locals who joked with us and enquired about what brought us into their boozer.

Francis "real pubs don

The Guinness came in at a steal at €4 and was lovely. The bar itself was oddly decorated with dozens of licence plates with English premiership football names on them on the walls. A lot of the clientele were focused on the golf which was being shown on the not too small, not too big TV in the corner. Others played Darts. A rare enough sight these in days in Dublin pubs. Nice place, nice people.

Sum up:

Rosie O’Grady’s, head up when you fancy watching some football on the TV.
Peggy Kelly’s, great selection of international beers.
Sean Mac D’s, great food and beer garden.
The Harold House, for a quiet one.
Francis McKenna’s, for a bit of banter and a game of darts.

Ah Guinness. Daniel O’Connell might not have been the firms biggest fan, with the famous Guinness boycott of the 1841 Repeal election always forgotten today in the romantic narrative of the company’s history, but we here at Come Here To Me are certainly fond of the great “Protestant porter”.

You’d want to be but. Being honest about it, it’s not like you’ve a whole lot of options beyond it. Indeed, to borrow and rework a great quote from history, the Irish punter can have a drink in any colour that they like as long as it’s black. If they don’t want it black, they can have a pint of Budweiser.

The lack of selection in Irish pubs is pretty miserable. Even Witherspoons, the McDonalds of the British pub world, offer a wide selection of beers both local and national throughout their outlets. Here at home though, it seems Diageo have everyone by the bollocks. With that in mind, I’ve been trying some new things lately.

I have to say, I feel like a vegetarian who just tasted his first donor kebab. It really is that good. Here are three favourites so far:

1: Plain, The Porterhouse.

Plain, Temple Bar.

Walking into The Porterhouse, I was taken aback by the image of Flann O’Brien by the door. The check of them, I thought. O’Brien was more often (or too often) to be found down the far end of Temple Bar of course, in The Palace. Still, when you taste their inhouse stout, you understand the choice of image in the doorway perfectly. A pint of plain truly is your only man.

Plain is an All-Ireland champion stout, and deservedly so. Indeed, she’s the Global Gold Medal winner of Best Stout in the World.The rich, roasted malts make this one, and she just goes to show the Corkonians that once again the best stout in the world claims Dublin as home.

2: Spitfire,Kentish Ale.

The Spitfire beer bottle looks like somebody gave a Glasgow Rangers Supporters Club a bootleg copy of Photoshop and asked them to design a bottle of beer. ‘THE BOTTLE OF BRITAIN’ it proclaims, and the whole thing is a red,white and blue designers nightmare. The bottlecap is a beaut, taking in the classic RAF logo which was later adopted by the mod youth subculture in Britain.

Have you seen the ads? No? Jesus……

The stuff is absolutely beautiful but. A 4.5% ale, it’s got a gorgeous hoppy, bitter taste to it. We found it in O’Neills on Sufolk Street retailing at a very fair €4 a bottle. They gave us a glass of ice with it, which I thought was very odd and didn’t work with the beer.

Spitfire is currently on sale in Aldi of all places at a knockdown price.

3: Galway Hooker

I’ve great time for any pub which is willing to move beyond the old predictables, and I was surprised to see the Galway Hooker van parked outside The Palace on Fleet Street. This has long been a favourite, and was probably my first trek of the beaten track with alcohol. Galway Hooker has been very successful in its home city, making the great leap into a student bar, which says a lot when student bars are more often associated with cans of Dutch Gold under a table than pint glasses on it. There’s a great bitterness to this one, and it is quite widely available by the standards of smaller microbrewery drinks in this country.

As she wheels her wheelbarrow…..

Cassidy’s was one of those pubs. You’d often hear about Molly Malone, Dicey Riley and all the others as you walked by. For a long time however Cassidy’s sat empty and neglected, much like Sullivan’s across the street. I’d thought it a victim of the collapse. Now, both pubs have re-opened within weeks of one another.While Sullivan’s is still banging on about wheelbarrows and streets wide and narrow, Cassidy’s has taken on a new vibe altogether.

The first time I walked into this re-opened establishment, it was to the sound of The Smiths. All night, classic and more recent indie seemed the order of the day, and there’s a few noticeable new additions. A massive Star Wars painting stands out of course, but surely it’s the Fußball table downstairs that really grabs your attention. All night, whenever you pass, someone else is on it. It’s a great novelty, in a city where pool tables for example seem to be an endangered species.

The Guinness is up to scratch and fine, but I opt for Fischer’s from there on in. It’s a nice alternative to the usual, and it and Erdinger sit side by side at the end of the bar and I opt for them when available Bishop’s Finger and O’Hara’s are also spotted, giving the pub a rather decent selection beyond the usual few taps.

Behind the bar there’s an unusual assortment of old-school sweets, crisps (Meanies are still around, that’s good news) and the like. something a bit different from Bacon Fries I suppose. The crowd is young and studenty when I drop in, and it’s incredible to think how much a pub can change after spending a year or so in the boarded-up wilderness. Well worth a look.

