Monthly Archive for February, 2007

The Iron Duke

Published on February 27, 2007 in Outside Ireland. 1 Comment

Going back to last year and our trip over to London. We were there in late November visitng my uncle and his family. After an evening at the theatre and dinner we had a few drinks in The Duke Of York pub just across the road from Victoria station. We then went to get our train but we had 45 minutes to spare and The Iron Duke pub caught our eye so we headed in. I had a pint of beer (can’t remember what) and Jen had a glass of white wine. It is busy inside so we stood near the front of the bar. I noticed at the time that the drinks were noticably more expensive than in the previous pub. We were well on our way at this stage and then Jen spotted someone she knew from somewhere. It turned out to be Duncan James of the band blue. Being honest i didn’t recognise him at all but Jen couldn’t leave an opportunity pass. Now if she saw him in a shopping centre at 3pm in the day she may have just glanced in his direction but this was 11:30pm and a lot of drink had been taken! I was told to get my camera ready as she approached this so called ‘famous’ pop star. Anyway she got chatting to him and i was summoned over to act as celebrity photographer. I took the picture and moved back to my drink. There was a guy with him and i recognised him alright and it was Simon Webb from the band. Jen didn’t want him in the picture and he looked a bit put out! Jen didn’t bother him after that but it looked like he enjoyed the attention his fame afforded him.

Back to the pub. It is not huge but there is an upstairs there as well and i passed through here on the way to the toilets. I remember that the toilets were clean, thats about it. We didn’t spend very long in this pub but to be fair it was fine to just stop off at.

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

Final comment: The Iron Duke served its purpose for us on the night in question. We needed somewhere close to have a drink and this was the first place seen.

Blog Awards

Published on February 20, 2007 in Announcements. 0 Comments

Unfortunately we didn’t make the short list for best specialist blog but i am delighted that we were nominated at all and i would like to take this opportunity to thank every one who voted for us. Best of luck to all the short listed blogs from us.

Eoin

Bowlers Bar

Published on February 16, 2007 in Kerry. 0 Comments

After we left Cha Healy’s we walked across the road and decided to head into Bowlers Bar. To be honest Jen had some reservations about going into this pub as it doesn’t look too appealing from the outside. I am glad that we didn’t judge the pub on how it looked outside. We walked into this pub and basically its just a relatively long bar. There is nothing spectacular about the place, just a few seats to the left. There was five older men sitting at the bar and i was amazed of how little notice they took of us as we walked in. It was quite clear that this was not a bar for a huge crowd or of people making a lot of noise. This is a pub that you go in and have a quiet few pints in. I ordered a pint of Guinness and diet 7up and the lady at the bar was telling me that business was way down because gardai was enforcing the drink driving laws rigidly. I asked her if there was much trouble in the town in the course of the conversation and she sarcastically told me that if there was a window broken in the town, it would be major news!!

The toilets in the bar appear modern and were very clean. There was towel there for drying your hands but i opted not to use it after remembering how long the infamous towel had vacated Cogans bar! We stayed for another drink and i had another guinness and i have to say that they were the best pints of the night. Would i recommend this pub? Yes, but its appeal is to people who like a quiet pub with a friendly greeting.

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

Final comment: Bowlers bar was a very enjoyable place for a quiet pint in a country pub.

Cha Healy’s

Published on February 15, 2007 in Kerry. 0 Comments

The next pub we ventured into was Cha Healy’s also on the main street in Cahersiveen. This was packed in comparison with the previous pub. I liked this bar from the moment i stepped inside. It was quited obvious that this was a traditional Irish bar with a lot of character It is a small bar area with a smaller pool room at the back. I ordered a pint of Guinness and a glass of diet 7up and was served efficiently. Myself and Jen both fancied a game of pool so we went into the back room. The Guinness was a great pint and went down very well.

The toilets were in a bad state and i rushed in and out as fast as i could. This pub has a lot of attraction like being able to sit on a keg to the various sing songs that were going on around the pub when we were there. The one fault i would find with the place was i thought it was dirty. Especially the back room with the pool table. Maybe it is meant to be that way, i don’t know. Overall it was a very positive experience and i would head back again, most definately.

Toliet rating: 4/10
Pint rating: 8/10
Overall rating 7.5/10

Final comment: I think there may be a smoking area out past the toilets although i didn’t get to see it. Check it out for yourself if in the area.

Kerry Coast Inn

Published on February 15, 2007 in Kerry. 0 Comments

We were down in Waterville recently for a few days and headed into Cahersiveen on one night. We went into The Kerry Coast Inn on the main street. It was very quiet on the Sunday night we went in. There was just a four young guys sitting at the bar. I ordered a pint of Guinness and a glass of diet coke. The Guinness was a nice pint. This bar is quite small and is very moden. I am not sure how old this pub is but i don’t think it has been there long, although i am open to correction on that.

