The Newport is a bar and bistro located at Paul street in Cork city center. It opened a few years ago and has built a very good reputation. When you pass there during the day people can be seen sitting outside enjoying a drink. Paul street is one of Corks pedestrianised streets and normally has music of some sort thanks to the many buskers who frequent the area. It reminds me of a street you would find in Italy. As you go in the door of the Newport there is seating to the left and the bar is off to the right. They also have other seating off to the left as you walk up towards the back. Any time that i have been in there it has been busy enough. They cater for a lot of passing trade and also shoppers from the near by shopping center. I have ever only had the one pint in here and it was grand. I didn’t notice that many people drinking stout on that night but mine was fine. As far as i know its a late bar and they have a kind of nightclub located upstairs.
The toilets are very modern and on my visits have been very clean and well maintained. They are located on the third floor of the building. It is the first pub that i have been in that has a lift and this appears to be a very modern and functional one. Apparently their food is very good so that could be worth trying. It is the home of Mangans night club. It appears to be a grand pub catering for the 21-30 age group.
Toilet rating: 8/10
Pint rating: 6/10
Overall rating: 6/10
Final comment: The Newport is somewhere to consider as a late night venue. The times that i have been in have mainly been for pre-dinner drinks. Take a look for yourself.
This pub has been gone for a long time now (25/08/09)
Isaac Bells is a pub located on Patricks Quay across the river from the new rejuvinated bus station. As can be seen from the picture above Issac Bells is no more! This is the up to date story. It’s been a long time since i’ve been in there but i remember the place well because it is very different. I cannot even be sure if it is still open. Before i went i heard that it was renowned as the being the only Belgian pub in the City. The night i went in i remember, outside the bus station was one way at the time and a lorry had driven down the wrong way and had over turned. It’s an irrelevant piece of information, just something that stands out for me. As you walk in the bar is just on the right and is relatively small. There is seating on the left and this continues as you walk down. There is some seating past the bar on the right also. Overall a very small place. On the wall they had a blackboard with their lists of beers and they even had some Chinese beers for sale. Heather Ale and seaweed beer were 2 of them. All the percentages were higher than your avarege beers. I remember i had one drink and then reverted to 7 up which i happened to spill! I had a Belgian beer although i cannot remember the name and it was very nice.
The toilets were down the back of the pub and were small but well kept as far as i can remember. Apparently the ladies toilet has padded seating! There were three musicians playing opposite us and they were playing songs that i knew which was great. Even though i did enjoy my time in this pub i never paid a return visit. If it’s still there i might just pop in.
Toilet rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 7 and a half/10
Final comment: Isaac Bells is a great idea for a pub in that an alternative to the norm is offered. This sort of pub is not everyones cup of tea but is interesting.
Fred Zepplins is a pub located on Parliment street near the South Mall in Cork city center. It closed its doors a while back and moved to Douglas street but its back open again. They don’t appear to have done anything when they closed. Fred’s is very much an alternative venue. You can expect to see people in there with extreme hair colouring and the same clothing. It looks small from the outside and it’s across from Bank of Ireland. You cannot miss the pub and it looks grand from the outside. As you walk in the door there is seating on the left and stools on the right. As you walk up the bar is on the left and if you go past there is more seating here. They hold regular table quizzes and have an abundance of live acts performing. There is also a room up stairs that i have not been into. In fairness the pints of Murphy’s are very good in this pub. Theyt have a fine selection of beers available. Apparently they do nice soup and sandwiches but i haven’t had any! The lights are usually low in here.
The toilets are up the back of the pub and they are grand but can be a bit dirty. Overall i like Fred’s and it’s a place that i can recommend even though i haven’t been in there that often. It’s worth checking out and if your looking for that somewhere different then this is your place.
Toilet rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: Fred Zepplins is a conveniently located pub in the city. It offers live music and a nice pint. What more needs to be said.
