Remembering Old Bars and Clubs

eviltwin

The System, it was just off Grafton Street

the evasion_kid

Kiss nightclub in drogheda,used to be Luciano's before that...also the rosnaree hotel just before it,had some mad nights in there.

Fuzzy Clam

Buckfast W wrote: »

They had u need sex toilets and all

:-0

Muff Richardson

fleet_admiral wrote: »

That was Charlies, one of my underage drinking haunts back in the day

A age old debate only had by northsiders with a sharp eye and the unlikely ability to be sober enough to remember what Zeniths actually looks like on the inside...they filmed the nightclub scene in Zeniths where she spewed and then used Charlie's for the scene outside.

Rubberlegs

The Old Rogue in Waterford was a great spot, full of hairy bikers, and brilliant music:)
Cheers nightclub was good too, back when you got your supper ticket going in, and a feed later on in the night.

Hotblack Desiato

Thread bump :pac:

Wow some memories here.

Was in DIT Kevin St late 80s-early 90s - Junction Bar (although it was actualy called John McGraths) for pints. Used to have the most amazing bursted yet still comfortable sofas and a great jukebox. When I started lager was £1.30 a pint and Guinness £1.05 or so. This was the upstairs, the downstairs was strictly for grumpy old locals and would throw students out :pac: Then in the early 90s they 'renovated' the upstairs, stripped out the comfy seats and installed those fucking horrible standing-up type tables, and a few tall stools, the idea presumably that people on their feet will drink faster :rolleyes: at that point it was deserted for the many other options in the area.

Olympic Ballroom for events - it had a mezzanine or whatever you call it level which was the spot for surreptitious riding, and yes I did indulge

The Bleedin' Horse opened up a couple of years later, after having been derelict for about 20 years. Was always regarded as too poncy and expensive for students, maybe that was their plan, and it's not like Camden St area has a shortage of bars... Was in Charlies a couple of times but don't remember much as I was pretty drunk when we moved on in there. Ryan's opened up and it was the 'too posh for the Junction' place to go around there, until Devitts was renovated and it took over, then Whelan's came along...

Sides - once claimed to have been in there to appear cool. Was never actually in there :pac:

Club M was a dump even then. Was in there ten years later and it hadn't improved.

Zoo Bar - was in there once post-exams, don't remember anything apart from dodgy cocktails and pretentiousness. You're supposed to feel privileged to be let in but the place had practically nothing going for it. Not the first nor the last kip to trade on supposed exclusivity.

Top Hat - was in there only once but it was the Nirvana / Sonic Youth gig in 1991. Still got the stub, and yes I was there for every note from both bands. Kurt Cobain had to lug his own gear onto the stage. They were LOUD as in My Bloody Valentine loud. Visceral. Amazing.

Fibbers - would've been right up my alley at the time but never actually went there. One night I copped off and her friends were all going to Fibbers, I chose to go to her place...

Isolde's Tower - where middle aged civil servants from the numerous nearby Revenue offices ended up on a "work do" when the proper pubs closed

The Sub - I grew up in Crumlin and it had a dodgy rep even in the 70s. I remember ending up in there at the end of a Sunday drive close to 40 years ago (somehow my dad's Sunday family drives always ended up in a pub) and he led me by the hand into a jacks cubicle and there was just a raw hole in the floor where somebody had wrenched off an entire toilet and left nothing but this entry into the sewer... it's not the worst "pub jacks you ever experienced as a kid" though as that was some unremembered place outside the greater Dublin area where the entire gents (a step down from the door) was flooded with two inches of watery urine.

Banna Beach - was there in the early 00s at a biker rally, 200-ish bikers pitching tents in the green in the middle of the holiday homes. IIRC there were three interlinked rooms that night, one with Black Sabbath etc. for us lot, one small one with Brendan Shine type stuff for the local oul wans and a 'dance' room for the local lads off their face on whatever. Some conflicts when room C drifted into room A and kicked up. Mad contrast between the three all in one place and IIRC mostly being served at the same bar.

Went back there 2012 for a family holiday, I vaguely recognised the place but a totally different vibe :pac:

McGonagles - was only in there a couple of times but a great place and much missed. Wine bar and Champagne cider :pac:

There was a somewhat dodgy bar we used to go to sometimes on Upper O'Connell St too- had to look up the name - Madigans. Still there. Due to my lengthy fingers I once made nearly a tenner in profit stroking 50p pieces from the back of the wooden cigarette machine refund slot which were out of the reach of most people :pac: that was nearly as much fun as years later cleaning out the "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" quiz machine in a place in Ranelagh on a weekly basis...

JupiterKid

Fibber McGees on Parnell St - I practically lived there in my college years in the mid 90s.

Temple of Sound on Ormonde Quay, The System and Columbia Mills.