Here’s the complete list of our 18 pub crawls since September 2009. All prices are from the time we visited. I’ve included some pictures of my favourite spots from along the way.

The Long Hall. (Flickr – Steve-h)

1. September 2009 (Pubs 1-5) [hXci, City Centre]

- The Long Hall, Sth. Great George’s St.
- Kehoes, South Anne St.
- The Dawson Lounge, Dawson St.
- Toners, Baggot St. Lwr.
- Mulligans, Poolbeg St.

2.  November 2009 (Pubs 6-10) [dfallon, City Centre]

- Davy Byrnes, Duke St. (€4.80)
- Dame Tavern, Dame Ct. (€4.60)
- MacTurcaills, Townsend St. (€3.50 w/ student card)
- Doheny and Nesbitt, Baggot St. Lwr. (€4.80)
- The Bankers, Trinity St. (€4.50)

The Lord Edward (Flickr – infomatique)

3.  December 2009 (Pubs 11-15) [hXci, City Centre]

- Peter’s Pub, Sth. William St. (€4.80)
- The Lord Edward, Christchurch Place. (€4.00)
- The Brazen Head, Lwr. Bridge St. (€4.50)
- Frank Ryan & Sons, Queen St. (€4.30)
- The Cobblestone, King St. North. (€4.10)

4. January 2010 (Pubs 16-20) [JayCarax, City Centre]

- Hourican’s, Lwr. Leeson St. (€4.50)
- The Shelbourne, St. Stephen’s Green (?)
- The Bailey, Duke St. (€5.00)
- The International, Wicklow St. (€4.50)
- Neary’s, Chatham St. (€4.85)

5. February 2010 (Pubs 21-25) [JFlood, Rathmines. Words - hXci]

- Toast, Lwr. Rathmines Rd. (€4.35)
- MB Slattery’s, Lwr. Rathmines Rd. (€4.30)
- Graces, Rathgar Rd. (€4.10)
- Mother Reillys, Uppr. Rathmines Rd. (€4.15)
- Rody Bolands, Uppr, Rathmines Rd. (€4.30)

Bowes. (celticphotography.ie)

6. March 2010 (pubs 26-30) [hXci, City Centre]

- The Duke, Duke St. (€4.45)
- The Gingerman, Fenian St. (€4.60)
- Ned Scanlons, Townsend St. (€3.80)
- The Long Stone, Townsend St. (€4.60)
- Bowes, Fleet St. (€4.50)

7. March 2010 x2 (Pubs 31-35) [Dfallon, Dorset St/Drumcondra]

- The Celt, Talbot St. (€4.40)
- The Red Parrot, Dorset St. (€4.00)
- Patrick McGraths, Lwr. Drumcondra Rd.(€4.50)
- W.J. Kavanaghs, Dorset St. (€4.10)
- Mayes, Dorset St. (?)

8. April 2010 (Pubs 36-40) [JayCarax, Camden St./Portobello]

- Cassidy’s, Lwr. Camden St. (€4.20)
- The Bleeding Horse, Uppr. Camden St. (€4.25)
- The Lower Deck, Portobello Harbour. (€4.15)
- The Portobello, Sth. Richmond St. (€4.15)
- J. O’Connell’s, 29 Sth Richmond St. (€4.00)

J.O’Connell (Picture – ?)

9. May 2010 (Pubs 41- 47) [hXci, City Centre/Thomas St.]

- The Bull and Castle, Christchurch Place (€4.80 – cider)
- The Legal Eagle, Chancery Place (€3.85) [€2.2.0 - Sundays 1/2 price]
- O’Shea’s Merchant, Lwr. Bridge St. (€4.90)
- Pifko, Usher’s Quay. (€4.00 – Paulaner)
- The Clock, Thomas St. (€4.60)
- Bakers, Thomas St. (€4.60)
- Tom Kennedys, Thomas St. (€4.50)
- Brogans, Dame St. (€4.30)

10. June 2010 (Pubs 48- 53) [hXci, City Centre]

- McDaids, Harry St. (€4.65)
- The Hairy Lemon, Stephens St. (€4.80)
- Hogans, Sth. Great George’s St. (€4.45)
- Jack Nealons, Capel St. (€4.20)
- The Bachelor Inn, Bachelors Walk. (€4.40)

11. August 2010 (Pubs 54-58) [DFallon, Quays/City Centre]

- Cleary’s, Amiens St. (?)
- Harbor Master, Custom House Dock. (€4.85)
- Quay 16, North Wall Quay. (?)
- Fitzgeralds, Aston Quay. (€4.60)
- Madigans, O’Connell St. (€4.50)

12. September 2010 (Pubs 59-63) [JayCarax, Beggars Bush/Baggot St]

- Jack Ryans, Beggars Bush. (€3.80)
- Smyths, Haddington Rd. (€4.50)
- The Waterloo, Uppr. Baggot St. (€4.50)
- Larry Murphy’s, Lwr. Baggot St. (€4.50)
- Hartigan’s, Lwr. Leeson St. (€4.35)

