Let me just explain that this is a review of before The Oval was renovated. I haven’t been in there since but hope to in the near future and will re-review the pub then. (8/2/06)
The Oval pub is situated on south main street in the city on the junction with Tuckey street. It looks dull from the outside and is not lit up very well. If passing by the pub it won’t entice you in if your looking for a modern energetic bar. When entering the pub now you’ll have to pass the congreation of smokers hanging about. There are two doors on the way in and realistically the pub can only cater for one person going in or out at a time. As you go inside the first thing that will strike you is the darkness of the place. The bar is on your left as you go in and is quite small. There is a seating area at the front, to your left and straight ahead to the right. There is also seating down the back of the pub. The last time i was in there i sat on an empty keg! In my opinion this is a pub where you can go on your own to have a drink comfortably. There have been many times that i have been waiting for friends to come into town and i usually come to the oval and have a nice quiet pint.
The music here is always alternative and it’s at the bar staff’s discretion what’s played. The last time i came in ‘I am the Walrus’ by the Beatles was playing. It is a popular pub with a wide cross section of people. The pints in the Oval are very good. You are always guaranteed a decent pint of stout. In the dim lighting you will notice a red light shining. The toilets are located up a fairly steep staircase. You wouldn’t want to be too drunk walking up. The gents toilet is small with one cubicle and two urinals and a little sink. It’s quite a smelly bog from my experience. I think they have a room upstairs where bands practice. If you’ve never visited the Oval then you should head there as it is a really cool bar. There are no televisions which has to be a good thing and it is a very unique pub.
Toilets rating: 5/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Final comment: The Oval is nice to pop into early in the night for a good pint ot two. I don’t normally stay there for the night if in town. It’s nice to experience it even if your not in to this sort of pub.
The Gaelic Bar is a nice pub found in the town of Carrigaline. It can be found on the bridge in the town just down from bank of Ireland. It has been done up in the last few years and the outside is appealing. I used never go into the place up to about two years ago. I was in there last night but the famous Carrigaline pub crawl is when i’ll normally go in. The pub has a section on the right as you walk in and a bigger section if you walk straight down the back. The bar is split into two. To be honest it’s a small enough pub and is relatively quiet during the week but picks up at weekends. It’s quite cosy and you can sometimes sit near their open fire which is great. There are some really good seating areas around to land yourself on. The Gaelic caters its regulars and is the base of the Leyton Orient supporters club in Cork. It has now seating out the back of the pub to cater for the smokers. There are outside heaters there aswell.
The pints in the Gaelic are very good (the half pints are good too!). The price is around the 3.30 mark. It definitely would be up there for the best pints in Carrigaline. The toilets are normally clean and though they are small i have never had to wait as of yet. The pub is well decorated and is nice for a drink now and again.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: The Gaelic pub is a nice place to go for a quiet drink in Carrigaline. Any time i have ever been in there i have enjoyed it a lot so i can definately recommend it. It’s a nice place to go to watch a match (plasma screens) or just to enjoy a decent pint of stout.
Reardens pub is located on Washington street in Cork city centre. It has a prime location and is certainly one of the most thriving bars in town. It has frontage onto the road outside and is usually well lit up at night. You can always expect to see bouncers on the door and some of them like to cause hassle. The pub is a popular haunt with a vast number of Corkonians. As you enter you’ll notice the bar directly ahead of you, it’s long and is shaped in a semi circle. The inside is very big and there’s plenty of seating and also lots of space to stand. It can get very packed in Reardens especially on Thursday night through to the weekend. There is a dance floor at the top end of the bar and this is where the dj usually hangs out. The pints of stout in Reardens are at best, bad. In my last visit there i bought a pint of murphys and it was crap. The price of drink is absoloutly crazy. A pint of stout will set you back 4 euro and about 4 thirty for a pint of beer. How they get away with charging so much for such bad goods is beyond me. If going there also take into account that you may be waiting in line at the bar for your drink. Apparantly drink in Reardens and upstairs in Havana Browns night club gets more expensive as the night goes on, watch your change.