Rineys is a pub/shop located in the lovely little village of Sneem in Co Kerry. Sneem is on the ring of Kerry route between Kenmare and Caherdaniel. The identifing feature of the place is the ‘one car’ bridge connecting the two sides of the town. When we were in Kerry on our holidays we travelled here one day to watch a match in one of their pubs and we chose Rineys. It’s on the Kenmare side of the bridge in the village. They haven’t all that much in the town but they do have the much coveted Quills. As you walk into the pub the bar is on the right hand side and there is seating to the left. If you walk down a bit there is seating past the bar as well and this is where we were. They had a big screen tv on the wall and this was perfect as Cork were playing a hurling match. Also if you walk around the back of the bar there is a little shop that sells all your requirements! The bar man was running both. It was great to see. The regulars weren’t too happy to see us cheering for Cork! I was driving and didn’t have a pint so i cannot assess their brew.
The toilets are a very small affair in Rineys but were usable. It is very much a locals pub but during the summer they probably do very well because of all the buses stopping in the area. I can only presume that they do bar food. It’s been a while since our visit to Rineys and i past it last month when i was in the area but didn’t go in. It’s an experience!
Toilet rating:6/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: Rineys is a grand little set up. If you feel peckish of want to buy a hairbrush or something all you have to do is pop your head around the corner. Sin e.
The Mallow Park Hotel is on the same street as the previous one but is on the opposite side. Again this is a very nice hotel bar and was quiet on the nights i was in there. As you walk in and down towards the bar there is seating in this area. It is a nicely decorated pub. There is more seating of you turn away from the bar facing where the toilets are. the highlight of my trip in to this pub was their games machine. It is situated near one of the seats and gave us loads of amusement. We spent a good hour sitting there answering the general knowledge questions in lightening fast speed to advance to the next level. We got so addicted in fact we had to leave, that and we ran out of money! I had a pint of Murphys and it was a very decent pint. There was only about four others in the bar on that night but there was nice soft music playing and it was very relaxing. Apparently they have live music in there especially on Sunday nights.
The toilets were fine. I have no complaints about them. Overall it was a nice hotel bar and even though it was quiet when i was in there during the week, id say it’s busy at the weekends. It’s another bar in Mallow that i like.
Toilet rating: 8/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7 and a half/10
Final comment: The Mallow Park hotel is nice for a quiet pint or to catch some live music at the weekwnds.
Davey Mahony’s is a pub located in the Hibernian hotel in Mallow Co Cork. It is located in the center of the town and boasts a leisure center. It is also known as the Hibernian hotel bar in the town. The one thing i have to say about this pub is that the staff are extremely professional and efficient from my experience. As you walk in the bar is one the right and continues the whole way around in a circular shape. There is seating in and around this area. If you keep walking down there is seating straight ahead and go right and you can come up the other side of the pub. It is quite spacious and is a nice hotel bar. It was very busy on the night i was in there and it was more of a mature crowd having a drink. I ordered a Murphys from the nice bar staff and they delivered it over to me. The Murphys was very nice and i noticed that a lot of the the other patrons were drinking the oul black stuff too. There was a match on one of their tv’s and everybody was enthralled.
The toilets are out in the reception area of the hotel and are nice hotel toilets and were in the process of being cleaned when i went in which was good to see. Mallow has a a couple of hotels and this pub is a relaxing and comfortable hotel bar. It’s across the road from the Mc Donalds in the town and it appears to be popular. It’s worth a look.
Toilet rating: 8/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Final comment: Davey Mahoneys (Hib Hotel bar) is a great place for a nice pint of stout in Mallow town. The staff are professional and there’s a nice atmosphere. Pub review no: 100!!!
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The White rooms are located upstairs in the Bodega pub on the Coal Quay in Cork city center. I have not talked about nightclubs before so this is a first. I don’t even know if you can refer to this place as a nightclub but hey! I have been in the Bodega before and have enjoyed it. More recently i have been to the White rooms. You can expect to see bouncers at the door so try not to be too drunk after your night on the town. It’s normally between 5 and 10 euro to get in. As you walk the doors there is a seat straight ahead. The cloak room is to the left, 1 euro per item. As you walk up there is a bit of a dance floor in this part along with a stage where the dj plays here. If you take a left and go into a different section there is a small bar on the right and i think that they only sell spirits and the like. You will see a stairs in front of you and if you go up stairs you will notice another dj high up in front of you. The dance floor is all around here. There is a very small bar to the right and there is a small amount of seating up around here. The pints of stout have varied for me from being crap to alright. They play kind of 70′s and 80′s music in here which isn’t too bad. The dj couldn’t find my request (as usual)!