The Hill (Flickr – Art travel pics)

13. October 2010 (Pubs 64-68) [JFlood, Ranelagh. Words - hXci]

- The Barge Bar, Charlemont St. (€4.40)
- The Hill, Mount Pleasant. (€4.15)
- Russells, Ranelagh Rd. (€4.40)
- Smyths, Ranelagh Rd. (€4.45)
- McSorleys, Ranelagh Rd. (€4.45)

14. January 2011 (Pubs 69-73) [hXci, Capel St./Phibsborough]

- O’Byrnes Bar, Capel St. (
- Bodkins, Bolton St. (€4.00)
- Cumiskeys, Blackhorse Ave. (€4.00)
- Clarkes Phibsboro House, Phibsboro Rd. (€4.00)
- The Hut, Phibsboro Rd. (€4.20)

The Swan, (Flickr РEsther Molin̩)

15. February 2011 (Pubs 74-78) [Dfallon, City Centre]

- Merchants Arch Bar, Wellington Quay. (€4.70)
- The Lotts, Lwr. Liffey St. (€4.60)
- JJ Smyth’s, Aungier St. (€4.10)
- The Swan Bar, Aungier St. (€4.20)
- Against The Grain, Wexford St. (€5/€6 mark – craft beers)

16. April 2011 (Pubs 79-83) [JayCarax, Harolds Cross/Clanbrassil St. Uppr.]

- Rosie O’Grady’s, Harolds Cross Rd. (3 pints for 10e when football’s on)
- Peggy Kelly’s, Harolds Cross Rd. (€4.85 – cider)
- Sean MacD’s, Harolds Cross Rd. (?)
- The Harold House, Clanbrassil St. Uppr. (€3.50)
- Francis McKenna’s, Clanbrassil St. Uppr. (?)

17. December 2012 (84 – 88)

[JFlood, Parnell St/Marlborough StS. Words - hXci]
(on the way)

18. January 2012 (89 – 93) (JayCarax, Windy Arbour/Dundrum)

- The Corner House, Windy Arbour (€4.20)
- Ryans Arbour House, Windy Arbour (€4.35)
- Uncle Toms Cabin, Dundrum (€4.40)
- The Eagle, Dundrum (€4.10)
- The Dundrum House, Dundrum (€4.25)

19. February 2012 (94 – 98) (hXCi, Stoneybatter)

- The Dice Bar, Queen St.
- Walsh’s, Manor St.
- Tommy O’Gara’s, Manor St.
- Kavanagh’s, Aughrim St.
- Hynes Bar, Prussia St.

20. April 2012 (99 – 103) [JFlood, Lucan & Parkgate St. Words - Hamada]

- Kenny’s Pub, Lucan.
- Courtney’s Bar, Main St Lucan.
- The Ball Alley, Lucan.
- Nancy Hands, Park Gate St.
- Ryan’s, Park Gate St.

21. May 2012 (104 – 108) [Craft beers city centre, DFallon)

- The Brew Dock
- WJ Kavanagh’s, Dorset St.
- L.Mulligan’s, Stoneybatter.
- The Cobblestone, North King St.
- The Black Sheep, Capel St.

22. June 2012 (109 – 114) [Ranelagh, Leeson St, Lower Mount St – Carax)

- Corrigans, Mountpleasant Ave Lwr, Rathmines.
- The Leeson Lounge, Upper Leeson St.
- M. O’Briens, Sussex Terrace.
- Scruffy Murphys, Powers Ct, Lwr Mount St.
- Oil Can Harrys, Lwr Mount St.
- McGrattans, Fitzwilliam Ln.

For anyone just stumbling across CHTM!, once a month the three writers behind this blog, joined by a small group of friends, visit five Dublin pubs and then write about our experiences. A different person each month picks the five pubs and make sure not to give away any details beforehand. The reviews are often as varied as the pubs with the three different writing styles giving three very different narratives.

Before I start talking about the pubs, I’ll mention two things. I can’t let the introduction pass without me contradicting it in some way. When I say we are joined by “a small group of friends,” I mean all previous ones we were joined by a “small group of friends.” This pub crawl somehow managed to draw the attention of over twenty extras. Great fun in that conversation was never lacking, but difficult with regards getting the group from one pub to the next. Still, we managed it, with no punches thrown. Secondly, I don’t know what it is with me, is it age or just the sheer quantity of Guinness consumed since the inception of this blog but these pub crawls are getting harder to write, and my apologies for the gap between the crawl and the review.

Disclaimer: Prices may become inaccurate towards the end. Feel free to correct!

