Monthly Archive for August, 2005

Gravity Bar (Guinness Storehouse)

Published on August 30, 2005 in Dublin and Outside Munster. 3 Comments

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Alan brought me to the Guinness Storehouse on my trip to the capital. This is a place i have wanted to visit for a long time. 14 euro entrance fee gets you a fantastic museum tour and a pint of Guinness at the end in the city’s highest bar.

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It took us about two hours to complete the tour and it was really worth while. It gives a great background to Irelands most famous product. When we reached the bar we were both thirsty and looking forward to our pint. It was very busy in the bar and pints were being pulled at an awful rate.

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We eventually got our pints and they were only ok. You couldn’t expect too much when the bar staff were under so much pressure to pour them. There was some breath taking views from the windows above.

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We had a good laugh in the Gravity Bar. There are public toilets available and they were fine. The quality of the drink isn’t great but the experience of the museum and the novelty of the bar is fun. The bar itself is circular and there are seats around by the windows. This is one of the top tourist attractions in Dublin. Make it your business to pay a visit.

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Toilet rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 6/10
Overall rating: 8/10

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Final comment: The Gravity bar is a great novelty and part of a great set up.

Mulligans

Published on August 30, 2005 in Dublin and Outside Munster. 1 Comment

Mulligans is another of the Dublin pubs reviews. Al specifically brought me here with one purpose in mind. To test their pint of Guinness as it is apparently the best in the world. We went in and luckily found a table free. I observed the bar man as he pulled the pint and it looked good on completion. We made sure that the pints were fully settled before we took our first drink. We ended up having two pints of Guinness in here. I can’t vouch for them being the worlds best but they were excellent pints. I am usually a Murphy’s man but in my opinion you have to stick with whats local. They were by far the best pints i got in Dublin. There was a good atmosphere on our visit and it was quite busy. It is not the kind of pub you go to for a mad night out but for good quality stout, what more can you say?

The toilets have a hallway down to them and they were in good condition on inspection. This pub has loads of character and atmosphere and is one to really savour. There are two sections with a small back room that we had a look into. My favourite pub in Dublin from what i’ve seen. If you like your stout then make sure you pay this place a visit.

Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 9.5/10
Overall rating: 9/10

Final comment: It is unusual that i will give such a good rating to a pint but this deserves it. A very decent pub, Check it out.

The Woolshed Bar and Grill

Published on August 30, 2005 in Dublin and Outside Munster. 0 Comments

On my visit to Dublin following a very disappointing defeat at the hands of Kerry we decided to go for something to eat prior to going to the cinema. We headed into The Woolshed Baa and Grill on Parnell street, beside the UCG cinema. The bar actually has a direct entrance into the cinema. We went upsatirs for the food and passed two giant projections on the wall. One was showing a premiership game and the other a cricket game. We found a seat and ordered our food. Al ordered Bangers and Mash and i got a steak. It is a very big pub overall. There was a live music band setting up as we were leaving. It is an Australian themed pub. To be honest our food was pretty poor to say the least. Our waitress was apologising to us for some unknown reason at one stage! I had a coke as well but we didn’t try any pint.

I used the toilets upsatirs and for some reason the cubicle doors were numbered. Other than that they were in good condition. I would not come in here again for food and i wouldn’t recommend it eithier. On the other hand it may be nice for a few drinks and some music or pre the cinema.

Toilet rating: 7/10
Food rating: 3/10
Overall rating: 5/10

Final comment: We only went to this pub because of time restrictions but i won’t be heading back again.

Brogans

Published on August 30, 2005 in Dublin and Outside Munster. 0 Comments

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Dame Street is where you’ll find Brogans Bar. It is situated near the Olympia theatre. The bar is on the left inside and after we ordered our pints we stood just down from the bar as there was no seats available. The pint of Guinness in this pub was the only one that didn’t go down too well. It was quite busy and it is a small bar over all. We noticed a very interested Guinness feature on the wall that certainly deserved a photograph. I was reading that on Tuesday nights Brogans has a poetry slam night where poets go head to head in an open mike type competition. That is something i would like to see! It is a grand pub but there is nothing special about the place.

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The toilets were in good condition on checking. Overall not a bad pub but i personally wouldn’t rush back again. By all means take a look for yourself.

Toilet rating: 7.5/10
Pint rating: 5/10
Overall rating: 6/10

Final comment: There are other parts to this bar that i didn’t see. The poetry competition sounds very interesting!!

The Foggy Dew

Published on August 30, 2005 in Dublin and Outside Munster. 0 Comments

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The next bar to be visited was The Foggy Dew in Temple Bar. This is a very big pub with a big emphasis on music. We got our two pints and proceeded to find somewhere to stand. Unfortunately there was no chance of a seat in this bar. We stood about half way up and took in our surroundings. I was a bit sceptical when getting the pints in this bar because it was so busy but to be honest they were fine. There was a fairly good atmosphere in the pub and people appeared to be in good form for the weekend. The Temple Bar area appears to cater for tourists quite a lot and i would say that there was a lot of tourists there last weekend.

The toilets were alright when i went in, they were a bit messy but it was extremely busy inside. This wouldn’t be my favourite Dublin pub but if you were out with a big gang this place should be considered.

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

Final comment: The Foggy Dew is a busy pub in Dublin’s busiest city area.

