What's the roughest pub in Dublin city?

tdf7187

Anyone who thinks a pub on Stephen's Street is the roughest pub in Dublin must have lived a sheltered existence.

Sultan of Bling

Thelonious Monk wrote:

Yes my favourite central pub. And they def wear the outfit alright. Pretty sure Bowe's on Fleet St do same. I used to go to the Ramble Inn in Donnycarney regularly enough, the Guinness there is the best I've had anywhere. Rough enough though, a local guy I kind of knew got shot dead outside it too, adds to the flavour of the pint.

Christy Barry?

Thelonious Monk

Sultan of Bling wrote: »

Christy Barry?

RIP, he was a nice guy.

fleet_admiral

Feenix wrote: »

The Snug on Stephen St is a ****hole.

The Restaurant Royale, not too dangerous as is frequented by absolute alcoholics that wouldn't be able to pick a fight. Most of the nutjobs barred from my place drink in it. Harmless folk but dedicated dipsos

2ndcoming

Was in the Claddagh Ring / Capel a fair few times in the years coming up to it becoming the 1661.

My last years of dirty all nighters in town, never seen any trouble really but I suppose I wasn't in the best state to assess the risk anyway. The odd bit of handbags / threats outside on the street. The gaffer usually held the pool table and I guess had Ra connections or a serious rep cos he used to **** lads out for dealing in the jacks (even though half the clientele were clearly out of it) and very few gave lip back.

Usually a mix of down n outs, sessioners on a rollover and scobes. The few rum n cokes often straightened me out enough to make it to a more respectable establishment around noon. Good days, that said I rarely miss the feeling after.

whodafunk

The Village Inn Finglas. Not sure if it’s still going but not somewhere I’d ever like to visit again...

dd973

One thing I've noticed is a lot of Irish pubs classed as rough or of ill repute still seem to have comfortable decor and furniture and don't necessarily 'look rough' unlike those single level flat roofed places in inner city Glasgow or housing estate pubs in England, Fosters on tap, pool table, darts, depressed looking folk in tracksuit bottoms and polo shirts staring into their pints.

The Deputy Mayor in Finglas is a good example, wanky clientele but decent decor and good food and carvery, odd juxtaposition.

2ndcoming

dd973 wrote: »

One thing I've noticed is a lot of Irish pubs classed as rough or of ill repute still seem to have comfortable decor and furniture and don't necessarily 'look rough' unlike those single level flat roofed places in inner city Glasgow or housing estate pubs in England, Fosters on tap, pool table, darts, depressed looking folk in tracksuit bottoms and polo shirts staring into their pints.

The Deputy Mayor in Finglas is a good example, wanky clientele but decent decor and good food and carvery, odd juxtaposition.

The average British pub is about 10 steps down in every measurable metric than the average Irish pub. The drink, the toilets, general cleanliness, staff friendliness, you name it they do it worse.

There's also nowhere in Ireland as destitute as the ****hole areas around the north of England and Scotland.

yabadabado

Agreed there is some truly awful pubs in parts of UK, that I have yet to see an Irish pub come close to.

Big Back Clock

2ndcoming wrote: »

The average British pub is about 10 steps down in every measurable metric than the average Irish pub. The drink, the toilets, general cleanliness, staff friendliness, you name it they do it worse.

There's also nowhere in Ireland as destitute as the ****hole areas around the north of England and Scotland.

Yep, the greyest, dreariest, most depressing holes you could set foot in. Had a few stags in Newcastle and Manchester, what kips.

Spent a good bit of time in the East Midlands, don’t get me started on Derby. Not one establishment of what you and I would call a pub in the whole place

Thelonious Monk

I used to live in a place called Streatham Hill in London and the amount of depressing absolute kips there was crazy. There were many old Irish alcoholics that frequented them and you'd get all sorts and some of the sh*t I've seen in those places...
They know how to make rough pubs in Britain.

The Mulk

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

I used to live in a place called Streatham Hill in London and the amount of depressing absolute kips there was crazy. There were many old Irish alcoholics that frequented them and you'd get all sorts and some of the sh*t I've seen in those places...
They know how to make rough pubs in Britain.

I'd agree, there are some great pubs in the bigger cities, but some awful kips. always just around the corner.