The Dice bar, from Rate My Pub on Flickr

The February pub crawl kicked off, quite amazingly, on Sunday 4th March. As we are readily running out of pubs in the City Centre, I decided to head down towards Smithfield and Stoneybatter for a look. The infamous horse market had not long finished as we made our way into the Dice Bar, on the corner of Queen Street and Benburb Street. Not a spot I’d been in too many times before, rather drunkenly over Christmas and before that, who knows… a long time anyways. A really cool little spot this, a cross between Sin É and the Bernard Shaw or something along those lines. Good tunes, and a good selection of Irish and International beers, ales and stouts. It being the pubcrawl though, the majority of us were on the Guinness and at €4.30 a go, it wasn’t to be faulted. I found it odd to see a television on in the place, given that up until that point, I didn’t think they even had a telly. But, it was a 6 Nations weekend, and there were a few heads tuned in to the game. (France 17 – 17 Ireland if you must know, cheers Google.)

The numbers attending this pubcrawl meant that when some people were finishing pints, others weren’t long through theirs, meaning more than one pint was consumed in most pubs, and the Dice Bar was no exception. Before the end, our crowd had spilled out of the area we were occupying, and the sound barman directed us to another area recently cleared down the other end of the bar. Great music, odd & interesting décor, (was that a flying astronaut in the corner over the jacks door?) good pints and sound barstaff. A win all round.

Walsh's, from our friends at http://www.publin.ie

The next spot I had picked was the recently re-opened McGettigans, but a quick look inside the door told us we wouldn’t be venturing in today, the place was packed to the rafters. With that, we made our way up towards Dublin’s Left Bank, Stoneybatter, and into J. Walsh & Co. on Manor Street. Another spot I’ve been in a few times and one I really like. Luckily, there was plenty of space in here as the numbers were ever swelling and we were starting to draw glances. We managed to get ourselves an area down the back of the pub at the end of the bar, walls adorned with old images of GAA teams past and other sporting memorabilia. The last time I was here was with a friend who, at the time was living down the road from it. We went in for that fatal “one pint” and ended up falling out of the place a few hours later, deciding to treat ourselves to “a pint and a half one” each round: fun times. (A pint and a half one for the un-initiated is a pint of Guinness and a single measure of Jameson.) Definitely a spot for that carry on rather than a rambunctious gathering such as this, we decided to leave the good people of Walsh’s in peace after one here. €4.15 a pint, my favourite pub of the day, and definitely one I’ll be back to.

Tommy's. Again from our comrades at Publin!

Not far from Walsh’s was our next spot, Tommy O’Gara’s. Now, it’s been said before on CHTM! by a regular commenter and I didn’t get the reference when he said we should refuse to drink in Tommy O’Gara’s until the photograph of Bertie was removed. Lo and behold, at the end of the bar, there is indeed a shrine to Drumcondra’s favourite son, with a dashing image of him from the days when he had hair. Still, we refused to let that get to us and started into our pints.  A contender for pint of the night this, alongside the previous spot, it came in at €4.20 a go. A busy little spot, and in some ways lucky (in others, obviously unlucky!) that our numbers had started to thin out, but not by much thankfully, as otherwise, we never would have fit in where we did, a nod away from the barman’s attention. Initially a little unsure of us as one of our number made the faux pas of bringing a bag of chips in (never bring chips into a pub, the bar staff hate it; trust me,) he quickly warmed to us as we apologised profusely and our orders started to pour in. I can’t say too much about this place, nice, warm, spotless and quiet.

Kavanagh's, by Ard Na Rí, from Flickr.

Next up, Kavanagh’s of Aughrim Street. The first pub with a smoking area on the pub crawl this, and the majority of the crew made their way out there. Before this though, a couple of us decided to take a look in the front bar first. A lovely little spot, and everyone, staff and regulars were all very friendly. We must have stuck out like a sore thumb here, as heads were turning, not in a bad way in our direction when anyone new walked in. €4 a pint, and again, not to be faulted, cold and creamy. After a while, we headed to join the rest out the back, on the way realising how deceptively large this place is. The front bar backs onto a large lounge area, and from there, you can make your way out to the smoking area or upstairs, where there is another bar, though this wasn’t open on our visit. The local of choice this for a couple of people on the pub crawl, I could see why they like it so much. Though, this led to a problem in that one pint became two, and two pints became three. Tradition demands pub crawls must be five pubs or more, so with heavy heads, we left Kavanagh’s and made our way around the corner to Hynes’s on Prussia Street.

Hynes' bar, from uischebeatha.com

Ah, Hynes’s; without a doubt, the oddest pub of the day this, if not the oddest pub we’ve ever visited. It was a bit of an afterthought this, making up the numbers to coin a phrase, but I’m glad we popped in. There’s not too many pubs in Dublin you get shushed for talking too loudly, and even fewer, not because your chatter is overly loud, (our numbers had shrunk considerably at this stage, but with some, but not all fallen soldiers replaced by fresh ones,) but because they start calling bingo in Hynes at 10 PM. And it wasn’t all the proverbial “auld ones” with their heads stuck in the bingo books either. I hope the locals can forgive us, it was a long day and we weren’t aware of local tradition. As well as being the first pub in Dublin I’ve seen Bingo being called in, it’s also the first pub I’ve seen An Phoblacht being sold in. Still, I can’t complain, the pint was cracking and a steal at €4 a pop.

