Monthly Archive for February, 2005

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Loughbeg Tavern

Published on February 19, 2005 in Cork. 3 Comments

This pub has changed ownership and it name to ‘The Ferry Boat Inn’. It’s supposed to be a decent spot. We’l review it at some stage.

The Loughbeg Tavern is the last of the Ringaskiddy pubs to be reviewed. It is the nearest pub to the ferry port and sits on elevated ground next to the local shop. This was the last pub that we visited on our trip. As you walk in there is seating on the left. If you turn to the right the bar is on your left hand side. Walk down and there are a couple of nice seating areas in on the right. They are sepearte areas from the main bar. Past the bar on the left there are more seats. It was fairly busy on our trip and there was a few lads playing darts on the board near the back. Myself and Jen sat at the front on the left. The Murphy’s was the best and i didn’t finish the pint. I was under the impression that this was ‘the’ pub in the village but after being there i am not so sure. It’s a very bright pub and was relaxing to sit in.

The toilets are located at the back out a door and were the best out of the three pubs. There was a smell of air fresheners in there and even though they were small, they were fine. I think there is another area to this pub because when we were leaving we heard music coming from another room. I don’t know if i will head back there again. As i have said before i was there on a Thursday night and sometimes pubs only come to life at the weekends.

Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 5/10
Overall rating: 5/10

Final comment: The Loughbeg Tavern will always have it’s locals as will the other pubs in the area. If the incenerator goes ahead in the village it may be harm these pubs businesses.

Dan Lowreys Tavern

Published on February 19, 2005 in Cork. 1 Comment

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Dan Lowreys Tavern is a pub at 13 Mc Curtain street very near to the Everyman Palace theater. It was established in 1897. I had heard a lot about this place and wanted to check it out for my self. Myself, Ryan and Kev headed in there last night. As you walk in the door the bar is on the right hand side and is relatively small. The first thing that struck me was the very red velvet carpet. It appeared to be immaculate. We sat on the seats across from the bar and they were very comfortable. There is so much to say about this pub, i can honestly say i felt as though i had gone back in time. The bar staff, all two of them were very friendly and the Murphy’s was impeccable. Ryan decided to go for the Beamish red and enjoyed it. It has won the Black and White pub of the year a couple of times, the most recent being 2001. Apparently they do delicious food and although i can’t vouch for that i do believe it. If you keep on walking through an arch you come into the back section. There are seats on the left and right here. There are books scattered around the bar with all sorts of titles.

The toilets are located towards the back and follow the red carpet up the stairs. The toilets are on the left. There is one cubicle and even though they are basic there are still very clean and usable. Also if you walk up past the toilets there is a balcony commanding views of the outside world of Mc Curtain street. There are books up here too and it’s a very unique experience to stand up there and just look out. To be honest i think i have found my favourite pub in the city if not anywhere. It has so much character and charm that it is almost unbelievable. They have a TV above the bar and i’d say it dates back to the pubs establishment. The windows have a fabulous design, it’s great. To say that i recommend this place is a very big understatement. It has everything i envisage in a pub i love. I can’t believe it took me this long to discover it.

Toilet rating: 8/10
Pint rating: 9 and a half/10
Overall rating: 9/10

Final comment: It’s not often that i can be this enthusiastic about anywhere but Dan Lowreys tavern really is special. It would not be in everyones favour but for me it’l be hard to beat. I will be back!

Middle House

Published on February 19, 2005 in Cork. 1 Comment

Middle House is a pub located in Ringaskiddy Co Cork. As the name suggests it lies between the towns two other pubs. We had a drink in there recently. As you walk in the bar is ahead and to the right. There is seating to the left and right and an open space in the middle. I Got my Murphy’s and it has to be said it was very nice. I enjoyed it a lot. It is quite a basic pub and across from the bar is a food counter that is used during the day. On our visit it was relatively quiet. There was this one old man that was asleep from the time we went in to the time we left. It must be a usual occurance because no body batted an eye lid. There is some nice memorabilia on the walls including a nice tribute to our own Jack Lynch.

The toilets are located out to the back of the pub. You walk down a corridor and take a right. Just as you turn right there is a door near the toilets that says ‘Bedrooms’. I certainly wouldn’t like to stay there! The toilets themselves are alright, small but ok. There is another part of the pub off the bar and i didn’t get a chance to explore it. There is also a restaurant part off the bar in a conservatory. This pub opens early in the morning so is very handy if you ever wake up and feel you need a few pints to get the day off to a good start! The Middle House is basic but has got charm.

Toilet rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 6 and a half/10

Final comment: Middle house is fine for a pint, may be worth checking out.