The toilets in Reardens are ok but because it’s so busy there they tend to get very messy. There are two toilets for men and women downstairs. In my opinion for a pub of this size the toilets should be bigger and maintained a lot better. Even though Reardans is a late night bar a lot of patrons pay through the nose to go upstairs to Havana Browns literally just for the experience of walking up the stairs. The music is much better downstairs but people still seem attracted up. The nightclub is very popular but in my brutally honest opinion: a total and utter waste of money. Also if you go into Reardans after 12 i think you have to pay 3 euro to get in there. All a load of scams!
Toilet rating: 5/10
Pint rating: A very dissapointing 2/10
Overall rating: 4/10
Final comment: Reardens as i said is one of the most popular bars in town but it seems a fact that you are literally throwing your money away when you walk in the door. When the place isn’t too packed i like it there but my overall experiences there have been negative. I’m not going to recommend Reardans as it’s just not my sort of pub. I’ll only go in there to meet someone who’s in there already or if my friends want to go in. (Rant over!)
Murphs bar is the place to go on a beautiful summers evening when the sun is setting enjoying a cold pint of Murphy’s! Facing Cork harbour on the road to Monkstown it is a nice stop off. It has a roadside location and it does attract you when driving past. I decided to stop in for a pint as a Sunday treat. It has a parking area that can accomodate about 20 cars. There are plenty outside seating areas on each side of the pub. Just behind the car park are interesting colourful antiques that are nice. As you walk into the pub the bar is directly in front of you. The pub is split up into three sections seperated by two arches. The stone work on the walls is fantastic and there is a lot of memorabilia around. I ordered a murphys and a bottle of budweiser. Seven euro forty for those two. The pub was generally quiet at half six on a Sunday evening. It is quite small inside and has a fire that would make the place very comfortable. The pint of Murphys was ok. I didn’t think it was great but it did appear to be pulled too quickly. There is one television and you could hear it clearly because it was quiet.
The gents toilet in Murphs is fine. It is small but it was very clean. The seats are comfortable and the windows give the pub good light. We left after just the one drink so don’t know how busy it gets but it appeared like a locals spot catering for passing trade. I enjoyed the visit and will pay a return visit.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 5/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final Comment: Murphs is the kind of pub that is nice to stop off at. If you want to have a few pints you’ll need someone to drive or else get a taxi as it’s not central. It’s a fine little pub and you should stop off for a look if driving past.
With Lennox’s fish and chip stop on your door step how can any bar possibly go wrong! The Gallows is on Barrack street. It is a good distance out from the city centre and you probably wouldn’t end up there unless you were passing or if you had a specific reason to go there. The latter is exactly why i ended up in there. A friend of mine was doing a karaoke night for his final class party (nursing) and so myself Ryan and Jen popped along. I drove up and parked just behind the pub. It is facing the main road and to be honest i was suprisingly impressed with the outside. It was well lit up and there was a nice seating area for the smokers to congregate. We entered through the main door and were all suprised about how nice the place looked. The bar is on your left just inside the door and is long and there is a seating area around here. The is a place upstairs where there is a juke box and a pool table. There was the usual regulars occupying the bar and they appeared somewhat excited at the sight of their usual quiet Wednesday night brought to life by Keith and company! We ordered the two stout and one beer and found the barman to be quite polite. We went to the larger area of the bar where the buzz was and there was a nice size crowd there. We got a table up the front near the stage and sipped on our pints.
The Beamish in the Gallows will set you back 2 euros nintey which is fairly good. Ryan was the tester and he gave it the thumbs up and stuck with it for the night. I went back to Murphy’s (protest over) and enjoyed the black stuff which cost me three thirty. The atmosphere in the place was really good. There was a lot of singing and dancing going on and i did an oul song. Keith really kept the place entertained. My analysis of the toilets is short: clean, 4 urinals, 1 cubicle and a disintegrated bar of pink soap that i didn’t dare to touch. Conor from my class joined us and informed me that from the smoking area the music can be heard quite clearly. Myself, Jen and Ryan all concluded that this is a good pub as we walked out the side door. Ryan orchestrated some photography and we drove home happily.