So there you go. A little introduction to some of Smithfield and Stoneybatter’s finest. Make you way down that direction, it’s not as far from the city centre as you might think, and pubs are plentiful!

(A very special guest pub crawl report from our close friend, Lucan native and veteran pub crawler Hamada)

It was a grey and overcast day that heralded our April pub crawl. (Our 20th! – JayCarax)

Hopping on the 67 bus route we made our way out of the bustling city and into the sleepy village of Lucan.  It is a charming sort of ‘hamlet’ with pubs, shops, a bank or two and cottages circling a small park/ courtyard with the Griffeen River passing through it (Yes, it’s prone to flooding!).

Our first stop was Kenny’s Pub, one of Lucan’s most popular drinking establishments.

Kenny’s of Lucan. Picture – George Pacini

Kenny’s seemed to have that ‘come in here for Sunday roast’ kind of feel and indeed the place was filled. The sounds of bustling children and the cacophony of pub talk filled the air. The smoking area was nice enough with plenty of seating; the day was too cold to be really comfortable though. The Guinness, although sloppily pulled, was never the less a decent pint. A Guinness here will set you back’€4.35.

Pub number two was Courtney’s Bar.

Courtneys, Lucan. Picture – yelp.ie

This is one of my favourites in the village. Courtney’s is a spacious pub with quite an impressive thatched roof and an old cottage kind of vibe. The atmosphere was definitely quieter than Kenny’s. Having a large smoking area right by the river is a major plus. The interior is spacious and comfortable and even boasts a rustic fire place for those cold winter nights. The Guinness here is smooth and velvety and again costs €4.35.

The Ball Alley was our next stop.

The Ball Alley, Lucan. Picture – Google Maps

A friendly and warm atmosphere can always be expected here. The pub although it looks deceptively small from the outside is actually quite spacious on the inside. In fact at times it can seem like a maze to the alcoholically boggled mind! If you’re lucky enough to arrive at a hushed time, you can grab a lovely little alcove. One of them boasts a collection of equine paintings if you’re so inclined! The smoking area while big enough unfortunately doesn’t provide any seating. None the less, the Ball Alley is a great spot for those Sunday afternoon pints. A Guinness here will cost you €4.20.

After excursion out to Lucan where we sampled its best pubs, we jumped on a bus to Park Gate Street to conclude our crawl.

Our fourth pub of the afternoon was Nancy Hands on Park Gate Street.

Nancy, Park Gate Street. Picture – infomatique

A massive pub, boasting walls of old stone and dark wood. Prepare for high ceilings, rustic fire places and that feel you only expect at an old library. The bar staff were extremely welcoming and friendly. Nancy Hands features a heated smoking area ideal for those cold nights. The Guinness was earthy and glossy and will part you from €4.20.

Pub number five was Ryan’s of Park Gate Street.

Ryans, Park Gate Street. Picture – Le Monde1.

This pub was jammed. Ryan’s was very typically a pub with bar stools, round tables and TVs displaying an assortment of sports. At this stage you’re faithful guide was thoroughly under the influence of the black stuff and so unfortunately, memories of the pub are not as reliable as one would like.

That concludes Hammy’s pub crawl expedition.

You won’t find this on tap in Dublin anywhere today.

Walking through Temple Bar, you can’t help but spot the fantastic ‘Beoir’ stickers in the windows of pubs, telling the punter that the establishment offers a selection of Irish craft beer. They are a fantastic and welcome addition to the front of Dublin pubs, and give hope that an era of new selection and taste for the Irish pub frequenter is upon us. What Daniel O’Connell failed to do (that is eh…take down Guinness in the city), Irish craft brewers may manage in time. Of course, I love a few pints of plain as much as the next Dubliner, but diversity is the spice of life.

Our pubcrawls have taken us from Windy Arbour to Lucan and everywhere in between, but I thought rather than look at a geographic location I’d go for a theme. Could we manage an entire pub crawl without a pint of Guinness or Heineken being consumed? I thought it worth a shot. Could we do it without crossing the River Liffey and staying on the northside? Challenge accepted.

The numbers were low at the outset. I’m not really surprised, as I’m up to my eyes at the minute and I don’t think I made the same gallant effort to recruit troops as the others have on past efforts. Still, anything over a dozen people entering a pub can resemble a riot and not a pub crawl, so perhaps starting with six and ending with around ten isn’t a bad days work in terms of numbers. The route I had planned would take us from The Brew Dock opposite Connolly Station to The Black Sheep on Capel Street, with plenty of variety on between.

