Monthly Archive for November, 2005

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De Bhuitleir

Published on November 22, 2005 in Cork. 1 Comment

Myself and Jen decided to head out to Minane Bridge last night to review some pubs there. The best known pub in the area is The Overdraft and that has been reviewed previously. Minane Bridge is about 15 minutes drive from Carrigaline. The first pub we came across was De Bhuitleir. We went in and noticed it is an old fashioned type of bar. It reminded me of a typical country pub. There are benches that are not all that comfortable but are very much suited to the place. The bar is directly ahead as you go in. There was a few people inside when we were there. A group of lads were playing cards and another lot were at the bar. Jen immediately noticed that she was the only female occupying the bar. Nothing too unusual about this i hear you say!

I didn’t check out the toilets as i wasn’t sure where to go. There were ladies and gents written on the two doors but i noticed a couple of lads going into the ladies and also some going into the gents. I was a bit confused at this stage and decided against doing anything! I got a pint of Murphy’s and it was a good one. It came in a Murphy’s glass as well which was good to see. This is definately a locals pub, there is no doubt about that. I felt very comfortable here and enjoyed visiting very much. This is certainly not a pub that i would have ever visited unless i had been involved with this site. It is a grand country type pub.

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

Final comment: De Bhuitleir is a pub i enjoyed visiting. There was a good crowd there for a Monday night.

Eircom League Champions

Published on November 21, 2005 in Announcements. 0 Comments

Congratulations to Cork City on winning the Eircom league from us at Munster Pubs. I’l be in Dublin for the cup final and hopefully we will have double celebrations! Visit www.corkcityfc.ie for information about the club.

200 Cork Pub Reviews

Published on November 21, 2005 in Announcements. 0 Comments

200 Cork pub reviews and counting! Its hard to believe that since we have started we have reviewed this many. Thanks again for visiting and keep checking out Munster Pubs.

The Hawthorn Bar

Published on November 21, 2005 in Cork. 0 Comments

Following a very enjoyable meal at the wilton willow we headed out for a drink. The Hawthorn Bar enjoys one of Cork most scenic and popular locations. It is situated at The Lough. It has a convenient roadside location. The night i went in for a drink it was extremely busy. It was a Saturday night and there was music in the pub. The crowd that were there were considerably older than us and i would hazzard a guess that this pub is very much a locals drinking spot. It is a big pub but we couldn’t find a seat when we went in. The Hawthorn appears to be an ultra modern establishment and they also have a restaurant upstairs. I had a pint of Murphy’s and i found it quite bitter to start off with but the taste improved as i drank it. This pub can cater for a big number of people and i found the place to be buzzing when i was there.

I had to push my way to the toilets but eventually got there. They were in very good condition considering how busy the place was. It is most certainly a pub that i qould recommend people visit and i am sure from what i saw the other night that it is doing very well. There is an area to sit out at the front and that looked appealing (if it wasn’t so cold!). The Hawthorn is a decent pub and the restaurant may be worth checking out too.

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

Final comment: I am a big fan of the lough so i am bound to like a decent pub over looking it!

The Garden Room

Published on November 21, 2005 in Cork. 0 Comments

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A function room in the Maryborough House hotel has been previously reviewed. I was in Zings restaurant recently for dinner. Following the meal we continued on to the main bar of the hotel. It is known as The Garden Room. It is a very big bar with the actual bar counter located at a different level to the seating areas. I had two pints of Murphy’s and they were fine to be honest. It is a comfortable place but is a bit spread out for my liking. I have been in here a few times in the past and have always found it to lack atmosphere. I have never heard any music here or seen any entertainment advertised. It is quite a posh bar and is not somewhere i would go if looking to go for a drink. In its defence the seating is very comfortable and elegant.

The toilets that i used were very well kept and what were certainly what you would expect from a hotel of this standard. Overall this bar is fine for a pre or post dinner drink or if you are a resident at the hotel. It is one to have a look at yourself.

Toilet rating: 8.5/10
Pint rating: 6.5/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: The Garden room at the Maryborough House Hotel is a grand hotel bar and i personally won’t be rushing back.

The Parade Room

Published on November 21, 2005 in Cork. 0 Comments

What a great night we had!! Plenty of singing and good humour made a great night at The Parade Room at the Garda Social Club on Penrose Wharf. We had a karaoke night and it went very well. The bar itself is quite small but can accomodate a good number of people. There was salsa dancing on in the function room next door. Some of them came into our party for a while. The bar is on the right as you walk in. The two lads behind the bar were very friendly and efficient through out the night. I was drinking Murphy’s for the night and the pints were very good for the whole night. We also got food which consisted of sausages, chicken dippers and sandwiches which were fine and cost 5.50 per head. The bar was perfect for the 30 or so people that attended.

The toilets are located outside off a corridor. They are small but but were in good condition for the whole night that we were there. The garda social club is the ideal spot to have a party or function. There is parking available underneath the club and it is just a short stroll from Patrick Street.

