Having visited Dublin on many an occasion, one task I always set myself is to visit at least one ‘debut’ pub every trip. In all honesty this isn’t too much of a chore with over 1000 pubs to choose from (I have now done approx 150 so plenty more reason to keep visiting!).

I have chosen, in no particular order. 10 of my favorite non touristy pubs. You  have to go a little off the beaten track to find some of these but that is half the fun. They are:

1. The Dame Tavern, Dame Lane:           

I said in no particular order but this is definitely my favorite pub in Dublin, it is a must visit on every trip and we have enjoyed some great (not by us I hasten to add) sing along in here. The Dame Tavern is on Dame Lane only a 5 minute stagger from the Temple Bar area but largely untouched by tourists. The pub itself is very small and a little unspectacular, a rectangular room with a small rectangular bar in the corner and in the same corner is the gents. One thing you will notice about the more traditional pubs is they don’t pay much attention to the loo’s, functional is as good as I can say, but you don’t spend much time in there so alls well! We always arrive in the evening a few pints in but never have we been made to feel unwelcome, the bar staff are fantastically on the ball and are always ready to pour you another.  It is 9.30 to 10pm every evening that this pub really comes alive for that is when the singer/guitarist plugs in and the place really takes off. They always play a number of sing along classics and again the locals don’t seem to be offended by a group of blokes waving their arms about and howling along enthusiastically. I don’t apologise for the amount of photos below, it will give you an idea of the time we have spent in the Dame. An absolute must visit!!

Number 2. The Snug Bar, 15 Upper Stephen Street  

We visited the Snug Bar just before midday on a Friday lunchtime. It is hidden away just off the main road up to Camden Street. We entered and were immediately struck at how small the pub was and how wonky the floor was, full of character. As we arrived there were 5 blokes sat in what looked like ‘their’ seats where no one else ever sits! But as with many of these ‘real’ Dublin pubs the locals all acknowledged us and seemed to take a real interest in why we were there and the fact we had explored our way away from the usual tourist traps of Temple Bar (which are all good fun by the way!). I think we were the first non Dubliners to stroll in, in a while. We settled down to a cracking pint ( only €3.50 too!) as one of the locals went to the door way for a ‘ciggie’. This is when we realised how small the pub was as within seconds we were all floating on potent fumes of this ‘ciggie’. It was time to move on as a bloke walked in with his son with something in a plastic bag to sell, it’s that sort of place, not sure I’d visit after dark!! Character building!!

Number 3. The Lord Edward, 23 Christchurch Place  

The Lord Edward was another pub we stumbled upon in the historic area opposite the Christchurch Cathedral. First thing you notice is just how heavy the front door is and in contrast how light the toilet door is, funny what you notice. It is a round bar with stools and tables spread around. The couple of times I have been in the same elderly barman has been working with shirt and tie on, comfortably old-fashioned! There is always a decent mix of locals, from shall we say the more hardened drinkers to the occasional suit. quite uniquely you can also sit in little snug where you can pull the shutter down which on the third day of three on the Guinness can prove quite a humorous novelty! Visit to see a mix of Dublin!

Number 4. Farrell’s Pub, Dun Laorghaire, Dun Laorghaire shopping centre.  

You have to hop on the DART to visit this little beauty. Travel south to the beautiful seaside town of Dun Laorghaire up the high street to the shopping centre. Yes that’s right the shopping centre!!  To add to the excitement you have to get in a lift to go up three flights and when the lift opens you are straight out into this delightful old skool boozer. That is of course unless you are claustrophobic then you have to go through the shopping mall and up three flights of steps as one of the lads had too! The moment the lift open everyone in the pub stops looks and then gets back to their racing post and their pint of Guinness. It’s another cheap spot at just over €3 a pint! There is racing on the tv and a mainly elder crowd are scattered around enjoying their own company or having the craic in a small huddle. Once again the barman was great and friendly as were the locals even giving us some tips on the nags! we sat looking out the window over Dublin Bay, a great view! To add to the character of the place go to the toilet and there is a big no smoking sign with two elder gentlemen having a sly toke on a roll up, with a wink a smile and a finger on the lips they carried on with a little grin, you get the impression the barstaff know it happens. You have to realise it is a long way to get outside for the elder gent. Well worth the DART trip, get out of Dublin and visit! (Now sadly shut!)

