Proper old school Dublin pubs thread

humberklog

Taking 2 from opposite ends- Hughes Bar over beside the old Motor Tax and The Windjammer. They're local pubs but very open to strange faces. Had some very good nights/days in them.

I work in George's Arcade so in normal times I'd go for pints on Monday, Tuesday and/or Wednesday and I miss JJ Smyth's a lot for watching midweek football. Sad story with JJ's son selling it and dying soon after and him still and young man.

Grogan's hasn't got a mention and I know some people don't like it as it can be clique-ish or too packed but I'm a regular there (part of the clique I suppose) and early in the week it wouldn't be too hectic. Get a few seats at the bar and booze away with whatever the night would bring in.

Now here's a controversial one- Hogan's (remember I dink early in the week). It's a very old pub (used to be a jazz pub). Sure enough Declan O'Regan has done a lot of extending work but to my eye it's done well. Ok, come Thursday, Friday and Saturday it changes as the night goes on into a quasi night club what with the dance floor downstairs and the weekend revellers it gets.
But come Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday it's a very well run pub, music is barely audible and the only sports they'll show is big matches on terrestrial TV. With attentive long serving bar staff that are friendly and helpful to the regulars that frequent on those nights. I think it should squeeze in to the thread for the 4 nights a week that it operates as an old school pub.

L1011

BonnieSituation wrote: »

Had a run in there with the switch over of the rugby while I was watching after being in there for a few hours and had a load of grub as well.

Never gone back. Assholes.

Of the 3 "older bars" [Slatts, Nealons, Boar] on capel, Nealons is the best of the lot
You can fling McNeill's into the sun.

Nealons was ruined with the last change of ownership - all new staff.

Day Lewin

YoshiSays wrote: »

Stags Head.

O Neills, Pearce street.

Mulligans

Toners

Smyths Haddington Rd, always a nice pint after work. Actually the only nice thing about work, was the pints in Smyths afterwards

Thinking once these vaccinations come through, I am going to go on a day long slow pub crawl through Dublin. Hopefully summer time this year!

You've liked all my favourite pubs, we should have a pint or two together when the new day dawns!

Sheep Shagger

YoshiSays wrote: »

Thinking once these vaccinations come through, I am going to go on a day long slow pub crawl through Dublin. Hopefully summer time this year!

This is a superb idea, the hangover with kids would be worth it.

Cienciano

The snug in Toners deserves it's own thread.

odyssey06

YoshiSays wrote: »

Smyths Haddington Rd, always a nice pint after work. Actually the only nice thing about work, was the pints in Smyths afterwards

Haven't been out that way for a while, but would the the Waterloo & Ryans Beggars Bush still be an old school boozers?

The 51 used to be, but seems to have gentrified of late

Wishbone Ash

humberklog wrote: »

...Grogan's hasn't got a mention and I know some people don't like it...

For a reason - the most over-rated pub in Dublin.

yabadabado

odyssey06 wrote: »

Haven't been out that way for a while, but would the the Waterloo & Ryans Beggars Bush still be an old school boozers?

The 51 used to be, but seems to have gentrified of late

Ryan's would be imo ,Grand pub .

Irish Gunner

Flowing Tide abbey street i drank there in my underage days and now in my overage days after Dublin games

Also confession box Marlborough Street had a few sessions in there

GT89

Jobstown House

Daragh1980

Toners
Can’t wait to get in

HeidiHeidi

Cienciano wrote: »

The snug in Toners deserves it's own thread.

Along with the hall in Slattery's Rathmines!

GT89

Surprised the Blue Light hasn't got a mention yet. Can't beat the view on a warm summers evening there in the outdoor area and a nice cosy place in the winter and great if your into trad. The Galloping Green is another pub I really like especially in the winter by the fire there.

L1011

Neither the Blue Light or the Galloping Green is in Dublin City, even though we have had some DL Town pubs, that is likely part of it.

yabadabado

Irish Gunner wrote: »

Flowing Tide abbey street i drank there in my underage days and now in my overage days after Dublin games

Also confession box Marlborough Street had a few sessions in there

Confession Box is a great little spot ,a few good pubs in that general area.Briodys ,Flowing Tide, Sackville all within 2/3 minute walk of each other.
Iirc there is another good pub along Marlborough st as well but the name escapes me.

Been 2 or 3 years since I drank around there,has the Luas livened up that area a bit ?

Thelonious Monk

Yeah Grogan's is the type of place hipster people call an "old man" pub even though it's just full of unemployed photographers in their 30s.
Never liked the place.
I usually work near Toners, it's a great spot most of the time but Thursday/Fridays can be a bit of a mare as it gets jammed with big groups of posho suits working in the many firms on the Georgian squares. Must be one of the few city centre pubs with lounge staff too.

humberklog

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Yeah Grogan's is the type of place hipster people call an "old man" pub even though it's just full of unemployed photographers in their 30s.
Never liked the place.
I usually work near Toners, it's a great spot most of the time but Thursday/Fridays can be a bit of a mare as it gets jammed with big groups of posho suits working in the many firms on the Georgian squares. Must be one of the few city centre pubs with lounge staff too.

Or as I've heard (and kinda agree)- Grogan's is like Galway, it's where artistic ambition goes to die.

