The Stable is a pub bang in the center of Carrigaline village. I have to admit that i have never vacated the bar but have been in the lounge several times. As you walk into the lounge there is a straight passageway down to the back with seating to the right and the bar on the left. The bar takes an L shape and is quite long on the way in. The back of the lounge is fairly spacious and is kinda square shaped. There is plenty of seating available in this area. There is very adequate parking out the back and they have tables there for the smokers. Apparently they used to have heaters there but they have been removed. The pints in the stables are very good. I don’t think i have ever had a bad one in there. One person i won’t mention his name to save embarrassment got asked for i.d on our last trip in there. I mean he looks about 46!
The toilets in the stables are alright i suppose. There are two cubicles and one of those troughs. A viewer of these pub reviews (there aren’t many) who happens to be female complained to me about the lack of reviews of ladies toilets. Firstly let me say i am not a pervert and i don’t intend sneaking into the ladies for a snoop around! We will normally pay the stables a visit if on one of our pub crawls, pay it a visit for a quiet pint.
Toilet rating: 5/10
Pint rating 8/10
Overall rating: 7 and a half/10
Final comment: The Stable is nice for a pint any night of the week. It has it’s regulars and also has some of cogans regulars! They don’t normally have music of any sort and it is quite pleasant. The have a small function room at the back and they do a decent lunch. The owner is always very nice and polite and i always enjoy a drink in there.
The wilton bar and restaurant is across the road form the Cork University Hospital (CUH) and the wilton shopping centre. It has a prime location but in my opinion the pub could do a lot better. I work in the hospital and have been in there for lunch several times and it does a good lunch time trade but it is dead and lacking atmosphere at night. It has been done up over the past year and is a very cosy pub to sit in but doesn’t appeal to nighttime thrill-seekers. On entering the bar is directly in front of you and plenty of seating to the left and right. The nearest pub is about two or three hundred meters away so in terms of competition the wilton has its own territory. As far as i know they don’t have music in there any more and although it continues to have it’s regular trade, there are not many who plan their night around the wilton bar! The pints in there are fairly decent it has to be said that their stout is good.
The toilets are very well maintained and are checked regularly (i’ve seen it being done). They have a disabled toilet which is great to see and of course the pub is fully wheelchair accessible. This is vital with the pub being in the vicinity of CUH. The restaurant upstairs does very decent grub and is nice for meal with friends or family in the evening. If in the wilton area head over for a look.
Toilet rating: 8/10
Pint rating: 7and half/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: The wilton is a really nice pub and is good for a few quiet drinks in the evening. As said, it definitely does not fulfill its potential for making money but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If being dragged along shopping in wilton and are very bored sneak away and sit back with a nice cold pint of MURPHYS AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LOVELY!
The Corner House is a Carrigaline pub and is located at Cogans corner in the village. It underwent a complete makeover about five years ago and was converted into a two level pub. It is very popular with all ages and has good trade all during the week. As you go in the bar is directly in front of you and it takes an overall oval shape. To your left the is the stairs leading you upstairs and you can go left or right downstairs towards the back of the pub. The back section is the biggest part downstairs. When it’s busy during the weekend it can get packed. There is a smoking area out the back of the pub. There is one big screen for matches and two smaller ones. The pints are definately much better downstairs than upstairs. Of course when it is quieter the stout is better than when it’s busy. It’s about 3 euro thirty for a pint. Even though there are no bouncers on the door you rarely see underagers inside.
The upstairs can hold a good few people and is usually where we head if in there on the weekend. There is a small bar up here aswell. The toilets are alright downstairs but upstairs although smaller are usually cleaner. The pub is one of the most popular in the village and does very well. They always only have a cd playing in the corner. They never have any live music which is a bit dissapointing but overall it’s nice to have a drink in there.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 6/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: The Corner Bouse is somewhere to consider going if in Carrigaline. It’s a good size pub and usually has a good atmosphere. The weekend is the best time to head in.
Collins Bar is in the fantastic Carrigaline court hotel. It is owned by local businessman Barry Collins. The hotel has recently been renovated and the enterance to the bar has changed slightly. You can normally expect to see 2 doormen on duty who can be strict with identification. The pub itself is big and divided into sections such as fishing, gambling and others. As you go in the bar is straight ahead up a few steps. There is seating all around and there is some very impressive wood finishes. You’ll normally get a seat unless its very busy there. There are always plenty of staff working to help you quench your thirst. If going here for the first time it is definately worthwhile going around for a look at the different sections and all the old memorabilia. The pints are very good in the hotel. I’ve never had too many complaints about them. Out towards the hotel lobby there is a computer on the wall where you can gain access to the internet for a charge. Modern technology!