Number 5. The Bloody Stream, Howth, Howth DART station:  

Okay strictly speaking you could argue this is a little touristy but it is a cracker of a boozer made all the better for having to jump on the DART north to visit. Howth is a great little fishing harbour town which is well worth a visit on its own right. Keep an eye out for the seal bobbing his head up in the harbour! The Bloody Stream is actually built into the Dart station. It is a fantastically unique pub with great indoor and outdoor space. It’s the sort of bar inside that you have to duck down a little to get through the low wooden beamed doors. Great bar staff and waitresses, we have eaten every time we have been here and its cracking pub grub with big lean-to the freshly caught fish of the day.We have always been lucky with the weather when we have been and sat outside. Last time was on a Sunday afternoon and there was a singer guitarist playing and as the pints were sunk we managed to ruin the atmosphere by trying to join in!! Decent grub, live music most nights with a great outdoor beer garden, whats not to like??!!

Please read my next blog for the next 5 ‘non’ tourist pubs of Dublin.

Cheers and yours in Guinness Gup.

The lads on tour, Malahide par 3 golf course (great course) Back row left to right: KP (Tiny head, 7th Dublin trip), Wheels (crack int glass, seasoned campaigner) Bails (Fat face, rock n roll star 8th Dublin trip), Geordie Lad (good beard, an original 2001 tourist 3rd trip) Dribbs (look of a lizard,an original tourist 6th or 7th trip) Woody Lad (He’s got no hair and we don’t care, another original tourist, 13th trip).Bernard (Firmest handshake in the world 4th trip) Me,Gup (Massive head, 18th trip). Not in team photo but the above photo says it all Rhodesy Lad  (Pillock)

As I mentioned in my previous post the Dublin trip has come on a long way from that first lads trip in 2001. 2014 was a champagne (with a drop of Guinness) year for trips, managing to squeeze two trips (or more importantly managing to get two passes from the wife) in. The first was in July, the largest party I have taken to the emerald isle (more on that in a future post) with 13 travelling. October was a fantastic trip, a one nighter two days with 9 travelling.

The details:

Fly from Leeds Bradford (standard pre flight pint at 5.42am for the lads) landing in Dublin at 7.30am  on Thursday 30th October, one night stay over in Paramount hotel  at the top end of Temple Bar connected to the Turks Head Pub, we have stayed here four times, great location although quite noisy if you haven’t drunk enough!!

It’s quite eerie walking through Temple Bar area at 9 in the morning, a few hours and the place will be buzzing again. We stopped off in the Elephant & Castle for breakfast, pretty decent ans would recommend, although they don’t do a traditional Irish breakfast. With a bit of scram in the bellies the boys were off to Tara Street DART station and on the DART to Malahide.

Malahide is approximately 30 minutes North of the centre of Dublin and is well worth a visit. A very picturesque seaside town, with a handful of pubs and some fantastic parkland with a lovely cricket ground where Ireland play and a par three 9 hole golf course and an 18 hole pitch & putt ideal for the kids. The lads hacked our way round the par 3 course working up a thirst for our first pint on tour. As you can see below we were lucky with the weather!

The clock had passed midday and the lads were ready for a pint. We took the short stroll from the golf course to the town centre and our first pub, Gibneys Pub www.gibneys.com . We were immediately struck at how friendly the barstaff were and like many pubs in Dublin and the surrounding areas, just how unique the pub was and how so many of them seem to have hidden rooms and fantastic smoking / outside areas. On the slight downside not one of the better pints of Guinness I have had in Ireland. Great outside drinking area with massive big screen for the sport.

On to the next pub in Malahide a more modern number but no less unique none the less, Fowlers  which is just down the road from Gibneys, you have to pass a hair studio.

We have a laugh with Woody Lad!

Fowlers is the only boozer country-wide to have a specialist cold room, I have to admit we didn’t notice it but we did notice another outstandingly unique beer garden over three tiers and covered we stopped for two in here which is always a good sign, lovely pint and I would say this would be more of an eat and drink establishment. Would definitely visit again. The lads were loosening up now and the standard Woody Lad joke telling was starting to prevail.