Thelonious Monk

humberklog wrote: »

Or as I've heard (and kinda agree)- Grogan's is like Galway, it's where artistic ambition goes to die.

Love it.
Has anyone said Smyth's of Haddington Road? I was there the night before the first lockdown, I really like it, proper old school.

YoshiSays

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Love it.
Has anyone said Smyth's of Haddington Road? I was there the night before the first lockdown, I really like it, proper old school.

Yup, a while back. Nice, no nonsense pub. Great pint.

vafankillar

i'd probably say delaneys as my favourite. always prefer a place where I can enjoy my pint while I smoke, which is the one downside to the traditional pub usually. also nice that it's an early bar.

BonnieSituation

vafankillar wrote: »

i'd probably say delaneys as my favourite. always prefer a place where I can enjoy my pint while I smoke, which is the one downside to the traditional pub usually. also nice that it's an early bar.

Smithield?

It hasn't been the same the last few years, but was always on my list back in the day.

BonnieSituation

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Those last couple of years of Kennedy's were great. That kind of hippy bloke behind the bar was the most laid back person ever and played good music. It kind of became hipster central almost over night though up until it closed. Its current incarnation is just so lifeless it's unbelievable.

That was the owner Ciaran.

It was a glorious pub. I introduced him to John Grant one night after he started playing Midlake. Nothing like the confusion of those tunes combined with the nest stout in town.

yabadabado

Any love for The Snug?

Ticks all the boxes and has afaik the cheapest pint in the city centre.

crushproof

BonnieSituation wrote: »

You can fling McNeill's into the sun.

What's up with this, always had a cracking pint in McNeills, would sometimes drop in while doing the shopping in town. Would get a cracking pint and a quiet enough place to read the paper.

The Confession box is one place now that I'm looking forward to visiting again, some of the most random times in there over the past few years.

And it may go against many here but looking forward to sunny days outside Grogans and Keoghs. Sure they may have hipsterised or be popular but they still serve up a cracking pint.

+1 to whoever mentioned midweek in Hogans too, still a brilliant pub.

IAMAMORON

Isn't it great to have so many options? We don't know how lucky we are, all things considered. I mean if you can't stand the vibe in one boozer slug your scoop and head basically next door or around the corner.

Spoilt Rotten all said.

I hate inner city " locals" however, they wreck my head. Far too much local politics going on and eventually some local shít for brain is going to start bollixing with you over something. Nothing worse and there is no point. I would rather spend an extra 50 cents a pint in a more convivial boozer up the road or around the corner - It will cost me an extra fiver and I don't have to accommodate any bullshight.

I also think this concept that kippy boozers or spit on the floors are somehow a bit of craic slighty naive. I mean going into a pub to stalk the resident drongos is patronising in itself. If you haven't been there before they spend the first hour trying to establish if you are a hitman, undercover cop, posh, trouble, a fighter, a joker, going to rob their bird, etc etc etc. To much hassle. I just want cold fresh alcohol and some company - not a phucking inquest.

humberklog

yabadabado wrote: »

Any love for The Snug?

Ticks all the boxes and has afaik the cheapest pint in the city centre.

Now I know I put in Hogan's but I'm struggling to see how The Snug fits in. It's a relatively new pub, its decor is like a small drab pub you'd find under a multi-storey car park on the outskirts of Birmingham city. The Lithuanian mother and son and Thai wife of the owner (I believe they've moved on a few years ago) , whilst ran a tight enough ship, weren't exactly overly friendly or helpful and I understand the new management aren't much better. I think it's got even rougher since. The varying degrees of loudness of the euro-bass-trad music mixed with the mono blare of the 4.30 from Haydock scratching away from the TVs is disconcerting.

They only connection the clientele have with proper old school pubs in the city is that they've been barred from most of them.

Still a cheap pint all the same.

pottokblue

Previcar street gigs I always like Lord Edward and TomKennedys to sip up the atmosphere.

Check out this guy's instagram for some proper lego old school pubs.... www.dublinbricks.com

pottokblue

I love Confession Box, Dametavern, Sackville, Briodys, Brannigans..... the one outstanding thing they have in common imo the geegees!

dobman88

BonnieSituation wrote: »

Had a run in there with the switch over of the rugby while I was watching after being in there for a few hours and had a load of grub as well.

Never gone back. Assholes.

Of the 3 "older bars" [Slatts, Nealons, Boar] on capel, Nealons is the best of the lot
You can fling McNeill's into the sun.

4 of us used to meet up almost every Friday for pints in Nealons. We became pro-like at getting that little table in the corner on the way to the jacks. No need to move and a little space for the bar staff to throw the pints out to you. Used to time it to be there after the work crew were finished their few pints but before the evening crew got in, sit there until closing happy out.

Jaysus I miss the pub

YoshiSays

dobman88 wrote: »

4 of us used to meet up almost every Friday for pints in Nealons. We became pro-like at getting that little table in the corner on the way to the jacks. No need to move and a little space for the bar staff to throw the pints out to you. Used to time it to be there after the work crew were finished their few pints but before the evening crew got in, sit there until closing happy out.

Jaysus I miss the pub

Yep, just great pints, chat and craic. Simple things!