The Palace Bar

Published on August 30, 2005 in Dublin and Outside Munster. 0 Comments

We headed to The Palace Bar on Fleet street next. Here we continued on our pub reviewing quest! There was a huge crowd congregated outside this pub as were walking in. The down stairs was very busy so Al suggested that we try the upsatirs bar. The stairs are very steep up. It is quite small up there but is a very cosy spot. Continuing with tradition, two pints of Guinness were ordered and the closer we got to Temple Bar, the more expensive the alcohol got. We were standing for a while but as soon as a seat became free we availed of it. The pints were grand although not the best we had tried. The upstairs bar was busy but wasn’t over crowded. There appeared to be a good mixture of patrons drinking in this pub. Apparently there is a traditional music session on, on a Wednesday night which may be worth checking out. There is loads of memorabilia on the walls upstairs that is interesting.

The toilets are actually up another stairs so you’ll have a lot of climbing to do here! The toilets were very small and appeared to be in poor condition. The worst toilets encountered in Dublin so far! The Palace Bar appears to be a very popular place and one to pop into.

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

Final comment: I did like visiting this pub but it’s toilet facilities let it down. There was a good bit of craic in there though.

O’ Donoghue’s

Published on August 30, 2005 in Dublin and Outside Munster. 0 Comments

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O’ Donoghue’s was another pub along our pub review trail. It is situated on Suffolk street in the city center. Again two pints of Guinness were called and we found ourselves two big stools and perched ourselves at a table. This bar has recently changed names and again in Cork we had a bar of the same name but it has since been renamed as well. The pint of stout went down easily and no complaints from eithier of us. There was music playing but we could still sit and enjoy our drinks without having to shout. This pub has a some nice wooden features and didn’t appear to be that big.

The toilets were located down a stairs and their condition was alright. In fairness it appeared to be quite a decent pub to stop off for a pint at and i would probably head back in for a drink if i was in Dublin again.

Toilet rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 7.5/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: O Donoghue’s is one of the many Dublin city center pubs to choose from.

Doyles

Published on August 30, 2005 in Dublin and Outside Munster. 0 Comments

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Our second stop of the night was to Doyles pub just across the street from the previous one. It enjoys a good location on College street, just a short walk away from buzzing Temple Bar. I tried in vain to capture photographs from across the street but eventually got a close up shot of the building. Al had told me that he likes this pub and i could certainly see that it has a lot of appeal. We walked in and were lucky to get a seat across from the bar. There was a good crowd of people inside and there was a great atmosphere in the place. I ordered two pints of Guinness and they were 4 euro each, again reasonable enough for the city center. I thought it was a really good pint here and can have no complaints about the quality. This was the first pub where i noticed security monitors and cameras. I haven’t seen them in many pubs around but it soon was to become apparent that they are very prevelant in Dublin pubs.

The toilets that i saw are down stairs. As i walked in i noticed this guy sitting on the sink and basically his job was to give you different types of soap in exchange for money. The toilets appeared to be clean enough. I found this to be an unusual practice but it is common enough, so i am told. Overall Doyles is quite a big bar and also has a room upstairs that i did not get to see. I was told that there is regular live music in this pub. My overall thoughts on this pub are positive. It counter part in Cork city has closed its doors but this bar is far superior and should continue to thrive.

Toilet rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10

Final comment: Doyles is a modern establishment that i enjoyed visiting.

Chaplins

Published on August 29, 2005 in Dublin and Outside Munster. 0 Comments

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Munster pubs travelled north to Dublin for a few days to see how Leinster pubs compare! I spent two nights up visiting Alan, a friend of mine. We were out at the international music festival in Dun Laoighaire on Saturday afternoon and there was a great buzz about the place with plenty of street entertainment. We headed out at about half nine and the first pub we entered was Chaplins bar located in Dublin 2. There was a good crowd of dejected Dublin football fans inside drowning their sorrows! We ordered two pints of Guinness and they were 3 euro 85 a pint which in terms of Dublin city prices isn’t too bad. It’s quite a small pub and even though it was busy we managed to get a seat. I have to say that the pint was of good quality and i enjoyed it as did my fellow reviewer. There is nothing very different about this pub but it is a nice pub for a pint.

The toilets were a bit messy when i checked them out but certainly not the worst i have seen. We stayed for the one and then headed on our way. As i said Chaplins is small but it is a place that i would more than likely head into again.

Toilet rating: 5.5/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Final comment: Chaplins pub is a grand pub. Have a look for yourself.

The Harp Bar

Published on August 26, 2005 in Cork. 0 Comments

We decided to move to the outskirts of the city for the next review, Pouladuff road to be exact. This was the last pub that we visited on the night. This is one that i have wanted to check out for a while. There is parking available at the back of the pub and also at the side of the road. We took the door to the left on the way in. It was fairly busy inside and there was a good few lads playing and watching a game of pool. I ordered a glass of 7 up and a white wine and we took our seat. This section of the pub is just one big area. It is a very bright pub and the seats are around the sides with plenty standing space. There was a match on the tv and people were watching that. We didn’t stay for too long to be honest. I would say that it gets very busy at the weekends here.

I didn’t take a look at the toilets. It’s not my sort of pub but it appears to be popular with others. There was nothing about the pub that would have me rushing back. Check it out for yourself.

Overall rating: 5/10

Final Comment: The Harp Bar is a suburban bar that is only a few minutes drive from Cork City center.