Over the road we went and bobbed into Duffys another boozer that is much bigger than you expect when you walk in. This was the first pub we went in when everyone stopped and looked at us, on discussion with the barman that was because we had walked into a wake! A little awkward but once we went round the corner (the bar is of a horseshoe shape) and kept our selves out-of-the-way we were made to feel very welcome by the locals at the bar and stayed for 2 (a bit of a pattern developing here!).

It was getting on for mid to late afternoon now so we decided to head back to the DART and in to Dublin for a couple more pints a bite to eat and a quick freshen up at the hotel. One thing  I have noticed about all the little villages that line the Dublin coastline, since the recession, the service and welcome we receive in all the places / pubs is superb, I suppose a factor is we go midweek, we’re not a stag party and everyone needs the money!

Back off the DART at Tara street after that dangerous 30 minute break when you’re a few pints in! We seem to always find a different entrance, first pub we cam across was Mac Turcaills on Townsend Street (no website) a boozer we have frequented a few times and is always a decent pint in here. Not a particularly outstanding boozer but worth a visit none the less.

The hunger pangs were now kicking in and we went on the prowl for food (not a problem as almost every pub serves food), my intention was to go up to O’Neils om Suffolk street as it has sandwich counter and a hot food counter where you can basically order anything you want. Should have stuck to this line of thinking but stopped at O’Donnogues which always has a good pint (so good we stayed for 2!) but the food was a massive disappointment, I can honestly say it was the worst stew I have ever eaten in Dublin, I can’t remember another bad one. The food didn’t come out at the same time  and the burgers were terrible. They knocked some money of the bill it was that bad. My advice in O’Donoghues, have a pint but don’t eat! So 8 pints in and it was time to go and have a shower and freshen up.

A quick turn around and 9 John Travoltas were in the Turks Head humming of Brute!! We had one in here, the sort of bar you would find in any city centre. I wouldn’t go in unless it was connected to the hotel I was staying in making it an easy meeting point.

On discussion with the lads, we decided to do a non Temple Bar area trip so off we headed to Baggot Street where there are some cracking boozers that welcome a tourist but you definitely hear more of an Irish accent in these pubs. It’s a ten minute walk  from the hotel to Baggot Street, so obviously we had to have a stop off. Peadar Kearneys was that stop, a pub I have frequented on many an occasion. Always a great pint and usually some cracking live music. On occasions though it is a pub where you are not made to feel too welcome, this evening was one of those nights and with the elder barman, hardly saying a word and certainly not making eye contact our thoughts as always are there are enough pubs in Dublin who do want our custom. So a ten minute pint (lovely pint by the way) and we were off again. Next stop Baggot Street.

Next stop was McGrattans Bar its a bit hidden away just off Baggot Street, what a little (actually not that little) gem of a boozer. It is an absolute Tardis of a place, you walk through the doors and the bar is to the left (very friendly barman – we stayed for a couple, funny that), we walked from the ample sized bar, past the two pool tables past a load of dinning tables and out to see what the beer garden was like. Without shadow of a doubt the greatest outside smoking area I have ever seen, it almost makes you want to smoke! The open fire and sofa like chairs were amazing, it is a covered smoking area with gaps above head height. we got settled in here and did what lads do, talked about our sh1t turning black (see previous blog) and then tested each other with football trivia quiz questions (FAUSTINO ASPRILLA) with the odd fart thrown in to keep everyone amused. Hopefully the pictures below do the smoking area justice.

 All these pictures are from the outside smoking area, the only thing missing is a smoking jacket!

Next stop was the Baggot Inn (no website), you have to walk downstairs to enter this pub (who doesn’t like a pub where you have to walk down stairs?), Been here twice now, it reminds me of a set of a 70’s porn film, a lot of wood and red velvet! Decent pint, upstairs smoking area but there never seemed to be anyone in here, shame as it looks like it has a bit of room to shake the shoulder. As you can imagine now, the lads have been on it for 10 or 11 hours now and we are starting to take passengers. It had just gone past 10 and my instincts to get to the best (in my humble opinion) later evening boozer in Dublin.