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

Final comment: The Parade Room is part of a decent complex. It’s not a place i would go to especially for a drink but for a function it is ideal.

Back to Normal?

Published on November 14, 2005 in Announcements. 0 Comments

After some shenanigans with an overly problematic server move, Munster Pubs seems (as far as I can currently tell anyway) to be back to normal. Apologies for the outage, and for any subsequent outage(s) that may occur as a direct result of whoever has their finger on the button.

Mai Fitzs

Published on November 3, 2005 in Cork. 0 Comments

For years when passing through this little place i always commented that Lissarda had no pub. I don’t know how old this pub is but it is a great addition. I had to go to Macroom today to pick something up and myself and Jen stopped off here for some breakfast. It is a pub that i have wanted to visit for a while. We parked next to Mai Fitzs in the car park. This pub has a wow factor about the place. From the moment we stepped in through the doors we both knew that this is a place that we would like. The wood features are the most striking thing about the place. There was only three other people in the bar but this was at 11am this morning. There are lots of comfortable seating areas in this pub. It is not a huge place but it would accomodate a good number of people. We ordered two breakfasts off a very helpful and humourous lady and they arrived promptly. The full Irish breakfast will set you back 7.50 but it is well worth it. I have to say that it is the best breakfast that i have had anywhere. The portions are plentiful and you get a few added extras that most other places neglect. It was a delight to sit in this great pub.

I had a look at their toilets and they were in good order as you would expect at this time of the day. They are an adequate size. Again as with the rest of the pub there are many wood features here as well. The mirror in the gents is surrounded by wood and there are two pieces of bark climbing the walls. There is also a beer garden located at the side of the pub which would have been appealing had it not been lashing rain outside! This is a pub well worth taking a visit to. It has a very prominent road side location and is easily accessable. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. The people of Lissarda are lucky to have such a nice pub in the vicinity.

Toilet rating: 8/10
Food rating: 9/10
Overall rating: 9/10

Final comment: Mai Fitzs is a very welcoming and charming pub. This is one that you have to see for yourself.

The Comet

Published on November 2, 2005 in Dublin and Outside Munster. 0 Comments

Up there in Santry on Dublins northside, along a rather unassuming road is The Comet; a quite sizeable and comfortable pub. Once you wade through the now obligatory huddle of smokers outside the front door and get into the bar you’re greeted with a long room, bar on the left, the majority of seating on the right and toward the back. I was there recently for a wild night out with several wannabe pioneers. It isn’t an entirely uncomfortable place, it could be any one of hundreds of similar bars all over the country.

Anyone from anywhere in the land could happily walk in, have a few pints and think they’re back in their own home town. Every reasonable sized town in Ireland has a bar like this one. I couldn’t recommend it for any special reason, nor could I advise you stay out of there for any reason. If I were to rate any pub on a 1 to 10 scale, it’d be a 5. It’s the centre of the universe as far as your average drinker is concerned. Now the Guinness still takes like muck* to me, but perhaps my tastebuds are too used to finer things in life :P

If ever again I was to find myself in Santry and in need of a pint, I’d probably go back here; if only because I know where it is. I spoke to one barman, who thankfully quickly learned of my liking for the ‘new’ Guinness. A quick wink and a nod was all it took to get a fresh pint. I’d have to say that’s the only thing that stood out about this pub. Well, that and the interesting wall art in the bathroom. I don’t want to get into rating bathrooms however; that’d just be sad!

*with the exception of Brew 39; that stuff is magic!

The Fir Tree

Published on November 2, 2005 in Cork. 1 Comment

Fir

Impressive from the outside is how i’d describe The Fir Tree, directly across the road from the previously reviewed O’ Mahony’s. It is adjoined to an off licence and their function room is advertised on the outside of the pub. I was expecting great things as i walked in but to be honest was a bit disappointed. It is a very modern and trendy pub alright but it just isn’t a great as i imagined! Jen commented that the seats we vacated were very comfortable. There was a very decent size crowd in the pub and there was a good atmosphere. I ordered a pint of Murphy’s and it was ok but not as good a pint as the previous pub. I took a walk around the pub and there is pub extends right around the bar. There is some impressive stonework and also some very funny pictures of random old men. I saw loads of advertisments for live music and Bog the Donkey are playing in here soon. Also there was adverts for a night where a psychic comes to the pub, maybe its popular.

Tree

The toilets are located out a door and on the left. They were fine, no complaints about them what so ever. The Fir Tree appears to be a pub that was recently renovated although i stand to be corrected on that. I have read that they serve food and i imagine that it would be very good. Check out http://www.shelbourne-bar.com/firtree/ for more information on this pub.

Toilet rating: 8/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: The Fir Tree is an impressive pub and i did enjoy my visit. Watergrasshill has a few decent pubs.