Toilet Rating: 8/10
Pint Rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Final Comment: The Gallows bar is nice. It would normally be quiet midweek but they have live music at weekends and it can get packed (according to local sources). If on Barrack street pay the place a visit.
Barrys of Douglas won the overall national black and white pub of the year in 2003. In the past three years the pub has undergone massive refurbishment. It has a prime location in the city suburb of Douglas. It is located in Douglas village just on the intersection to the back Douglas road. This pub is owned by a native of Carrigaline Peter Collins son of local businessman Barry. Interestingly this pub never closed during the renovations and it never lost it’s regular trade. There are three enterances, the main one facing main road. There is car parking space at the side but it is usually full as it is small. The outside of the pub is impressive. There are bouncers on there quite a lot. The sheer size of the place will strike you on entering. They really did a great job. The Bar is oval in shape and takes centre stage. There are lots of different seating areas around and the furniture and decor are nice to look at.
Any time i have been there, there has been no music but it has always been very busy with people holding conversations all around. It is indeed a very professional establishment and you won’t be waiting long to be served as staff are plenty and appear hardworking. Any pints of stout i’ve had have been fine, no complaints. Jen had a few glasses of wine and each time i went to bar i was given a choice of five. The price is costly but not much difference to other places. The toilets here are great. They have always appeared clean and well kept and i’d say they are checked regularly. This pub caters for a crowd of more mature patrons. Your not likely to see any underagers hanging about. Bring your shoes and not runners with you if going for an evening drink as you probably won’t be going in. The have a room upstairs, i’ve never been up there but i think it’s a function room. It’s a late night bar and there are always a large line of taxi’s outside awaitning your custom. Barry’s is definately worth visiting.
Toilet rating: 9/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final Comment: Barry’s is nice for a quiet drink midweek but during the weekends it can get very busy and cramped inside (so i’m told). If you were ever in the pub before it was done up you should revisit, if you don’t like big pubs where there is a dress code then give it a miss.
Let me begin this review by stating that this is my local so there is going to be some bias. Cogans bar and lounge is located about 7 miles from Cork city in the satelite town of Carrigaline. It is located on main street Carrigaline before the shopping centre. You certainly wouldn’t be drawn to the pub by the outside of the place. It faces the main road and even though the front has been painted in recent times it could do with some investment. There is both a bar and a lounge in Cogans with the lounge being the much bigger of the two. If the truth be known i have only ever been in the bar twice. They have a pool table on uneven ground and a little bar. I am not going to recommend anyone go into the bar, you do so at your own risk! The lounge is where we hang out. Not as much as we used to but we still make regular appearances. What’s great about the lounge is that there’s hardly anyone ever there. This may sound weird but let me explain. I do like meeting people and socialising in busy places but here we can be ourselves. We can sing, play guitar, chat with the radio softly in the backround, sleep, be offered a blanket, bring a karaoke machine in and have our own party, give out at the back door being opened too much because of the smoking ban and overall have a laugh.
The bar in the lounge is very long, the alcove has gone and has been put to other uses. The staff namely Martin and Margaret know us and are welcoming. The owner unfortunately has deteriorated greatly over the past year or so but his wife keeps us on our toes. She is certainly better than any bouncer, she inforces the law rigidly! The lounge itself is long by the bar and a bigger open space toward the back. We normally sit at the back left hand corner. Theres a function room at the back but it’s small and mainly used for meetings and the like. I’ve noticed it has got a lot brighter there recently but it is inadvisable to turn off the lights as you will be caught. The pints are smashing. Whatever stout you drink or beer or whatever it’s all good stuff and not watered down like some places. The price of the drink is pretty much the same as most pubs in the town. Your likely to meet the regular lads in there, there all nice and on Saturday nights they provide free entertainment on the in house guitar. The seats could definately do with being recovered, they are nice but a tad outdated.