‘The Brew Dock’ (From official site)

The Brew Dock occupies what was formerly home to Kate’s Cottage opposite Connolly Station and within pissing distance of the IFSC. Kate’s Cottage always struck me as a real ‘locals’ establishment, and the outside is unrecognisable today. The folks behind Against The Grain are responsible for this new effort. Actually, they’re behind much more than that. Against The Grain, The Black Sheep, The Brew Dock and a host of brilliant Galway pubs are part of the one family tree.

‘Life is too short for crap beer’ reads the blackboard behind the counter. The selection can knock you back a bit, but we run with 5AM Saint from Brew Dog in Scotland. It’s become a CHTM favourite. It’s a damn good red ale, 5%, and something we’ve been drinking for a good while now and enjoying. It’s great to see it on tap. The only problem? A pint comes in at over €6.

Now, of course you get what you pay for and all that, but €6 for a pint is a bit much and it’s only when Ci draws by attention to it that I notice. It’d be a pricey pubcrawl at that rate across the board. Still, this is a great pub, and there’s a selection of beers at a variety of prices, and the offer of a beer of the week for €4. They seem to have a good line of coffees on offer too, and follow the company standard of offering two-for-one dinners once a week. We like this one. Will it take off and enjoy the success of its sister established Against The Grain? Who knows. The IFSC is a ghost town in many ways, it might come down to the locals warming to the change.

The company seem to have a ‘standard theme’ for their pubs, I’d like to see a bit of variety on that. There’s nothing wrong with some local history and snaps on the walls of a pub. This is a very welcome addition however, and shows that even closing inner-city pubs present an opportunity for something new.

We take off for Dorset Street and WJ Kavanagh’s. It is pissing rain, and the walk feels a lot longer than it probably is. We’d been here before. It was a decent boozer with a good pint, and a bottle of the cringy Michael Collins whiskey sat in the window back then in March 2010. Today, it’s
following the trend in Dublin at the minute and it boasts a whole new range of taps and bottles.

Image from official website. Hipsterific?

We’re joined by my other half on this pubcrawl and she’s already opted out of the pints, going for a glass of Galway Hooker instead. Galway Hooker has in many ways been the success story of the smaller Irish breweries, available in a wide variety of pubs in the city centre. The Palace comes to mind instantly, but there are many others. I opt for a bottle of Belfast Black from the Whitewater Brewery. I love this crowd, everything they touch turns to gold, and their Belfast Ale is a favourite in my house. I’ve never tried Belfast Black, but it certainly delivers. It’s a nice dry stout, unfaultable.

At the time this one was taken over, its new owners joked that:

Behind the facade teems stubborn dust, a half-decade of crisp packets, racing supplements c. 2006 and beer coasters from long-since forgotten products (‘Brew 39’ anyone?). In short, it has seen better days.

They’ve done a great job. The staff in this one are fantastic, and don’t mind answering a million and one questions as we make up our minds. I nearly always choose from the taps but went with a bottle here. We also ordered food here, which came quickly but tasted great. The curry chips are excellent, head and shoulders above any chipper offering or the pub standard. I’d be tempted to stick here if that were allowed, but protocol is protocol. In the past they’ve hosted some fantastic whiskey nights in this establishment. While craftbeer pubs have done great for themselves in the immediate city centre, it’s great to see them move out a bit to the likes of Dorset Street. I notice in a Yelp review that Kavanagh’s offers pints of Galway Hooker at a cheaper rate than a nearby establishment does Heineken, and at the time we were in a decent crowd suggested some success in the area.

Next, we hop in a taxi for Stoneybatter. We’re not lazy, but we are wet. L.Mulligan’s awaits us.

In a recent CHTM post, we featured this great image contrasting Stoneybatter today with the Stoneybatter in 1978. If you click it and expand, you’ll notice only L.Mulligan’s remains the same! While it might look the same, it’s certainly a different pub inside.

Cheeky gits, as you walk in the door the pricelist of old remains. Guinness, Heineken and what have you. The familiar harp of AGS (that being Arthur Guinness & Sons) is still to be found inside this pub, but the taps have given way to new and exciting Irish breweries. The smell of food in this one is what hits you immediately, and we bump into a friend over from London for the weekend who remarks that the food is fantastic. It smells like a good Sunday at home. The staff here are more than deserving of a mention, they know and love their product. This pub has a great relaxed vibe, but what I like most about it is the decor, as it remains very true to a ‘traditional’ pub in many ways. Sometimes, while the beer is great in craft beer pubs, the pubs themselves can be a bit boring.

I had a bottle of Celebration Stout here. I got through most of it, but passed it around a bit too, at 11% it’s a strong one. Matured in whiskey casks, it comes from the Porterhouse range and I really liked it. Did it leave me a bit pissed? Absolutely. This is a great pub in many ways, and its complimented nicely by the top class ‘The Drinks Store’ off licence across the road which boasts an incredibly diverse selection of beer too. A friend likes to joke that Stoneybatter is Dublin’s Left Bank (remember when they said that about Temple Bar? A time before McDonalds were applying for planning permission), and while you have to laugh at that, it certainly is an area on the up in many ways.