Gallaghers

Published on February 19, 2005 in Cork. 0 Comments

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Gallaghers is a pub on the junction between Mc Curtain street and Bridge street in Cork city. We were in there last night for the first time. The main entrance is on Mc Curtain street. As you walk in the bar is straight ahead. There was a one man band playing last night and he was very good. He was over to the right as you come in, on their stage area. We were about the only ones clapping and Ryan made the valid point that this is not a proper venue. People come in for their chat and pint. If you turn left and walk down there is seating on the left and the bar follows along on the right. There is also seating straight ahead and the bar curves to the right and there is more seating in this. It was very busy last night as people were relaxing after their week. I had a Murphy’s and Ryan had a Kilkenny’s and they were both grand pints. The pub is smaller than we both expected.

The toilets are located down the back of the pub down two lots of stairs. It is a long walk to get to them. The toilets are small and dingy. They are one aspect of the pub that should be improved upon. We just stayed for the one drink and we were happy with that. Gallaghers is a decent pub and well established.

Toilet rating: 5/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: I don’t know if Gallaghers has any connection with famous Cork blue’s guitarist Rory, maybe it does. It’s a place that we both liked visiting.

Sam’s

Published on February 19, 2005 in Cork. 0 Comments

Sam’s is a pub in Ringaskiddy village. I bring my dog on a lot of walks to the ferry port down that way and recently decided to sample the night life in this small place. Me and Jen wandered in and had a choice of two doors to take. We opted for the right door and entered a great pub. To be honest from the outside Sams dosen’t say much. It is not exactly all that appealing. We were suprised to discover how nice it actually is. As you walk in the bar is on your left and the seating is across from it on the right. On the immediate right as you go in there is a great little seating area up a few steps that really impressed us both. The tables and chairs across from the bar are very high, we sat next to the radiator and got plenty of heat. They have two televisions up above the bar of which one was on. I ordered a Murphy’s and a white wine and we also got some tayto’s and peanuts. The pint was a little disappointing but wasn’t too bad. There was only 5 old fellas sitting in this section so it was relatively quiet.

The toilets are located out in the other part of the pub. As i was walking to them i saw they have a pool table and two lads were having a game. Other than that this part was empty. The toilets are pretty bad. There are small and one thing i noticed was that the sink was in the cubicle so if someone is using that you have to leave, germs intact! The lady serving at the bar was pleasant. We were in there on a Thursday night so on a weekend i would hazard a guess that it is much busier. It’s a good pub to have a few pints in.

Toilet rating: 4/10
Pint rating: 6/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: Sam’s is worth a visit. There is not a whole lot to do in this area but if your early for catching a ferry, heres a place to stop off at.

Le Chateau/Reidys

Published on February 19, 2005 in Cork. 0 Comments

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Le Chateau/Reidys is a pub on Patrick street and Academy street in Cork city center. Myself and Ryan decided to venture in there last night. There are two entrances, one on each street. We entered through the Academy street side and walked down a hall way and turned right. I have passed this pub hundreds of times in the past so it was interesting to finally actually go in. The bar is on the left and there is is seating across they way and that continues up to the front entrance of the pub. There is also a back bar available but we didn’t go in. We pirched ourselves by the bar and ordered two Murphy’s. We were delighted to see the pints coming in special edition capital of culture pint glasses. From what i could make out this pub caters for a middle aged group of people. It was very busy last night and the sound of people chatting echoed around. The pints were very good, we both gave them the thumbs up.

The toilets are located down the back and up a stairs. You have to walk for a bit to get to them. It is a very long toilet with one cubicle available. The bar man that served us was a very amiable guy and when our pints were running low offered us refills. We declined as we had to go and see what other new drinking spots we could test!

Toilet rating: 7 and a half/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 7 and a half/10

Final comment: Le Chateau or Reidys has a perfect location in its favour. If i was to go back again it would be for just the one or two pints. I like it but wouldn’t spend a whole night in there.

Bananas

Published on February 17, 2005 in Outside Ireland. 0 Comments

I spent a week in the past in Palma Nova in Majorca. We stayed in the Nova apartments and they were great. Located just outside of these apartments across the road from the superb beach is Bananas a small disco pub. We decided to make this place our ‘local’ while we were there. As with many pubs in the area they had people at the door trying to entice you in with free drinks etc. Myself and Jen tried loads of other places in the area but we went in here a good few nights. They had Karaoke every night which suited us and our new found Dublin friends down to the ground. They had a seating area outside of the pub which was pleasant. As you walked into the pub the bar was on the right hand side and the main seating was on the left. The DJ took up position straight ahead and was a sound English guy. I was mainly drinking beer, spirits and cocktails for the week. There was no sign of any stout appearing.