The toilets are out towards the back of the pub. Mens on the right and womens on the left as you go out. There is a safety pin on the mens toilet door (something to look out for). There is one cubicle and an oul trough and the capacity is 4 people at any one time. The famous towel that inhabited the toilet for years has been repaced by a more modern hand towel dispenser. Toy soldiers that were put around the place seem to have been stolen (any info to Mr Mc Nally). The toilets are generally alright. There is a new shelter out the back for smokers and it seems to be quite popular. Make it your business to visit this pub, after all it’s our local. Thats me, Ryan, Foss and Kev!
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating 9/10
Final comment: If your coming in a big crowd to Cogans you might want to ring ahead and get the nod from the the boss woman as there may be ugly I.D scenes. It’s great for a quiet drink any night of the week, they do toasted specials and sell tayto cheese and onion crisps which is becoming rarer and rarer in pubs. You may even meet us in there!
September 18, 2004
I personally think that this pub could have the best location of any pub in Cork City. The Old Oak is one of Cork’s most popular late night venues on Oliver Plunkett Street, across the road from the G.P.O. It doesn’t appear to be big from the outside but looks can be deceiving! Normally you can expect to see bouncers on the door vetting people for identification. The main enterance is on O.P.S and there is another enterance opposite Scotts bar on Caroline street. On entering the interior decor is quite impressive and you’ll be suprised at the size of the place. There are three bars downstairs and the place is divided into sections. There is a room upstairs call Cyprus Avenue where you can sometimes see live bands. The main bar in the old oak is host to many live acts on a regular basis along with your usual inhouse dj’s. I got lost in there on my first visit a few years ago when it was extremely busy and confusing to navigate around They have an interesting clock located near the stage thats something to look out for. The pints of stout are ok in there, if it’s quiet you’ll get a better pint and the prices are about the same as most city pubs.
The toilets are normally well maintained but on a busy weekend night they can get quite messy. Of course this can be said of most pubs. They are big enough so you won’t normally have too long to wait. This pub fits into the category of superpub and it is one of Cork City’s late night bars. I would recommend a visit if you have not been there as the inside is really nice and it is very central.
Toilets rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 5/10
Overall rating: 6/10
Final comment: This pub is good for a big group night out as it has the room to accomodate everyone. The atmosphere on one night can be great if it is busy but if it’s quiet it can be dull. They do a decent lunch there most days. If you like a big pub then go and have a look.
2004/09/18
This is the first pub review i have ever written. This is a whole new fresh idea. The first pub to be reviewed is Dennehy’s bar on Cornmarket street in Cork city. This place only really says one thing: old mans pub. I may not be an old man yet but i fit well in to these places! The pub is tiny and is a small gem in a big city. As you walk in the door the bar is on the left with seating on the right and a nice comfortable seating area down the back. As far as i know there is a little function room at the back though i’ve never actually seen it. As can be expected from a small premesis your custom is appreciated and the staff are always pleasant and friendly. The pints of stout are excellent. I’ve tried our local stouts Murphy’s and Beamish and both were very good. The prices of drink like any pub are too expensive but for the city the prices here are ok.
The toilets can only be described as historic. They are very small and quaint. There is a little trough and one toilet. One person at a time so if it’s busy there could be a queue, doubt it though. I’d say the place can hold 20-25 people at most. There has always been a very homely atmosphere whenever i have visited. I have yet to get those stares that some small establishment regulars give you as if they want to murder you for invading ‘their’ public house! You absoloutely have to visit this pub as it is very refreshing to have a drink outside the usual crap pubs that the city has to offer.
Toilets rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Final comment: This pub is great for a change and is definately not your typical Cork City pub. There will always be an atmosphere because the place is small and it has a kind of a local personal feel. Definately not a place for a big gang night out or a class party but great for a drink with the lads or the girls.
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