The UCD Sports Bar.

winnie the schtink

anyone remember PEEKERS in dunlaoghaire ,or LONGNECKS in ballina

torres9kop

The Bull and bear stillorgan then into hollywood nights after

Shint0

Great post, Hotblack.

You forgot McGrath's on Upper O' Connell Street. I got dragged along there regularly. I know a marriage that came out of there. A very unlikely pair. Still married all these years later.

Zoo Bar was the Pink Elephant before that. Some good nights there and some cringey moments. A guy from a college course used be giving me the eye over the bunsen burners. One night he spotted me in the Pink Elephant and sidled over. I had only had about one drink at that stage. I had to pretend I was way more drunk than I actually was, that I didn't even recognise him just to fob him off. Still had to face him the following week.

I have no idea about Isolde's Tower or where that was. Might have been before my time. Edit: I now know where it is/was. The Czech Inn.

matchthis

The station in Rathmines, late 90's. Was always packed and a good crowd. Never ventured down the road to trampco. Seemed another popular spot

MarkY91

Madonnas in Temple bar was a tiny tourist trap nightclub but I always had great craic there. Closed about 3 or 4 years ago

davycc

Darren Muscular Clergyman wrote: »

Ah the memories. Also the LA in Maynooth.

Loved the Palace on Camden Street. Hated Zanzibar and Tramco. The Gaiety used do a great club night for a while.

What was the nightclub in the Portobello called circa 2002? Also have vague memories of a dreadful place in Temple Bar called Isolde's Tower, no idea what became of it.

I hated Zanzibar and trampco myself, the palace was miles better!
I remember a cool night club in Portobello too, 2001 ish in a basement right by the bridge
isoldes tower is still there now called the Czech inn. Still a kip too

Chris_Bradley

Temple Theater Dublin..... Place was mental

Big Nasty

Late bars killed the nightclub a fair bit. Used to be a load of clubs in South Dublin that are now long gone.

Flamingos / Hollywood Nights / Deep - Stillorgan
Bondai - Stillorgan
There was one above the Leop Inn too - Racy Nights possibly?
Mistys - above Lamb Doyles
Club Apres - Kilternan Hotel
Marlays - Taylors Three Rock, Rathfarnham
Faces - Churchtown
Club Sarah - Rathfarnham
There was one in Terence too where the Tesco is now - can't remember the name of it.

mackeire

The red box

LordSutch

Pink Flamingo @Stillorgan Park Hotel.


...several in Leeson St too, but I can't for the life of me remember their names

pajor

Not a fadó fadó memory. The Bróg in Cork before it was renovated. Sticky floors, manky seats and music that you could never quite hear. Unless it was live, which was usually quite good. Heckling the bingo when 69 was called.

Started quite a few nights out with the €3 pints before 11. Had two friends down from college in Dublin one time and they were astounded at being able to get a round for 3 people for €9.

Sue Pa Key Pa

The Sportsman's Inn, Mt. Merrion. Live music nearly every night with great residencies. The Lookalikes, Bogey Boys, Fureys, Bagatelle, Full Circle. I nearly lived in the place & the bouncers were sound as long as you looked 18

As for Blinkers in Leopardstown Race Course, what a kip. In those days, they had to serve a 'substantial meal' to get the late licence. Halfway through the night, the houselights went on full, the bars stopped serving and patrons queued up for the almightiest paper plate of greasy slop they called chicken curry. Great nights altogether

Shint0

Night Owls in Ranelagh.

Why I am I remembering all the rubbish ones? Can't forget the Mean Fiddler my most regular hangout of that era.

Sue Pa Key Pa

LordSutch wrote: »

Pink Flamingo @Stillorgan Park Hotel.

Always full of middle aged men leaning on the rails of 'the pit' leering at young wans

Walter2016

Big Nasty wrote: »

Late bars killed the nightclub a fair bit. Used to be a load of clubs in South Dublin that are now long gone.

Flamingos / Hollywood Nights / Deep - Stillorgan
Bondai - Stillorgan
There was one above the Leop Inn too - Racy Nights possibly?
Mistys - above Lamb Doyles
Club Apres - Kilternan Hotel
Marlays - Taylors Three Rock, Rathfarnham
Faces - Churchtown
Club Sarah - Rathfarnham
There was one in Terence too where the Tesco is now - can't remember the name of it.

Showing my age - was in all of them.

Terenure House was Itchy Feet.

Add Night Owls in Ranelagh and Cloud 9 in Spawell.

Also Blinkers in leopardstown racecourse (now club 92)

Conor Bourke

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Do you know what's worse than people taking about pubs they drink in?

Talking about pubs that no longer exist they drank in.

Flanagan's in Sooey

Shint0

Sue Pa Key Pa wrote: »

Always full of middle aged men leaning on the rails of 'the pit' leering at young wans

The opposite of that was probably Sachs on Morehampton Road where all the cougars went to pick up a toy boy.