Which is alright really, as there isn’t far to go around the corner to a CHTM favourite, The Cobblestone.

The Cobblestone (Via Official Site)

An old reliable pub with a new and great range of craft beer, I think this was the one people didn’t see coming on this pub crawl. It’s Sunday, so there’s trad music playing as we walk in and a packed crowd as ever. The variety of ages in here speaks volumes.

Traditional music in Dublin pubs is hit or miss, but this is an institution and the music is found nightly. You can take or leave a lot of what you find in the immediate city centre, but this is perfect.

I should mention that I love the walls of this pub. It strikes me as a pub that could sell its soul if it wished to, but has never even considered the idea. The flag of Palestine, a portrait of Maud Gonne, the remains of Nelson’s Pillar and more besides dot the walls, along with a poster for the priceless Commitments among other things. You couldn’t dream up a better pub than this one. It’s smoking area is known to be very lively on occasion, but Sunday is a funny one and the focus and conversation is inside. I’m swaying a bit by this point, as one does, and can’t even recall what was drank here, beyond ‘plenty’. It’s the kind of pub you could settle into nicely, and my only regret is that it wasn’t last call. There’s something poxy about doing pubcrawls on a Sunday, as the last bus prevents the long night you’d like. I’ll have to lodge a complaint.

We head off to the final stop, nearer to home, and it’s The Black Sheep on Capel Street. We end in a sister establishment of the first stop then, and I wrap up with a bottle of Triple Chocolate Stout, which brings my night to a nice conclusion. Previously home to Youth Defence, sex shops and early houses, The Black Sheep seems to be constantly busy at night but Sunday seems the exception and we have no difficulty finding a big table by the door. Much like earlier visited pubs, the staff are not only friendly but knowledgeable, and manage to understand what we’re saying, which by this point is an achievement. For beer lovers, the four cask hand pumps will be the big draw here. Some great products from the Dungarvin Brewing Company are found here on cask. Being a sister pub of Against The Grain and The Brew Dock its layout and style is simple, its staff knowledgeable and its selection plentiful. Boardgames sit in the corner waiting to be taken out, but it’s Sunday and there’s work to do tomorrow.

The Black Sheep, Capel Street.

All in all, this proved an interesting and diverse pubcrawl. Going out drinking isn’t a race, at least if you don’t want it to be. A bit of variety is nice, and remember we managed this one without even crossing the river so it’s a good sign for beer lovers in Dublin that this diversity exists in 2012. I recommend each of these pubs, and across the board the staff were deserving of praise too. A good day out.

One of our reaccuring features on the site is the monthly pub crawls around the city we organise, visiting five establishments and writing about the day afterwards.

Below is the ‘Pub Crawl’ feature of Trinity News, a student newspaper at TCD. Most of these pubs are of course still doing plenty of business, for example O’Neill’s on Suffolk Street which we’re told is “a well-known Republican drinking spot, O’Neill’s boasts five different bars ranging from cocktail lounge to snug”. The image of a ‘jovial barman’ is fantastic. The College Mooney is today Doyles pub.

Trinity News, 23 April 1970. The left side is difficult enough to read though this is owing to the scan. Via the fantastic ‘Trinity News Archive’

Once a staple of this here blog, our “monthly” pub crawls have become somewhat sporadic of late. We only managed to fit in five last year, the last taking place all the way back in June, making it 114 pubs that we’ve visited on the crawls alone. Add in another 30 pubs or so that we’ve done on “Random Drop Inns,” I make it that (including the five pubs here) we’ve visited and reviewed 149 pubs in the city.

The back story… for anyone that doesn’t know the story by this stage, once a month or so the three writers behind this blog, joined by a small group of friends, visit five Dublin pubs and then write about our experiences. A different person each month picks the five pubs and makes sure not to give away any details beforehand. This month was my turn, and for the first pub crawl of 2013, I decided to drag people out to Ringsend, from where we could make our way back into town, stopping in a couple of spots along the way.  I’ve always loved Ringsend; standing on Bridge Street, you’re a fifteen minute walk to Grafton Street and less than that to Sandymount Strand. Perfect.

The Oarsman, from their official Facebook

Meeting the other two and KBranno in town at five, a Leo Burdocks and a taxi in the lashing rain later, we headed over the canal and into The Oarsman. A very busy spot this and my first impression was that… Christ, this place is a relic; but in a good way! The pub doesn’t appear to have changed too much inside or out for donkey’s years. There has been a business on this spot since 1882, and a pub here since the sixties. The original grocers shop became the snug area inside the door (where we were lucky to nab seats, kudos to Paul R for that,) and the pub was extended out the back. A long narrow layout means ordering a pint from the beautiful old wooden bar is awkward enough. The stairs down to the jacks is halfway along it on the right, meaning if the seats at the bar are taken and you’re ordering, chances are you’re blocking someone’s way. Nonetheless, we weren’t left waiting and ended up staying for a couple of pints apiece, at €4.45 a pop. The most expensive pint of the crawl but still, relatively cheap compared to pints closer towards town.  A lovely pub this and a place I’ll be back to, if just to try out the food they’ve recently started to serve.