Just noticed the Daily Fail couldn't get a decent picture for a pub in the UK in their story about lockdown, so used the Temple Bar
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9064219/Coronavirus-UK-Tier-3-rules-mean.html

Hotblack Desiato

fleet_admiral wrote: »

I worked in Eugene's back in the mid 90s. It was an absolute hell hole. Some of the stuff I saw going on there would turn your hair white

Spill! :cool:

Dual wheels

Big Back Clock wrote: »

Yep, the greyest, dreariest, most depressing holes you could set foot in. Had a few stags in Newcastle and Manchester, what kips.

Spent a good bit of time in the East Midlands, don’t get me started on Derby. Not one establishment of what you and I would call a pub in the whole place

Couldn’t agree more, the north of England in particular is one big kip, absolute sh1tholes of council estates full of scum and layabouts who only get out of the scratcher to go to the local sh1thole pub which keeps its doors open off taking the dole off the locals
Any time I’ve been in any of those pubs in England they are always cold, smell of domestos and fart homeless looking lads at the bar drinking pure p1ss water, filth everywhere there must be no health inspectors in these places
People in the north of England live a grim existence

Thelonious Monk

In saying that there are countless beautiful charming pubs with great food and drink all over Britain

Dual wheels

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

In saying that there are countless beautiful charming pubs with great food and drink all over Britain

Yes there are but mainly in rural or south of England, suburban areas in the north or England are the type of place the likes of paddy Doherty would frequent

Thelonious Monk

Dual wheels wrote: »

Yes there are but mainly in rural or south of England, suburban areas in the north or England are the type of place the likes of paddy Doherty would frequent

The north has great ones, parts of the north are quite posh, towns in Yorkshire, parts of Manchester and its surrounds etc.
Some of those sink estate pubs are good craic, I've had a few belters in them.

dd973

Dual wheels wrote: »

Couldn’t agree more, the north of England in particular is one big kip, absolute sh1tholes of council estates full of scum and layabouts who only get out of the scratcher to go to the local sh1thole pub which keeps its doors open off taking the dole off the locals
Any time I’ve been in any of those pubs in England they are always cold, smell of domestos and fart homeless looking lads at the bar drinking pure p1ss water, filth everywhere there must be no health inspectors in these places
People in the north of England live a grim existence

Really? Have you heard of or been to Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Hale or Harrogate?, your post is like saying the whole of the North (our North) is one big 70's Belfast, when vast areas of it were relatively untouched by paramilitaries, poverty or sectarianism.

Do all the Man Utd and Liverpool players live in 2 Bed terraced houses with an outside jacks and a pigeon coup?

Strumms

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

The north has great ones, parts of the north are quite posh, towns in Yorkshire, parts of Manchester and its surrounds etc.
Some of those sink estate pubs are good craic, I've had a few belters in them.

The North of England has some seriously nice and picturesque places. I’ve friends in Sheffield and spent some time with them... the drive from Sheffield to Bradfield is stunning as is Bradfield itself.
Love ‘The Old Horns’ pub and another I forgot the name of....the views...

https://images.app.goo.gl/dJXAN84Q2Zd1nRev9

Beats ‘the blacker’ any day of the week.

Jizique

Strumms wrote: »

The North of England has some seriously nice and picturesque places. I’ve friends in Sheffield and spent some time with them... the drive from Sheffield to Bradfield is stunning as is Bradfield itself.
Love ‘The Old Horns’ pub and another I forgot the name of....the views...

https://images.app.goo.gl/dJXAN84Q2Zd1nRev9

Beats ‘the blacker’ any day of the week.

There’s a bit of Johnny Foxes about that

Strumms

Jizique wrote: »

There’s a bit of Johnny Foxes about that

Truth, summer it’s stunning. People are sound too.

thebronze14

machaseh wrote: »

If I would take me mate on a Bad Pubs of Dublin tour, I'd choose the following ones. Mind you I have only been living here for 2 years, so my experience is a bit limited.

- Kiltipper Inn, Kiltipper Tallaght. It's actually not too bad of a pub I like it but there's some rough people with tracksuits there. Also being extremely far out of town makes it quite unique to visit, most dubliners would never come here if they werent from the area.
- Swiss Cottage has sadly closed but it was quite a rough pub.
- Lloyds on Amiens street near conolly station
- Molloy's Pub near conolly station
- Berkeley Inn on Berkeley Street (I even suffered discrimination there)
- Donaghmede Inn, better known locally as the Donaghmede Bin. It is truly the worst pub in Dublin I'd say. Absolutely no atmosphere, just a grey block of concrete in a suburban shopping mall. Fights or people tampering with the ATM are not uncommon.
- Dicey's, not really a pub but yeah...
- River Bar. I wouldnt even dare to enter.