I didn’t check the toilets so can’t comment on them. The girl behind the bar was quite pleasant. When we left the pub we saw that there is also a nightclub at this venue called ‘Pulse Night Club’. It was an uneventful visit to this pub and i would say when it is busy you could have a good night here.

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

Final comment: Kerry Coast Inn is one of the many pubs in this town.

Best Specialist Blog

Published on February 12, 2007 in Announcements. 1 Comment

Munster Pubs has been nominated for ‘Best Specialist Blog’ in the up coming Blog awards. We are flattered at this nomination and would like to thank any body who may have voted for us. Of course without doubt we would love to make it onto the shortlist but there appears to be some stiff competition. This is a site run by two people and to be fair we have reviewed a lot of pubs in our limited spare time. This is recognition that people are looking at our site and i hope they continue to do so. Thanks once again.

Also it is important to point out that ‘Rymus.net’ is nominated in the category of Best photo Blog and he should win this award in my very biased opinion. Seriously though vote for both Munster pubs and Rymus. We appreciate it.

The Quad (Re Visited)

Published on February 10, 2007 in Alphabetical Pub Crawl and Cork. 1 Comment

Q on our alphabetical pub crawl of Cork City was The Quad bar on Tuckey street in the city. This was reviewed before and it is a place that i have always liked. We were looking for a late bar beginning with the letter Q and it was a toss up between The Qube and The Quad and the latter was the most prefered. It was relatively quiet when we went in. There was a huge crowd heading into The Slate next door. We got a seat across from the bar and it was fine. Kev taked me into getting ‘Abbots Ale’ which was a nice change and one i enjoyed. The Quad remains a decent city centre place for a pint and we enjoyed the return.

Pa Johnsons

Published on February 8, 2007 in Alphabetical Pub Crawl and Cork. 3 Comments

It was between two pubs for P on the alphabetical pub crawl of Cork City. Originally i had planned to head to Preachers which had been closed for a long while. I read an article in a paper that another bar that had been closed and completly renovated was open for business again. I am not sure what the correct name is for its location but it is on the main road between Cork and Blackpool, just down from the Heineken Brewery. I had never been in Pa Johnsons before all the changes but Kev had and he said it was much better as it was. It was relatively quiet when we walked in. We sat on high stools just inside the door. It is a very small pub and there was mainly an older crowd inside. Ryan commented on a piano half way down the pub and then pointed out the plasma screen tv above it. It just didn’t fit, in our opinion anyway. The pints were by far the best we had all night and we even treated ourselves to pringles and nuts.

The toilets are very modern and were extremely clean. From what i’v read there is a jam session on, on Tuesday nights that might be good. Check out the new Pa Johnsons for yourself.

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

Final comment: Pa Johnsons is a fine little bar that has a lot of appeal. It just appears to be that bit too modern. Well worth checking out.

The Ovens Bar

Published on February 8, 2007 in Alphabetical Pub Crawl and Cork. 0 Comments

O on the alphabetical pub crawl of Cork City was The Ovens Bar on Oliver Plunkett Street. It is a bar that i have often walked past but never actually went into. It is a very moden and spacious pub and was quite busy inside but we managed to get a table near the front. Even though it was busy at the bar itself service was efficient. From looking around while inside this pub appeared to attract people of all ages. There was no live music and there was a very good atmosphere inside. The pint of Murphy’s was a very decent one and it went down well.

The toilets are a bit of a walk. They are upstairs. They were in good condition and were a good size. There is a function room upstairs as well and there was some party there on the Friday night we visited. This is most certainly a pub that i may head back to. It has a good name as a meeting place in Cork before heading off to sample some of the late night bars or night clubs.

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

Final comment: The Ovens Bar is worth checking out.

Nevada Smiths

Published on February 8, 2007 in Alphabetical Pub Crawl and Cork. 0 Comments

N on our alphabetical pub crawl of Cork City was Nevada Smiths on Pine Street in the city. We all walked from the Mutton Lane even though some needed a lot of encouragement! We passed a bouncer on the way into this pub. It is bigger than i imagined it would be. There was a dj and the music he was playing was uncomfortably loud. The two lads went to the bar and when they came back one of the bar staff was the topic of conversation! The pint of Murphy’s was fine. The pub wasn’t packed but there was a good number of people inside.

It is most certainly a Liverpool supporters pub as the place is covered with the football club memorabilia. If being honest this is a bar i wouldn’t normally head to myself but it was fine for the time we were there. The toilets were ok but the one thing i felt was that with only a couple of people using them, they got quite cramped. Nevada Smiths is not too far from the city centre and i saw that they cater for parties and functions so here’s a place to consider.

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

Final Comment: That’s Nevada Smiths.