Onwards and upwards, and out into the rain. I had intended our next port of call to be next door, The Hobblers, but it appears that the pub that once stood on the spot has been replaced/ revamped so we decided to give it a miss and cross the road to The Yacht. I’d been warned about this place beforehand; it is TINY and very much a locals joint. Heads turned when we entered, and the lack of seats, coupled with five lads who had obviously never set foot in the place before looking quite awkward made us stick out like a sore thumb; and we got asked if we were Pub Spy.

The Yacht, from Rate My Area

Luckily we managed to nab a little snug area at the left hand side of the bar, tucked away from the curious eyes of the locals. No animosity, they were all lovely and chatty once they realised we didn’t write for the Sunday World. €4.15 a scoop, and decent enough, four of us on Guinness and one on Carlsberg, there were no complaints. Have I said how tiny the place is? I’d heard rumours of people knocking in here on a Saturday night, and tables and chairs having to be stacked on top of each other to free up room, and you could tell why. Even the jacks were tiny, the toilet door being little more than a bamboo screen. Probably my favourite spot of the night this, best moment of the night  anyway going to when a Hanley Centre collector walked in, we forked over our change as charitable types, and when they left, one of the locals walking up with a box saying he was collecting for the “old folks.” And then calling the Hanley Centre “Chancers” when we told him where all our change had gone. Chancers indeed.

Sally’s Return, from Rate My Area

Out one door and in another as we paid a visit a couple of doors down to Sally’s Return / The Shipwright. I honestly don’t know what to say about this place other than… It was bedlam. Madness. Nuts. Without a doubt, one of the maddest pubs we’ve visited. Not altogether in a bad way, I quite liked it to be honest. Again, a locals spot, but then, every pub we visited apart from maybe The Oarsman was. Lykke Lee and Gangnam Style both blared over the speakers a couple of times apiece when we were there, leading two of our party (one of whom writes for this Blog, and is not me or Sam) to get up and do “the horse dance.” Not a remark passed, it’s just that kind of place; in fact the barman came down a couple of minutes later with a tray of sandwiches for us. Not too many places we’ve gotten that.  A “children must remain seated at all times” sign was blissfully ignored, and toddlers milled around the place to their hearts content. Anyways, €4.10 a pint, and like the others on the crawl, no complaints.

The Padraig Pearse, from Mark Waldron’s Flickr

The night was before us, and we had a couple more places to visit before home and sleep. Leaving the comfort of Ringsend, we headed back towards town along Pearse Street, and stopped by the Padraig Pearse for a quick one. Owned by one part of the syndicate that had the infamous Widow Scallans across the road, this pub continues where in the same vein as its predecessor. The cheapest pint of the night this at €4 a go, and another pub none of us had ever been in. Joined here by pub crawl regular Ang, we ordered in the bar area on the right as you come in; this was taken over by a pool table around which locals were taking part in some “friendly competition.” Friendly to us they were too, and happy to include us in the winding up of a bloke who had just made an arse of a shot. We left them to it and headed into the lounge area- plenty of space in here, with only a couple of the tables being taken up.  A brief sojourn across the road for a battered sausage and chips (the second chipper of the day) and we headed down to the Windjammer.

The Windjammer, from Rate My Area

The last spot for some of us this, (others ended up in the Czech Inn; yes, it was one of those days,) and a place with a certain attraction for the Bohs fans among us. Keith Buckley, yes, that man we never measured, and who will surely tackle you, is a lounge boy in the place. Unfortunately he wasn’t working, but not long into our visit, and after a few rousing renditions of his song, his Ma, who was sitting over in the corner cottoned on to us and came over to say hello. And then in came the man himself. Embarrassing and amazing in equal measures.

Again, sidetracked. To the pub itself.  The Windjammer is an early house, but not a “Chancery” kind of early house; it has a bit of class, and whilst it serves an early pint, be prepared to be scrutinised via a CCTV camera over the door first. No such formalities tonight, as you may have guessed with the aforementioned shenanigans. It has undergone a face lift in the last couple of years, and is spotless inside, a lovely looking pub. €4.35 a pint, and no complaints. We found ourselves a nice spot in the corner at the end of the bar and settled in for a few here. There was live music on when we were there, being lapped up by the locals, and whilst we were sitting right beside the speakers, the music wasn’t being blared out, and we had no hassle talking. In any case, we were in singing mood at that stage. Again, a locals spot, but again, the locals were quick to chat. Another spot I’ll be back to!

So there you have it. Another five pubs covered and we now stand at 149. Its been hard work so far, but with a bit of luck, we’ll struggle on and hit the 150 mark.