The toilets were located out a door straight ahead as you came in the main door. They were not great and you ran in and out as fast as you could. It was a grand little pub, maybe too loud at times. It is nice to have somewhere on a holiday like this where you can relax and feel at home! If i went back there i’d probably head back to Bananas for a look (if it’s still open).

Toilet rating: 4/10
Pint rating: 6/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: Bananas is one of many of the same types of bars you find on a package holiday. Palma Nova is a lovely spot and perfect for an enjoyable holiday.

Meladon Bar – Dungarvan Park Hotel

Published on February 17, 2005 in Waterford. 0 Comments

During my first chance to stay at the impressive Dungarvan Park Hotel on the outskirts of the town in Co. Waterford, I managed to sample both food and drink in the Meladon Bar, the imbibing emporium of the aforementioned hotel. Their bar food/evening meal selection catered for all tastes, thankfully it wasn’t just a whole load of the same type of food cooked differently and called by different names. I had quite a filling dinner followed by a couple of fine pints of stout served by the helpful, friendly and courteous bar staff. The appearance of the bar is pretty much the same all over as what is pictured above.

As hotel bars go, I’ve found that this is a fairly run of the mill example. When I visited during the week the place was virtually deserted, apart from a few people attending gatherings at the hotel.

On a return visit for lunch, the bar was quite obviously more lively than I had experienced previously. It is noteworthy however that during the depths of the lunchtime rush, the staff still managed to remain as courteous and friendly as ever. Our meals were served quickly and, as before, were quite tasty.

If I ever find myself in Dungarvan overnight again, I’ll be only too happy to give both the hotel and the bar my custom.

Mulcahy’s (The Elm Bar)

Published on February 17, 2005 in Cork. 1 Comment

Mulcahys, The Elm Tree

Travelling north from Cork city you’ll soon reach Charleville, a town on the Cork/Limerick border famous for it’s cheese. Dead centre on the main street lies Mulcahy’s. It looks deceptively old and decayed from the outside but once inside and having successfully dodged some awkward stares from the locals, you’ll be rewarded with one of the finest pints of Guinness I’ve ever had. I was reliably informed by the owner on one occasion when pondering on what to order that they don’t sell much Murphy’s up this way so it’s better to go for the Guinness. Odd, we’re only about 40 minutes out of the city and I can name a pub in Los Angeles where you can get a pint of black liquid that would almost pass for Murphys but apparently Charleville is a Murphy’s blackspot.

Or at least Mulcahy’s is…

Nice pint, nice “old man” pub style premises. Not by accident either; from the looks of it, this could have been the first pub in the area. I can see hundreds of people coming from miles around, crammed into the relatively small room waiting for the Guinness to settle. Or was that an advert on TV?!?

The toilets are downstairs, which of course I never saw but I trust that they are there and that’s good enough for me. Haven’t been to this place in quite an age and was only reminded of it’s existance as I passed through Charleville on the way to backwater, Co. Limerick during the course of a working day.

Definately a nice place to visit if you like your stout and some genuine atmosphere. Might be a bit of a pricey taxi ride home though.

Mardyke Tavern

Published on February 17, 2005 in Cork. 1 Comment

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There’s a first time for everything, so apologies if my first ever review doesn’t go too well.

Yikes! What happened to the Mardyke? Did someone make smart comment about the place looking dated that a manager took personally? Last time I was in there it was spacious if a tad, well, dated. Last night I was visually beaten to a pulp as I walked into what was the main bar of the Mardyke Tavern. It’s been given a Cogan’s style facelift; a two-tone brown affair with lots of (what looked like) faux leather chairs and low tables that make it easy to reach for your nasty pint of Murphys.

Some thing’s don’t change however, no matter what kind of interior decorator you hire. Bones of ?4 for a pint of stout and just a smidge under ?20 for a few games of pool on their less than well kept tables. It was quiet in the bar, or it would have been if not for the loud, obnoxious and frankly bloody annoying ‘music’. I never figured out if it was meant to sound like a stuck CD or if it actually was a stuck CD. I didn’t think my stomach was strong enough to chance venturing into Bruno’s (another pub in the Mardyke Complex), lest it had suffered the same fate as this place. That said I never really liked Bruno’s anyway.

To summarise, Yay on the inclusion of a snooker club alongside the pub, Nay on the volume of the hideous music and neither a Yay or Nay on the decor. It’d be a nice place to have a few pints and soak up the ambiance if they put on some decent tunes, lowered the volume, taught their bar staff how to pull a pint of stout and for those so inclined, ease off on the overcharging for the use of the pool tables. I’m not going to rate the toilets because I never actually saw them. God graced me with a bladder larger than a peanut you see.

(Note to self: Is it still called the Mardyke Tavern? I’ll have to check this out. Wouldn’t want to be known as a purveyor of misleading information)