Walter2016

LordSutch wrote: »

Pink Flamingo @Stillorgan Park Hotel.


...several in Leeson St too, but I can't for the life of me remember their names

Hmmm...
Blondes
Streets
Leggs
Buck whaleys
Cats
Suesey street


Can't remember the one on corner of Leeson and hatch.

Another old old favourite was Sloopys on Fleet street and Zhivago on Baggot street (where love stories begin)

And finally...

The best til last...


"The Big Apple" above the Baggot Inn. Parents used to drop their under age kids to the door knowing they wouldn't gey drunk cos the drink was watered down by a huge margin. :-)

Speedsie

Walter2016 wrote: »

Can't remember the one on corner of Leeson and hatch

Strings?

KungPao

pajor wrote: »

Not a fadó fadó memory. The Bróg in Cork before it was renovated. Sticky floors, manky seats and music that you could never quite hear. Unless it was live, which was usually quite good. Heckling the bingo when 69 was called.

Started quite a few nights out with the €3 pints before 11. Had two friends down from college in Dublin one time and they were astounded at being able to get a round for 3 people for €9.

Ah did they do it up? Bah.

I used to live in Cork, had some great nights in there, even if I was little older than the average age. Cheap pints, decent music, dank dive, horrible toilet...it had it all.

I suppose they jacked up the prices since the old days?

KungPao

Any frequenters of The Flowing Tide downstairs bar? Neptune bar I think it was.

Some great times in there back in the late 90s to early 2000s. Closed now I believe. Was a good spot. Used to be packed out, decent jukebox, nice enough crowd.

PowerToWait

KungPao wrote: »

Any frequenters of The Flowing Tide downstairs bar? Neptune bar I think it was.

Some great times in there back in the late 90s to early 2000s. Closed now I believe. Was a good spot. Used to be packed out, decent jukebox, nice enough crowd.

Was a not very frequent visitor.

Think a buddy tried a night in there couple years back but I may be mistaken.

maudgonner

The soon-to-be-torn-down Warwick in Salthill.

http://connachttribune.ie/end-of-an-era-as-landmark-warwick-hotel-to-be-demolished-340/#

A Galway institution. Student nights on Thursdays. Home of The Stunning. Will be sadly missed.

The fact that it's going to be replaced by a nursing home is some kind of sick joke. I know I'm getting old, but not that old!

Losty Dublin

Turquoise Hexagon Sun wrote: »

They have The Breakfast Club there now. It's called The Dark Horse now though and people don't eat sausages or beans...

Sorry to wake this post up but it's now become a Starbucks :mad:

Hotblack Desiato

Jeez, the Warwick, was in there once on a very boozy trip away circa 1991/92. Can't remember too much about it as a good time was had in the Quays earlier

Zanzibar, overpriced pretentious kip. For a while after it opened it was the place that girlfriends/female friends wanted to go to, for some unknown reason. You could guarantee that if a bunch of ten or twelve people arranged to meet up there, at least one (always a fella) would be refused at the door for no reason at all. In the pre-mobile era that was your night ruined. So after one or two instances of that among their circle of friends, most sane people decided never to darken the door of the place again.

Pravda was a great place when it was new, one of the very few places where you could get Stoli and decent imported bottled beers, when the rest of the country was still drowning in tasteless macro lager swill

PowerToWait

maudgonner wrote: »

The soon-to-be-torn-down Warwick in Salthill.

http://connachttribune.ie/end-of-an-era-as-landmark-warwick-hotel-to-be-demolished-340/#

A Galway institution. Student nights on Thursdays.

Drug fuelled doesn't really do it justice. The Harbour was still going then. And into Pauric's for early next morning.

Outlaw Pete

The first time myself and my mates went into town drinking (we were all 16) we went to La Mirage nightclub (now Fibbers) as we heard it was easy to get served.

It was true Mad place.

Turtyturd

Barcode is a blast from the past. Used to work with a couple of lads from Darndale whose ambition it was to get into the place. Would go down every Thursday and get refused every time. Eventually started going down early in the evening before the crowds arrived and would only be refused 9 out every 10 times. Would always have stories about how the doorman didn't like them, but would follow it up with stories about how they went back to Hamunaptra and ended up in a row over something stupid.

Good time Charlie's was fairly popular in the late 90's when we were in school. There was a time when you'd see classmates there who you hadn't seen in school in ages.

Also remember Jets in the late 90's early 00's.

Remember most of the others from town which have been mentioned. For some reason I will always see The Vaults as a monument to a time when the country had completely lost the run of itself.

pajor

KungPao wrote: »

Ah did they do it up? Bah.

I used to live in Cork, had some great nights in there, even if I was little older than the average age. Cheap pints, decent music, dank dive, horrible toilet...it had it all.