The toilets in the hotel are fairly big. I’ve often got a packet of jelly beans in there to munch on! Not much else to report on the toilets really. The pub itself is nice for a drink any night and there is always some atmosphere. They have trad music there regularly but normally there is no music live or otherwise. The pub does a great local trade and is also very popular with hotel guests. They do a decent luch menu if there during they day. It’s a grand bar to visit at any time.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Final comment: Collins bar holds a distinct advantage in my view against other pubs in the town. It’s situated across from the church and is the nearest pub to the cork side of the town. This can save people walking into the village on a cold and wet winter/summer night in Ireland. It is also a great bar and very enjoyable to socialise in.
Cleavers bar has closed down (6/2/08). It has been gone for a while and there is now a pub called Cavanaghs there in its place.
Cleavers bar is a city centre pub located across from St Francis’s church on Liberty street (just up from the raven bar). It’s a former butchers shop so i’m reliably informed. I’m not sure how long it’s a pub but i’d say not too long. I popped in for a pint one night with a friend of mine when looking for somewhere not too packed. It was a Thursday night and there was a couple of people sitting outside but it looked quiet inside so we headed in. We plonked ourselves at the bar and ordered the drinks. I had a look around and noticed that the place has a warmth about it. When coming in the bar is on your left and there’s a seating area to the right. There is seating down the back of the pub on the left and the toilets are on the right. The stout was alright, not great but i got the impression that murphys was not their biggest selling drink. The barman was young and avoided any chit chat even though we were the only other two in the pub. As we were moving on after the one it started filling up a bit.
The toilets are very acceptable. I found them to be very clean and i would expect that with the place being new. Conor informed me that the last time he was in it got very packed and that had been on a weekend night. It’s quite a small pub but has some very nice qualities aswell. I’d definately like to head back sometime.
Toilet rating: 8/10
Pint rating: 5/10
Overall rating 7 and half/10
Final comment: Even though Cleavers enjoys a prime city centre location it’s still a new pub and may take time to build up business. A quiet drink might be nice there during the week. If the stout was better i’d be happier! An overall nice city centre pub. Ernest, the owner of cleavers has informed us that the stout has improved. We will be back soon for a re review.
Monkstown is where you will find the Bosun. It has an idyllic location on the harbour and is about twenty minutes drive from Cork City. It is well known for it’s fine food and has developed quite a reputation among Corkonians and also those further afield. I have never actually ate in the restaurant but have had bar food there several times. In fact i have only ever been there during the afternoon. There is a decent sized car park across the way from the bosun which is quite handy. They have a couple of outside seats which are nice to sit on, on a sunny day. As you walk in there is a nice kind of conservatory part at the front which allows good views of the surrounding Cork harbour. As you walk down along the bar is on your right and there are various different areas where you can sit down. I have only ever had the one pint there and it was following sunday lunch. From what i can remember the murphy’s is quite good. The one thing that always strikes me is the friendliness of the bar staff, especially one chap who’s always there. You get the full ’sir’ treatment!
The toilets in the bosun are located down the back of the bar and are clean and checked on regularly. Incidently the pub itself is quite small and can get very busy especially during lunch and dinner times. It’s certainly a nice spot to visit after a stroll along by the water. I would highly recommend the bar food there. It’s less pricey than the restaurant which would be nice for a special occassion.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: I cannot comment on what the bosun pub is like at night but during the day it is nice. If feeling peckish and also fancy a pint then this is your place to go.
The east village is a pub, restaurant and hotel in Douglas in a recent development situated directly across from Mc Donalds. The east village area also has shops restaurants etc. This is one of the three late night bars that exist in Douglas. We headed in there late on a Saturday night. As you go in the bar is situated in front of you and is oval shaped. This was my first visit to the pub and as you know first impressions last. My first thought was that it reminded me of a warehouse. We walked down towards the back and found a nice standing point. We both started off with a pint of murphys but didn’t make that mistake again. You don’t want to be drinking stout in a very busy late night bar, put it that way. There was a good mixture of people around both young and old.