Off we set for Dame Lane and the Dame Tavern (no website but have put a link to the fb page as it is THAT good). The Dame Tavern is basically a smallish rectangular bar with a small bar in the corner, great attentive barstaff that always welcome shall we say wobbly lads who have had a good drink. It is rare you see many other tourists in here but it is very welcoming, there is not an awful lot more to this bar until a guitar is plugged in and the place comes alive. They do a traditional session on a Sunday afternoon where the locals all bring an instrument and on most evenings they have a guitarist who plays all the sing along classics. By the time we arrived we had lost four of the lads en route but the five remaining had the greatest hour and a half (coincidence you may think Woody Lad, George, Wheels and Dribbs!) of singing and drinking that you just don’t get in England. It’s amazing how well you think you can sing after a few, you can’t!!

At around midnight the young thrusters went up to a club and Geordie Lad and I made our way back to the hotel obviously via a couple more boozers. We needed a jimmy riddle so bobbed in the side entrance to a boozer and came back up the stairs after visiting the loo and we were at the bar of Temple Bar. I still don’t know how it happened but anyway we had a flyer (we didn’t need one) and carried on the trail home. we did manage to bob in another boozer BAD Bobs Geordie and I were at least 10 years older than anyone in here, the only people not in fancy dress although having been on the lash for 13 hours we definitely looked more like ghosts than a lot in here albeit Guinness stained ghosts. Having thrown half my pint down me we decided to call it a night and walked the remaining 100 yards to the hotel (obviously after trying and being turned away from a couple of other bars).

So day one complete,12 pubs and pushing 20 pints, oush!! Bring on day 2!!

At the time of writing I have visited Dublin 18 times, mainly midweek lads trips (to avoid the “stag doo” crowd) and a few trips with the wife and other couples. The trips these days are quite a fine tuned affair, usually two nights, three days with a location always picked on the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) for the main day, to have day time drink round a village on the Dublin coastline. We’ve done, Howth (a few times), Malahide, Dun Laoghaire (a few times), Bray, Dalkey and been up into the mountains a few  times.

Today’s trips are a far cry from the first lads trip we organised. There were three of us sharing a flat in Ilkley (Me (Gup, Dribbs and Woody Lad) West Yorkshire and we all paid money into a bills account on a monthly basis. We decided with the money left over we would we would book a trip on the lash. Of course we couldn’t go without Geordie Lad so he chipped in and we got it booked. This first lads trip was a three night four dayer arriving at lunchtime on Good Friday of 2001, good planning we thought as we wouldn’t have to take much time off work with the bank holidays. Little did we realise that Dublin was a dry city on “Good” Friday!

So here we were 4 young thrusters after a few pints and a good time, unfortunately for the first and last time we were staying in a hostel with no bar and the only drink you could get was as a resident of a hotel with (and this is the important bit) a bar. We tried a few hotels, trying to convince them we were residents. It went something like this “Right lads, I’ll try first, try to look inconspicuous”, “Good luck Gup”.. “Could we have 4 pints of Guinness, one with a drop of black (Dribbs the lightweight)”. “Sure have you got your room key?”, “We’ll leave now!”

Dribbs: “Right lads, leave it to me this time, I’m confident”, “We’re backing you pal!”. “Four pint of Guinness please, one with black we are in room 112.” Clever very clever from Dribbs, or so we thought. “Room 112 you say? We’ve only got 40 rooms!”.”We’ll leave!”

We found a snooker hall somewhere on the North side of Dublin and played half a frame until we were turfed out at 10pm as that’s what time it shut on Good Fridays!! So off we went back to the noisiest hostel in Dublin (I have blanked the name of it from memory) stone cold sober. Not a flying success our first night on the “p1ss” in Dublin.

we rose early on Saturday morning raring to go! After breakfast we were on the open top bus tour thinking it was great we could jump on and off as we pleased and the bus driver told jokes, Brilliant!! We were in the Guinness factory (you may pick up a pattern of my early trips) and at the bar looking over the skyline at 11am. What could go wrong starting at this time.

We were back in a sports bar at the bottom of the Temple bar area (I don’t recall the name but it has since changed hands a few times and used to do singles nights where you wore certain colour stickers if you wanted a poke or not) for the 1 O’clock kick, Man Utd v Coventry (funny what you remember). Dribbs had already decided he didn’t like Guinness so was on the Lager top (bitches brew as the barman informed us). As much as I loved this first ever lads trip we didn’t venture too far from the Temple Bar area, this approach would change greatly over the years.

