In one of the longest-awaited (or, for the more cynical among you, most-doubted-to-ever-happen) Dublin pub re-openings, Quinn’s Pub has finally thrown wide the doors, some six years after its closure, and after several intervening years of decay, delays and general development hell.
It’s something of an infamous pub, known just as much in the past for its brushes with poor drainage, health and safety issues and even a murder as for its reputation as a gameday location for those descending upon Croke Park from the countryside for the GAA. It was also a popular (if, apparently, ‘smelly’) student bar in the 1990s and 2000s, from back when DCU students could afford to live in nearby rental properties; not really an option now that those houses are nearly all airbnbs, but that’s another story.
We even get a bit of folklore in the demise of the previous incarnation of Quinn’s – the story goes that then-owner, Seán Quinn – devastatingly referred to on the pub’s current website as a ‘former billionaire’ – caused his own misfortune when he moved the Aughrim Wedge Tomb, a megalithic tomb of c. 2000 BCE, in order to make way for some quarrying (and to create an ersatz tourist attraction at a hotel he formerly owned, where it remains). This, as one might expect, upset the Good People, and it was all downhill from there. (Your fair scribe has not-dissimilar thoughts about this, as a former archaeologist). In any event, Quinn himself has not been associated with the pub for some years, but it’s taken the new ownership group a long time and a somewhat-controversial investment scheme to get back up and running.
Originally slated to open ‘for Paddy’s Day’ about 2 years ago, it’s finally been close enough to done to start getting customers in – just in time for the All-Ireland Final which saw Mayo break a 75-year curse to win, so we should probably never assume there may not be more occult forces at work, somewhere. This is important context for the outsider, as it’s difficult to convey just what a sellout day at Croke Park is like for the neighbourhood, whether that be a concert or a GAA final: you suddenly have an extra 82,000 people to contend with, mostly in good humour, but they will be spilling out of every local pub, café and shop, not just across pavements, but into the roads – good luck getting your bus through. One can imagine that the custom on a single big day must be a massive part of the annual revenue for our local businesses, so getting something open before the last big GAA event was, well, kind of a big deal.
So what we do see now is by no means the finished product, but as a local resident, it was Important to go check out what was on offer, once it was possible to do so. Quinn’s is a very large building by local standards, and the new owners have divided up what was the ground-floor bar into a café – opening during the day for coffees, etc, and as a wine bar in the evenings – with the other side maintaining a more traditionally ‘pubby’ feel. This is probably a very sensible approach, especially for out-of-season operations, but it does make that ‘pub’ side seem a bit small (if comfortably furnished). The theme is, of course, GAA, and there will also be hotel rooms upstairs, all decorated in different county colours, so that continues throughout.
Perhaps most surprisingly – and this is a pleasant surprise – there’s even a local independent beer on offer. This is not a given at most of the more ‘sporty’ pubs in Dublin, so it was great to see a Whiplash tap, even if it wasn’t up and running yet on our visit. The Carlsberg, however, tasted just as fresh as it does in Copenhagen, so clearly, considerable work has gone into completely reworking the tap lines (and plumbing in general – no smells!). There is Beamish as well as Guinness, so if Cork are playing, their fans will be well-catered to.
It looks as if it will be a while longer before more food offerings and upstairs bars come online, but a planned outdoor food market has already been advertising for vendors, so it will be interesting to watch the progress continue to unfold. And while the (men’s) GAA is done for the season, there’s still a series of late-summer concerts to get through (not that we’re complaining – Croke Park does a good job of keeping locals informed about expected attendance numbers and timing, and we’ve had free tickets on a number of occasions, including for last year’s Oasis gig, so it’s by no means a bad system) – will fans of The Weeknd [sic] enjoy Quinn’s?
Time will tell…
Where: 42 Drumcondra Rd Lower, Botanic, Dublin 9
Access from the city centre: TBD
Food: TBD, but some light snacks on the cafe side now
Sport: GAA, presumably more will be featured, albeit in a more casual way
TVs: Still getting set up, but a few already in situ
Music: A mix on our visit, but one imagines All Sport on big match days
Family-friendliness: Daytime, perhaps…but not so much at night
Pub-crawl-ability: Medium; there are other pubs within a 10-15 minute walk, with Juno, McGrath’s, Phil Ryan’s The Hogan Stand, Fagan’s and Gill’s Corner House nearby, though it’s also worth it to head to The Bald Eagle, The Brian Boru or The Cat & Cage
Haunted: It’s had a murder, dead rats…surely, there is a story or two to be shared
Local sites of note: Croke Park, Royal Canal, Mater Hospital
Other notes: The drainage has been remedied
Socials: Instagram, TikTok
Is it a pub, or is it a bar?