The Swiss was my nearest pub when I lived in Santry...Went in regularly enough. Had an edge to it but never encountered much hassle. Some amount of strange people would come up for the chat but I kinda liked it as you could go into it with the tracksuit bottoms and seem dressed up! Sad to see it go. Bottom or top (can't remember) of the Hill in Finglas about the worst I've been in. Work near Summerhill so been to a few dodgy ones near there. Avoided the Sunset House which is now closed though. Monday club in Tom Taveys in Inchcore was some craic. Absolute head the balls in there while I was there for a match. Would love to do a crawl of some of the roughest pubs in Dublin. They are often the best craic!

Cienciano

Dual wheels wrote: »

Couldn’t agree more, the north of England in particular is one big kip, absolute sh1tholes of council estates full of scum and layabouts who only get out of the scratcher to go to the local sh1thole pub which keeps its doors open off taking the dole off the locals
Any time I’ve been in any of those pubs in England they are always cold, smell of domestos and fart homeless looking lads at the bar drinking pure p1ss water, filth everywhere there must be no health inspectors in these places
People in the north of England live a grim existence

That's a ridiculous generalization. I regularly go to yorkshire. Cities like Leeds and York are great places, bigger towns like Harrowgate are very nice too. Smaller towns like Skipton and Ilkley, Hebdon bridge, Knaresborough, Shipley are cool places to go too. There's countless villages too that wouldn't look out of place on a postcard. I've been to a good few pubs that are out on their own too, like this: https://goo.gl/maps/kvAQtLpEAieGVhbr8 and there's not many better places to have a pint outside.

I do agree that there's a higher percentage of shíthole pubs in England, and the chain pubs have ruined pub food, but to class the entire north of england as a dump is crazy.

Ush1

Going back probably 10 years but The Saggart Arms used to be very lively.

Used to be fellas playing trad music while bottles flew past their head.

not yet

fleet_admiral wrote: »

I worked in Eugene's back in the mid 90s. It was an absolute hell hole. Some of the stuff I saw going on there would turn your hair white

Madigans and the nearby dusty bin were 5 star hotels compared to Eugene's

Worked there myself in mid 90s and thought it was grand, the odd scrap or do as you likie getting fcuked out was the height of it.

1968

Lovinguinness wrote: »

I am surprised no one mentioned "The Corduff Inn." Out in Blanch that could be rough.

While "The Blacker" has a rep in coolock most of the serious nutters drank in Kyle's but never caused an issue there.

Saints and Sinners, near Constitution Hill, not mentioned either had it moments.

The Blind Ref could be dodgy. The Auld Triangle was an old "Stickie" bar (official IRA). Clearys under the Bridge was an old Provo place.

Madigans kilbarrick had its moments too, the locals call it madbins.

Bit like others said, unless you went in looking hassle none were mad rough.

Interesting about the Auld Triangle. It has had a 1981 Provo hunger strikers mural on the wall outside since 2012.

https://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/22090

So are you saying it was a stick pub back the 70s/80s? Only five minutes walk from Gardiner Place so that have been a factor?

The Saints and Sinners was known to hose IRSP/INLA functions in the 2000s so make of that what you will. Also heard the same about Bo Derrols in 1990s which used to be opposite the Cobblestone.

discodiva92

I read Conor McGregor has taken over a pub
Surely gonna be scumbag central

L1011

1968 wrote: »

Interesting about the Auld Triangle. It has had a 1981 Provo hunger strikers mural on the wall outside since 2012.

https://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/22090

So are you saying it was a stick pub back the 70s/80s? Only five minutes walk from Gardiner Place so that have been a factor?

I was under the impression that OSF did their heavy drinking in their own members clubs, not actual pubs generally. However its well before my time to have actually been there.

The Auld Triangle seems a lot less dodgy inside than you might expect. Not sure I'd want to go back, but I've been in shadier places.

1968

L1011 wrote: »

I was under the impression that OSF did their heavy drinking in their own members clubs, not actual pubs generally. However its well before my time to have actually been there.

The Auld Triangle seems a lot less dodgy inside than you might expect. Not sure I'd want to go back, but I've been in shadier places.

Yes, I say they did most of their socialising and drinking in ‘Club Uí Chadhain’ in the basement of 28 Gardiner Place (two doors down from their main offices). Although I did hear today that Burke's (later Stoney's) on nearby Hill St was the most popular pub in the area for the WP.

ShyMets

Apologies if its been mentioned before but Carrs now Leonard's Corner on the SCR use to be pretty salty back in the day