Monthly Archive for January, 2006

Geaneys

Published on January 15, 2006 in Kerry. 5 Comments

We were in Dingle recently and had our lunch in a local pub/restaurant. Both Paul’s and Geaneys are advertised as names on the building but i think it is known as Geaneys pub. It is also advertised as a steakhouse. There was a few people sitting by the bar and we chose a table up in an enclosed area. We were given our menus by the less than enthusiastic waitress who didn’t utter a word to us bar asking us our order. I didn’t have a pint due to the fact that i had to drive home following lunch. The food was only average but was reasonably priced by Dingle standards. There are a vast amounts of pubs in this town and i would head some where else for a drink if given the choice. There were people playing on their pool table and a few more people came in for something to eat after us.

The toilets are a bit of a trek. They appeared to be clean but had a bad smell. They were very fine overall. We were a bit limited in our choice of places to eat because it is off peak in Dingle. A lot of the restaurants had signs up saying ‘happy new year, see you in Febuary’!

Toilet rating: &/10
Food rating: 6/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: Geaneys appeared to be more of a restaurant than a pub. It may be a great place to head at night.

Mc Carthy’s

Published on January 15, 2006 in Cork. 0 Comments

Just out for the one drink to see how the tennis village has been transformed. That was the plan and i stuck to it. Myself and a friend from work who lives very near went to have a look at Mc Carthy’s Bar. I had been in the pub there prior to completing an exam when it was still tennis village. We walked in and noticed that there were a good few people enjoying a meal. I ordered my Murphy’s and i have to say it was a good quality, enjoyable pint. The lads serving at the bar were very efficient to be fair. There was a huge projected screen on the wall showing a match. We sat in a comfortable seat across from the bar. There was a good atmosphere in this pub with people of varying ages occupying the seats. There is another bar up stairs. Apparently this is a ‘student’ bar and and i will head back and take a look at that at some stage.

The toilets were not bad at all. They were clean and in good order. Mc Carthy’s bar and the bar upstairs will certainly do very well as they are in the middle of a large new apartment block. It is a pub that i enjoyed and i would most definately head back there again.

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

Final comment: There is a pub of the same name in Nohoval that has already been reviewed so as not to confuse you! A new pub that is sure to thrive given it’s excellent location.

The Met Bar

Published on January 15, 2006 in Cork. 0 Comments

Metropole Hotel

A work conference brought me to The Met Bar in the Gresham Metropole hotel on Mac Curtain Street in Cork City. We headed in pre and post the conference. I stayed on the dry for the visit and had a 7up and a coca cola. There was six of us having a drink and it was extremely relaxing. The Met Bar is a modern establishment that is great for a couple of quiet drinks. I was impressed by the interior of the bar and the service from the staff was very good. It is a big bar with plenty of comfortable seating areas. We sat just to the right as you come in. There was music playing in the backround but it was not loud at all.

metropole

The toilets were by far the best that i have reviewed since i started over a year ago. They were perfectly clean and very spacious. I can not fault them. Of course it was quiet on the night that we were there but overall i was very impressed with them, especially the abundance of mirrors. This is most certainly a pub that i would come back to again for a drink. The hotel is a great place to head for the jazz weekend so it may be worth checking out then.

Toilet rating: 10/10
Overall rating: 8/10

Final comment: The Met Bar is a good hotel pub with plenty of character. It was quiet on our visit but would probably be busier at the weekend.

Irish Blog Awards; Nominate us!

Published on January 9, 2006 in Announcements. 0 Comments

The time for awards is almost upon us and nominations are being taken. So, the next logical step is to nominate this blog if you like it!

All the details are on the blog awards website. Simply send an email to irishawards [at] gmail [dot] com indicating you wish to nominate this site. It’s that easy! (now get to it)

Tom Barry’s

Published on January 8, 2006 in Cork. 18 Comments

If you hike your way up Barrack Street you’ll eventually find your way to Tom Barry’s, near The Tower Inn and directly across the road from Nancy Spains. It’s not a huge pub but it is quite comfortable and has (rather unexpectedly) a nice sized beer garden to the rear.

A few of us visited there on an impromptu pub review session recently. We ordered our drinks and made the usual small-talk at the bar when, after already taking the order, the barmaid turned and said “not tonight lads” or something to similar effect. Apparently we had already had our fill of drink, despite the fact that we had all (with the exception of our designated driver) only had one drink in the previous pub. It’s something you may expect if you’re in a very large group, maybe being a bit rowdy, probably not dressed in an acceptable way or being rude to the staff. We were none of the above. After standing there for several seconds in a mixture of stunned silence and absolute disbelief, three members of our group decided to leave and not bother contesting the fact whilst the last stayed on to try and get some sense out of the barmaid.

Apparently, and personally I find this to be the most idiotic excuse I’ve ever heard, the reason we were refused is because it appeared one of our group was too drunk to stay there. Who you may ask? Who is this alcohol infused gent who ruined our admittedly short night out? None other than our designated driver! Yes, the very person who was sipping on Coca-Cola products all night and driving us all home was obviously too drunk to sit in a bar, sipping on a 7up. Not vodka and 7up, not even 7up and crisps! Plain ol’ fizzy lemon & lime 7up.

