What's the roughest pub in Dublin city?

Wishbone Ash

Dublin Spur wrote: »

The Honey Pot (gone)
The Welcome Inn (gone)
The Blue Lion (gone)

rough as f**k

God yea, The Honey Pot! Went into it once back in the 1980's when Gardiner Street was a wasteland. The pub itself seemed to be ready to fall down at any minute. Had a fairly swift pint and left without making much eye contact with anyone.

(The roughest pub I was ever in was in Dundalk - boarded up windows and a cage around the TV. A fight broke out while I was there and the bar man hopped over the counter and threw a few punches to break it up. Back in the 1980's also).

theteal

discodiva92 wrote: »

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

The Blackforge, t'was hardly nice beforehand.

6541

Can anyone help a country boy with a memory. I was in a snooker hall somewhere in Dublin city center back in nineties. It was an after hours drinking den, wall to wall packed with inner city hardmen, drug taking was rife and open. They served cans through a hatch where you would normally get pool balls etc.
I only got away with been in there by talking crap about the RA.

robbie67

The Cabra House is gone now as far as I know they are trying to sell it for Apartments

Drumorig

6541 wrote: »

Can anyone help a country boy with a memory. I was in a snooker hall somewhere in Dublin city center back in nineties. It was an after hours drinking den, wall to wall packed with inner city hardmen, drug taking was rife and open. They served cans through a hatch where you would normally get pool balls etc.
I only got away with been in there by talking crap about the RA.

That would be the mint https://www.irishtimes.com/news/snooker-hall-owner-denies-selling-beer-1.203732?mode=amp

6541

Drumorig wrote: »

That would be the mint https://www.irishtimes.com/news/snooker-hall-owner-denies-selling-beer-1.203732?mode=amp

Thanks. I genuinely felt concerned for my safety in there.

humberklog

Just on the Honey Pot, Tommy Smith (joint owner of Grogan's who sadly died this time last year) used to own that. It was his first pub in Dublin and as far as I can remember him saying he let it go when himself and Paddy Kennedy took the keys of Grogan's in '73.


On another half related thing- I've been trying to find out more about an assault with a baseball bat that ended in death in or around The Honey Pot in about '71- ''74 but haven't turned up anything other than flakey 2nd hand gossip, if someone on here knew anything resembling that story I'd appreciate a PM.

L1011

humberklog wrote: »

Just on the Honey Pot, Tommy Smith (joint owner of Grogan's who sadly died this time last year) used to own that. It was his first pub in Dublin and as far as I can remember him saying he let it go when himself and Paddy Kennedy took the keys of Grogan's in '73.


On another half related thing- I've been trying to find out more about an assault with a baseball bat that ended in death in or around The Honey Pot in about '71- ''74 but haven't turned up anything other than flakey 2nd hand gossip, if someone on here knew anything resembling that story I'd appreciate a PM.

If someone died in or due to an incident in a pub anywhere in Ireland, it is usually on this blog:

https://dyingforapint.blogspot.com/

I'll do a newspaper archive check, can't guarantee anything.

edit: nothing jumping out. Racehorse called Honey Pot racing around the same time is not helping! Pub was also called "Kennedy & Smith" for some of that time period

humberklog

That's interesting they called it Kennedy and Smith. Both Paddy and Tommy always refer to it as The Honey Pot.


Ah I wouldn't put too much time into the baseball bat incident. I'm putting it down as loose talk as I wasn't able to come up with anything.

L1011

Its still down as "The Honey Pot (Kennedy & Smith)" in 1986 directories even though it was sold in '73!

The 73 sales ads exclusively call it Kennedy & Smith.

Birneybau

Drumorig wrote: »

That would be the mint https://www.irishtimes.com/news/snooker-hall-owner-denies-selling-beer-1.203732?mode=amp

Quality spoofery from the 'proprietor' there

griffin100

Drumorig wrote: »

That would be the mint https://www.irishtimes.com/news/snooker-hall-owner-denies-selling-beer-1.203732?mode=amp

I used to frequent that lovely establishment weekly for a couple of years in the late 1990's, usually after a session in Fibbers, to play snooker. Never felt unsafe, it was rough but there was no messing, any hassle and you were out. I only ever seen one fight. Used to be full of taxi drivers playing poker with huge amounts of cash sitting on the table. If I remember correctly they had a large fridge which was positioned with its door tight into the wall and three sides of the unit were wallpapered to disguise it, when you wanted a beer they had to pull the fridge away from the wall to access the cans.

mvt

ShyMets wrote: »

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

Really?
Was in it a fair few times during the '80,s when Christy & Eddie Carr were running it & seemed to be a good place.

The Headline had more of a reputation, at least among the people I was drinking with

Gavin "shels"

mvt wrote: »

Really?
Was in it a fair few times during the '80,s when Christy & Eddie Carr were running it & seemed to be a good place.

The Headline had more of a reputation, at least among the people I was drinking with

Was just asking my mam about Carrs funnily enough... it was rough enough back in the day according to her but you're talking 30+ years ago. My nan used to go up as far as the Harold House to avoid Carrs - she'd literally have to walk past Carrs to get to the Harold!

I used to drink in the Headline a bit before it go all renovated, etc... when Cork John ran it. Was a grand spot then!

BonnieSituation

Gavin "shels" wrote: »

Was just asking my mam about Carrs funnily enough... it was rough enough back in the day according to her but you're talking 30+ years ago. My nan used to go up as far as the Harold House to avoid Carrs - she'd literally have to walk past Carrs to get to the Harold!