About four or five pints in and the first realisation happened, this would be a ground breaking visit to the toilet and even now still takes up quite a lot of the conversation among the lads on tour. It was the realisation that when you drink Guinness you sh1t black and you sh1t frequently! A frequently asked question asked (with a straight face) “Your sh1t changed yet?”. “Aye, I’ve arrived!”. ” Good lad!”.

After a long old session on the Saturday, where Woody Lad dropped a pint off a fruit machine onto a stone floor, the glass remained in one piece and bounced back up emptying said pint all over Woodies face and jumper, sympathetic we were not. Geordie Lad ripped his shirt bought especially for the trip as an army role went wrong crossing a road. We were in the Auld Dubliner in the heart of Temple bar listening to a singer/guitarist playing various irish and other sing along classics (I remember a particularly enthusiastic David Gray ‘Sail Away’ from the lads, funny what you remember). Anyway 10.30pm was fast approaching and even on a bank holiday weekend where we come from last orders was always 10.30pm! Dribbs went to the bar doubled up on the pints of Guinness for the lads and treated homself to 4 watermelon Bacardi breezers (yes you read that correctly, watermelon Barcardi Breezers). As w were  trying to juggle the copious amounts of drinks the barman wandered round collecting glasses. To dribbs “What aboutcha lads, what the feck are you doing juggling four bottles?” Dribbs “well its 10.25 get em in before last orders pal!” Barman “You fecking eeejit, we stop serving when you’ve had enough!” dribbs “Oh right, bollocks!” The barman then proceeded to nudge the locals and his colleagues point and snigger in Dribbs direction.

We left the Auld Dubliner following a particularly boisterous version of “Hey Jude” us singing the “Roy Keane” version and four lovely lasses from Glasgow singing the “Celtic” version. The lasses promised to get us in a nightclub if we went in with them, we didn’t need at nightclub at this point, but as at the time we were all single lads we thought in for a penny….(that wasn’t their names). Anyway it was my round in the club and as the lads had, had two solid days on the black stuff the request was anything but. The look on the lads faces when i came back with a cheeky grin and four pints of Guinness! we didn’t last much longer!

So as soon as we had arrived it was tome to leave, well actually day 1 dragged like anything! I was hooked but decided that never again would i go without doing a bot of research first, the start of a tradition was beginning.

Just to clarify, I am not a Dubliner, I’m a Yorkshire Lad who loves a pint and the craic!

I first visited Dublin in 1999 over St. Paddy’s weekend, a last ditch attempt to save a failing relationship with a former girlfriend it failed, ( I could only sleep with one eye open for so long, but that is another story) but I had most definitely found a new love! The city closed down to cars on the morning of St. Patricks Day and never before had I seen so many p1ssed up people in one place, but with all the arse baring and frolicking (the crowds not me!) literally thousands of people on all day sessions lining the streets, there was not one sign of trouble, just real pride in their nation and their city. I had never seen such a street carnival and spent hours wondering around taking it all in.

Having sought advice we found a pub (I know, not a tricky find in Dublin) and stayed there for the afternoon. The Palace Bar at the bottom of the Temple Bar area was the location, more by luck than judgement, and we sat at the bar for the afternoon, we were amazed at how welcome we were made, drinking, chatting and as the Guinness took effect even having a sing song with the locals (little were we to know that this isn’t that unusual in a Dublin pub). We left at tea time to go and freshen up, the barman warned us we wouldn’t get in a pub on our return as it would be manic. “We’kk be right” I replied thinking it was a sneaky way of us ordering another drink.

We never got in another pub that night, too busy (probably should have listened), but we did see the largest firework display ever seen in Europe (up to that point, the millennium might have blown that claim out the water). Stood on O’Connell Bridge (the only bridge in Europe that is as wide as it is long) looking East down the Liffey as it was lit up with the endless explosions of the fireworks.

This trip was 15 years ago so a lot of the details are vague, I do remember being blown away by the view from the bar at the top of the Guinness factory, a 360 degree glass bar 4 or 5 storeys up showing the skyline of Dublins fair city!

And as soon as we had arrived it was time to leave, but i would be back (without her!) without any doubt!