As far as we could make out there was no dj around and the music was just coming from your avarage cd player with notable silences between songs. It’s a very economical way of doing things i suppose. Vodka and coke was the chosen beverage for the rest of the night. The toilets in the east village are located down a stairs and are interesting. When i say interesting i don’t mean there is anything different from other toilets but on the radio in there was different stand up comedians. It was very different to what you noramally have to listen to in toilets. The east village pub is definately the kind of pub to pack people in. They have less seating and more standing space.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 2/10
Overall ratring: 6/10
Final comment: The east village is a grand place to go if you want to have a late night drink. It did seem fairly packed but it was grand. They have a restaurant upstairs that you can see from the pub downstairs. It was good fun to visit.
Before I begin this review which was done last year, was passing the place where this pub was and it has been demolished! Just in case you decide you want to visit!
The Cheeky monkey is located on Leitrim street across the way from the Heineken Ireland brewery. It’s a good walk from the city center to here. I’ve visited the pub twice and it was some experience! We decided to head up the first time because there was karaoke on there and thought it might be a laugh. The pub is located at the end of the street and you can’t miss it. There were bouncers on the door and as you walk in you can go left or straight on. To the left there is a seating area and a bar and straight on is the main area of the pub. We got ourselves our pints and checked the place out. It was strange being in this pub, i didn’t feel like i was in Cork city! The seats are comfortable and on this occassion one of the ‘Coyote girls’ was running the karaoke. It was a competition for a sun holiday somewhere. The pints of murphys were reasonably good and nobody voiced any complaints. Myself and Kev sang a few songs and Ryan hummed along! At some point we discovered it was a late night pub and we continued to have a few. There is some kind of slot machine in there and it just took my money and wouldn’t work but i kept throwing it in, be aware!
I payed a return visit because i was in the semi finals and on this occasion stood by the bar. The toilets are passed the stage area and out glass doors. The gents is on the left. They are small and there was no toilet seat on the toilet but other than that they’re ok. The pub was a lot busier on the second visit and the atmosphere was good. Some of the people in there were a bit scary. You wouldn’t want to be caught looking in their direction! Unfortunately didn’t pay the third visit because of work but couldn’t see myself returning there now unless all other late bars were over crowded. Someone told me that there is a lap dancing club upstairs there. I don’t know whether to believe that or not but we were just there for the karaoke and the laugh!
Toilet rating: 5/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 6/10
Final comment: I would probably never have discovered the cheeky monkey pub had i not seen the karaoke advertised. I have to say that i enjoyed the two nights there and it was definately an overall good experience.
Apparently this pub was closed down the last time i heard. It could well be open again, i don’t know. (8/2/06)
Connollys is a pub in Leap down in west Cork. It is located on the Skibbereen side of the town. The pub has an excellent reputation for hosting the cream of Cork music talent. There are tables and chairs out the front of the bar. Myself and Foss popped in after an unsuccessful fishing trip at Shepperton lake. The pub is quite distinguishable and you can park along the side of the road. As you enter the bar is straight in front of you. This part of the pub is small enough and it’s kind of a semi circle around the bar. We sat at the bar in this part of the pub. We could hear live music coming from the back and it sounded good. I think the band may have been recording. There are pictures all over the bar of different people that were in the pub at sometime during the past. A murphys and a heineken were called for and 7 euro for the two which is good. We also got a packet of bacon fries each and these were delicious. The pints were good, they both came in the proper glasses which always pleases me. Overall no complaints about the quality of the drink.
I took a trip to the toilet and its basic. There is a door leading from the gents toilet out to the street which is something i haven’t seen before. I nearly walked into the female toilets at first but soon reorientated myself! I got a quick glimpse of the band in the room at the back but didn’t get to investigate fully. We were in there at about half four on a Friday afternoon and there was four others in the front bar. I enjoyed the quick stop over at Connollys of Leap and will definately pay a return visit.
Toilet rating: 4/10
Pint rating : 8/10
Overall rating: 7/10: I didn’t get to check the whole pub out.
Final comment: Connollys of Leap is a nice pub but I was only in there for about a half an hour so it’s hard to pass judgement on the place. It was good to see as i’ve heard loads about the pub. I will return in the future and maybe catch a gig.
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