I suppose they jacked up the prices since the old days?

They did the place up at the end of 2013. I was never actually in it after they it was renovated, as I was in college in Dublin and then moved out of Cork in 2014. But you can see from photos online how different the place looks. AFAIK the place was split into 2 pubs. The front bar is now a place called BarBarossa and what was the back bar is The Bróg now.

A cheap night out was filling up with pints in The Bróg and then next door to Gorbys for €2 drinks. What you want when you're 18. You can imagine how mank the jacks were on the night of LC results.

Hellrazer

Big Nasty wrote: »

Late bars killed the nightclub a fair bit. Used to be a load of clubs in South Dublin that are now long gone.
Faces - Churchtown
Club Sarah - Rathfarnham

2 of the most god awful kips I was ever in.The rugby crowd were the bisggest bunch of **** Ive ever had the honor of sharing a pub with.

JupiterKid wrote: »

Fibber McGees on Parnell St - I practically lived there in my college years in the mid 90s.

Practically grew up there myself-spent most of the 90s and early 2000s in there at least twice a week.. Met my wife there 22 years ago.Celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary last Monday.

Funny thing is my daughter(18) has now taken the torch so to speak and Fibbers is her local haunt now. Carrying on the family tradition!!!

Anyone remember the rat in the wall that died and they used to throw bottles of bleach into the hole until it rotted away. It took about a year for the smell to go completely.

Or the lad that used to pierce people with the gun on a Saturday night.I remember taking a stud out of a friends nipple with a pliers the next day.

It was never the same after they changed it around though.

Pete Moss

KungPao wrote: »

Any frequenters of The Flowing Tide downstairs bar? Neptune bar I think it was.

Some great times in there back in the late 90s to early 2000s. Closed now I believe. Was a good spot. Used to be packed out, decent jukebox, nice enough crowd.

Yeah, it used to be one of my old haunts. Had some great nights in there. The jukebox was fantastic - none of this single songs crap, they had entire albums to choose from and excellent albums at that. There was also a pool table there, but it was awkward to play on in certain spots, due to the shape of the place.
I follow The Flowing Tide page on Facebook, they reopened The Neptune Bar a number of months ago, on the night of an Ireland match prior to the Euros. Unfortunately, I had other plans so couldn't get in to pay a visit.

+1 for Fibbers too, had some terrific nights in there. One of the few places in Dublin where a bottle of Buckfast could be bought over the counter in a pub. The barmen were hilarious too, anytime you bought a bottle of Buckfast they'd say "Do you want a glass with that?", used to make me laugh every time :P

Despite being in tourist trap territory, Eamon Dorans was a decent place at times.

mookishboy

The Underground on Dame St.
It turned into a late cafe some point in early 2000's i think.
grub with a coffee that was 3/4 whiskey until it was bright out side. was always packed. good times in there

Atoms for Peace

Haven't had a penguin or club milk in ages.

Mister Vain

The Matrix nightclub. Can't remember where it was.

The Bee's Knees in Meath. Utter dive but the women were easy. Generally the rougher a place is the easier the women are.

Robeman

Can anyone tell me is Guinness pasturised or not. Had an argument with a fellow dairyman who claims guinness like fresh milk in that both pasturised. Please tell me he is wrong

HamsterFace

Hennellys in Castlebar. Now an Easons.

Every Sunday was like Paddy's day. You could walk in around 7 any evening and might find someone diving headfirst off the bar to try to get into a moving bottle bin.

It wap kinda like the place all the bad kids go to in Pinocchio. I'd say if you wandered in there you would have been disgusted but as a regular it was mighty craic at the time.

Gerinspain

This is really going back, and probably doesn't qualify as a club, but The Grove in Clontarf. Then we progressed on to:

The Apartment
The Countdown Club
Tiffanys
Sloopys

Brilliant times had in all those and great memories

Shint0

Gerinspain wrote: »

This is really going back, and probably doesn't qualify as a club, but The Grove in Clontarf.

That really must be going back as it moved to Raheny and was there for years.

Gerinspain

Shint0 wrote: »

That really must be going back as it moved to Raheny and was there for years.

Yes, all the way back to the late 60's

fleet_admiral

Daniel O Connell beside the Virgin megastore on Aston Quay. Used to get served in there when I was 15. Barmen didn't give a fiddlers

Big Nasty

fleet_admiral wrote: »

Daniel O Connell beside the Virgin megastore on Aston Quay. Used to get served in there when I was 15. Barmen didn't give a fiddlers

Still on the go. Aiming for the tourist market now.

20Cent

fleet_admiral wrote: »

Daniel O Connell beside the Virgin megastore on Aston Quay. Used to get served in there when I was 15. Barmen didn't give a fiddlers

Ha yeah did that.
Remember making fake USIT cards for ID?

Handed it to the fella there photo was sideways he didn't care lol.