The toilets are located down past the stairs and on my spot checks they have been grand which i was a bit surprised by. They must have known i was around! The music downstairs the other night was a bit freaky as were some of the people around. I don’t really like clubbing much and this isn’t a proper club but it can be fun. The Bodega is a place to consider on a night out and then pop to the white rooms. It’s something to think about.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 6/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: The White rooms is an alternative to Corks late night venues. I have been there twice and have enjoyed both times.
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Mickey Neds is a pub located in Kenmare. This is most certainly the most trendiest we visited on our trip. It is situated near the tourist office and is owned by Mickey Ned who captained Kerry in the past. It’s now called ‘The Bridge Bar’. I was there today and Mickey Neds is gone. We headed in there for a few drinks and found the place to be very modern and comfortable. As you walk in the bar is on the right and there is seating on the left as you walk up. It’s a pub that has very low lighting and it creates a nice atmosphere. We sat across from the bar and there was a live band playing. They were very good but myself and Rymus were the only two clapping and the band acknowledged that. The place was thronged with young people and some a bit older. They had a great selection of drinks on offer but i stuck with the good oul reliable stout! We were in all these Kenmare pubs prior to the smoking ban and looking back we put up with a lot dirty smoke! The pints of Guinness were expensive but the quality was good overall.
The toilets are up at the back of the pub and they were modern but a little bit messy. Apparently Bertie Ahern pops in there when he is on his holidays in Kerry. It’s one of Kenmare’s busy night spots and we enjoyed our time in there. I didn’t try it but it also serves food and it has a good reputation for good quality grub.
Toilet rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Final comment: Mickey Neds is a nice modern establishment that’s nice to have a drink in. It’s one you should consider on a trip to Kenmare. I don’t know what changes have been made but Mickey Neds is now of a new name.
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The Bold Thady Quill is a pub located in the Lansdowne Arms hotel in Kenmare Co Kerry. We wandered in here one night and decided to take a look to see what lay inside. It is situated just as you come into the town. The hotel is a big white building. As you walk in to the pub take a left and there is then seating on the left and the bar is on the right. If you walk down along there is more seating on the left hand side. There is more seating at the bar and down past it. On the night we were in there, there was a traditional Irish band playing and in fairness they were good. This pub caters for the older client. I remember this one particular older man and his loud American accent and he was literally shouting every word he said. Everyone in the bar could hear this fella even over the band. You get one everywhere! The place was very busy on our visit and we were standing near the front of the pub. We only had the one drink in there. The Guinness was nice and we all enjoyed our drink.
The toilets are up near the front of the pub and in fairness they were very well kept and appeared to be checked. This pub would have a lot of it’s guests as customers and during the summer there are a lot of foreigners around so there is good craic! You get the odd loud mouth too but you get over that. We were only there for a short while but this bar was grand. Overall its a very nicely decorated pub with extensive wooden features.
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Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 7 and a half/10
Final comment: The Bold Thady Quill is a nice hotel bar and during the summer it’s especially nice pleasant to visit.
The Atlantic Bar is another Kenmare pub. It is only a few doors down from the previous pub. As you walk in the door there is some seating on the left and the right. As you walk up along the bar is on the right and there is more seating up past there. When we went in there was a mainly older crowd sitting around enjoying their pints. We ordered our drinks and moved into the back section of the pub or their ‘nightclub’. The bar is on the right as you walk in and then in front of you is a big dance floor. There are couches on the left and right around the sides. They are bright read velvety couches and it was a bit of a weird place! There was a few others in there when we went in first but they went off and just our little gang remained. We danced away for the night and had a laugh. We even gave the dj that was playing his own name and it wasn’t complimentary! The pints weren’t great to be honest but we didn’t mind as we were dancing so much.
The toilets were small but were generally ok. We enjoyed the night in their back room (nightclub) but we didn’t pay a return visit during our week. If there had been a bigger crowd around we may have returned. It’s another place you can consider.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 6/10
Overall rating: 6/10
Final comment: We didn’t really experience the Atlantic bar at the front. I’m sure it’s great. Nothing to add to that!
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