Needless to say, the whole experience was highly embarrassing and quite infuriating and even if she had backed down and served our order, none of us would have stayed. The same member of our group who challenged her returned the next day to find out exactly what the issue was, only to be fed a completely different story than the previous night. It was now completely certain that there was no valid reason for her to refuse our service. Perhaps the tills were full for that night and they couldn’t possibly fit our money in no matter how much they tried. Couldn’t even shoehorn it in. It certainly wasn’t because we were drunk, rowdy, noisy or dressed incorrectly. Neither were we abusive or anyway interested in any kind of conflict after we were refused.

All this from one of the friendliest pubs in the city… supposedly anyway. I could use several words to describe the welcome you get in this pub, but they would all lack the required impact when read. Instead they should be shouted from the rooftops; perhaps of Nancy Spains. I sincerely doubt any of us will be in a rush to get back to Tom Barry’s. I’m certain I won’t be back there anyway. The friendliest pub around? I’m not too sure, I think I could find a friendlier pub in Loyalist Belfast. That’s a stretch, coming from a Catholic and all…

The Harp Bar

Published on January 3, 2006 in Kerry. 1 Comment

The Harp Bar is the last pub we visited in Cahersiveen. Jen told me that she was in the nightclub part of this venue before. I have previously reviewed a pub of the same name in Cork. We walked into the bar and found the place almost empty bar the man serving and a few people he was chatting to. It is a very small bar and it certainly wouldn’t take many peole to fill it. I ordered my pint of Guinness and Jen got a diet coke. The pint was probably the least enjoyable i had all night. I asked the man at the bar for some peanuts but he informed me that they had sold out during the busy christmas period! He gave us a complimentary bowel of Pringles to let us nibble at. It was too quiet at times and i felt that the people at the other side of the bar could hear every thing we were saying. A few more people came in after a while and one of the older men commented on how quiet it was now and how busy it was going to get. We were joined on our seat by a Jack Russell dog who fell asleep after being fed and was silently passing wind!

I walked to the toilet out through the corridor. It is small enough and has a very old fashioned style to it. It was very clean it has to be said. The Harp Bar was not at all what i had expected. They were just starting to collect money at the door for the nightclub as we were leaving. It is a modern pub and i think that we experienced one extreme and the other is when you cannot move inside.

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

Final comment: The Harp Bar is small but is a cosy enough place for a drink. I can’t comment on the nightclub but i am sure that it could be a fun place to visit.

Cha Healy’s

Published on January 3, 2006 in Kerry. 0 Comments

The name of the next pub attracted us inside. Cha Healy’s, need it say anymore! This was our next port of call on New years day, night. There is an area at the front and it is long and narrow by the bar and there is another area past the bar. It was very busy when we were here and we managed to get a seat in the front area of the bar. There was only one lady serving at the bar and in fairness to her, no body was left waiting for their drink. She even asked me was i enjoying my trip down when she noticed my peoples republic of Cork t-shirt! There was a dj playing music and it was lively and was not too loud where we were sitting. The pint of Guinness was alright although not as nice as the previous pub. There was a good mixture of age groups in this pub and the majority appeared to be between 20-30 years.

I checked the toilets and they were a bit messy although not too bad. The door on the cubicle didn’t lock. I noticed that there were a good number of people congreating outside the back in a smoking area. Cha Healy’s appeared to be a lively spot. If it is very busy it can be difficult to walk from one end of the bar to the other. It is so narrow that it may take some excuse me’s and pushes etc! I found it a grand pub to visit.

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

Final comment: Cha Healy’s is another of Cahersiveen’s many watering holes.

Keatings Central Bar

Published on January 3, 2006 in Kerry. 0 Comments

We were down in Waterville for what was a fantastic new years eve spent in the Huntsman. We stayed down on New years day as well and decided to head into Cahersiveen for a meal and some drinks. Following an enjoyable meal in Ching Fong we headed across the road to Keatings Central Bar. I knew this was the kind of pub that i like the moment i walked in the door. The bar itself is quite small but very comfortable. We sat across from the bar and I had a pint of stout and Jen had a glass of red wine. The pint of Guinness was delivered to the table by the very pleasant bar man and he he even wiped the table as some of the pint spilled over. I liked the atmosphere in this pub. It appeared to be very much a locals venue but out of towners are equally as welcome. There is some interesting memorabilia and pictures on the walls that caught our attention. The pub had got much busier by the time that we finished our drinks. Apparently this pub won a national award for being Ireland’s friendliest pub in 2002. There was an article about it in the pub.

I decided to have a look at the toilets that appeared to be in the living quarters of a house. The toilets weren’t too bad when i checked them. They are small but were usable. They have one of those infamous towels hanging behind the door. All in all a very charming little establishment with plenty of character. I enjoyed the pint of Guinness very much. If you ever find yourself on holidays or passing through Cahersiveen then this is a pub you should check out.

Toilet rating: 6.5/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10

Final comment: I enjoyed visiting this pub and there could be another section or smoking area that i didn’t see.