I used to drink in the Headline a bit before it go all renovated, etc... when Cork John ran it. Was a grand spot then!

13 months since I got to go to the Harold.

Cienciano

BonnieSituation wrote: »

13 months since I got to go to the Harold.

We need a separate thread for old school quality pubs like The Harold House.

ShyMets

mvt wrote: »

Really?
Was in it a fair few times during the '80,s when Christy & Eddie Carr were running it & seemed to be a good place.

The Headline had more of a reputation, at least among the people I was drinking with

Apologies for the late reply. I drink there a bit in the mid 90's shortly before it became Leonard's Corner. Maybe I'm mis-remembering. But there always seemed to be a few ropey characters in the place and a bit of a vibe.

Funnily we use to drop into the Headline the odd time as well and heard a few interesting tales about Carr's from the barflys. But maybe they had jut been barred:)

Bozo Skeleton

Somebody quoted a mention of The Welcome Inn on Parnell Street a couple of pages back. Ah, here, that was a great spot back in the 90's. A good crowd used to drink in it. John, the guy who ran it was sound, and kept a clean shop. Which was no mean feat. He would occasionally lose the head altogether and shut down the bar, haha. But it was a great spot, and not in any way rough. It was my regular and favourite bar back in the day.
It ended up closing because of family fueding over the parents will. Sad.

BonnieSituation

Bozo Skeleton wrote: »

Somebody quoted a mention of The Welcome Inn on Parnell Street a couple of pages back. Ah, here, that was a great spot back in the 90's. A good crowd used to drink in it. John, the guy who ran it was sound, and kept a clean shop. Which was no mean feat. He would occasionally lose the head altogether and shut down the bar, haha. But it was a great spot, and not in any way rough. It was my regular and favourite bar back in the day.
It ended up closing because of family fueding over the parents will. Sad.

It was an absolute gem. Last time I managed to darken its door was the end of May 2009. Great shop.

Bozo Skeleton

BonnieSituation wrote: »

It was an absolute gem. Last time I maned to darken in ts doo was the end of May 2009. Great shop.

Spot on. It was a gem of a pub. It was my regular and favourite Dublin pub from the early 90's up til when it closed. The last couple of years of it he was in legal wrangles with a brother and sister over it and it got to the stage where he didn't bother opening more and more. Or he'd just close over the door and hand out the ashtrays to those inside (this was long after the smoking ban )
It was a gem of a place, especially in it's heyday. I don't know how somebody could think it was a rough pub. It most definitely was not. Maybe they walked in one night when John was having an epic "fúck this, the bar is closed!" nights?

Bozo Skeleton

The Blue Lion just down the road from it on the other hand...
That was a pretty mad shop. The (true) story of the Nigerian guys going in there looking for protection money is one of those stories of Dublin pub's legends.
I remember there was a laminated poster, for the tourists mainly, I suppose. It was pictures of Dublin's oldest pubs. Similar to the Victorian doors of Dublin poster. The usual places, Brazen Head, Conways, etc. One of them was the Blue Lion. I used to wonder if American tourists would say, "honey, let's check out this quaint old bar on the poster, the Blue Lion."

BonnieSituation

That would be this one with "Spock" on it:

Bozo Skeleton

That's the poster! Jaysus, it's making me nostalgic for a pint of Guinness

BonnieSituation

Same. I just had a forlorn look thinking of the last time I was in any of them.

kravmaga

I used to drink in The Towers pub in Ballymun in the late 80's,early 1990's.

They had a load of bouncers, guard dogs, outside floodlights.

It was like going into a prison, no windows lol

The bands were fab though, that was the main reason for going there.

Seen many a fight in there, you would have to hide under the table go the amount of pint glasses been thrown lol

At closing time they used to turn on an old VCR cassette tape at full volume.

Come on now ladies and gents, finish off your drinks and make your way to the nearest exit, this went on for about 30/40 mins before they got everyone out, hehe

kravmaga

Bozo Skeleton wrote: »

The Blue Lion just down the road from it on the other hand...
That was a pretty mad shop. The (true) story of the Nigerian guys going in there looking for protection money is one of those stories of Dublin pub's legends.
I remember there was a laminated poster, for the tourists mainly, I suppose. It was pictures of Dublin's oldest pubs. Similar to the Victorian doors of Dublin poster. The usual places, Brazen Head, Conways, etc. One of them was the Blue Lion. I used to wonder if American tourists would say, "honey, let's check out this quaint old bar on the poster, the Blue Lion."

Would I be right in saying that The blue lion had a fair few shootings over the years?

not yet

kravmaga wrote: »

Would I be right in saying that The blue lion had a fair few shootings over the years?

Correct.

Sultan of Bling

kravmaga wrote:

I used to drink in The Towers pub in Ballymun in the late 80's,early 1990's.

kravmaga wrote:

They had a load of bouncers, guard dogs, outside floodlights.

kravmaga wrote:

It was like going into a prison, no windows lol

The penthouse had a worst reputation i believe.

but1er

Piorswood in Clonshaugh/darndale the place is spilt in two one half for travelers one half for regular folk. Quality Guinness tough

Birneybau

but1er wrote: »

Piorswood in Clonshaugh/darndale the place is spilt in two one half for travelers one half for regular folk. Quality Guinness tough

Doesn't everywhere do quality Guinness? Actually, not getting into it. Not being snarky.