This Dame Street spot was formerly home to Berlin Bar, which was 
And while it’s *slightly* confusing where you need to go to order your slice of Detroit-style pizza by Doom Slice as there is an indoor hatch that might or might not be serving, plus an outdoor one, it’s easily sorted out. It is quite a tasty slice, it must be said, and it’s one of the cheaper options for food and a pint in Dublin (without the Instagram-driven queue for Bambino – why stand outside when you can sit inside with your slice and beer)?
A quick entry, this week – perhaps fitting, as it’s a tiny pub, but one that’s right in the centre of things. Indeed, it would be hard for Peter’s Pub to be much more central – just off Stephen’s Green, and steps from the Gaiety Theatre, it occupies a busy corner-ish spot.
And there are some much-needed 
It’s finally here!
And while it’s a different situation here, it’s still effectively impossible for a brewery to simply open a taproom; there’s a good recent discussion of the local state of play with Friend of the Blog Sarah (now ex-of Rye River Brewing, and off to new adventures) and Galway Bay Brewing’s Marco on 
Most importantly, though, much of the 
It’s Dublin pub round-up time again; this edition is in response to a frequently asked question we get on 
For a less-formal event, 
Finally, there are plenty of pubs and bars that have space for more casual get-togethers and events with a bit of advance notice: 
We’ve been rather remiss in not getting to Kavanagh’s in 
We took a break from the partying to relax indoors with some pints – the sun was ‘too bright’ for the youngest in our party – and to have a general nosey around the pub. Inside it’s every inch the Victorian/Edwardian pub – there are public and lounge bars that have separate outdoor entrances, but that are also connected inside via the stained-glass-adorned doors that (also) lead to the toilets – you’ll just need confidence walking through that you know where you’re going.
But as imposing as it looks outside, it’s pleasantly warren-like inside – there’s a semi-snug near the front on one side, and a variety of cosy spots on the other, including a tiled inset that seems to have appeared from the 1930s, while the rest of the bar remained in about 1901 (the date on the façade outside does 
There aren’t any independent beer offerings (and no, Beavertown certainly doesn’t count nowadays), but it is possible to do the Big Three Stouts here for those who enjoy doing their blind Guinness/Murphy’s/Beamish tasting; we tend to prefer Beamish of the three, but all were in excellent shape. As an aside on the ‘comparing stouts’ point, this is a handy area for it – 
It’s true we have a tendency to stick to pubs that are north of the Liffey, but we rarely venture out into the true suburbs – we are usually still within reasonable walking distance of Dublin city centre. This week, however, we take a longish bus ride out to the wilds of Kilbarrack to visit The Bayside Inn.
Indeed, The Bayside Inn is so ‘of this place’ that it sits in the car park in the shopping centre, next to the church – all of a thoroughly 1970s vintage. One gets the feeling that not much has changed in the internal décor since the doors opened in 1974 (per the painted gold letters on the half-glass doors. Some fairy lights have been added to the open rafters, and a taxidermied bear is observing proceedings from above, but beyond the TV screens, we doubt that much has been altered. It might not be a perfect time capsule from the 1970s, but it’s also not terribly far off. And while there may be very slight visual and architectural similarities to this particular vintage of ‘estate pubs’ on the Neighbouring Island, the feeling is still very much ‘neighbourhood Dublin pub’ – it doesn’t have a ‘locals only’ vibe, even if it does have plenty of regulars (which can, of course, be said of many estate pubs in Britain, even if that’s not the popular reputation).
And some things have changed with the times; there is good support for local independent beer here, with fresh selections from Hope, brewed under 2 km away at Howth Junction, on tap. Yes, there’s Guinness and all the other usual options, but it’s nice to see smaller local businesses giving each other a helping hand. We confess we’ve only made it up here when we’ve been visiting local friends (or doing a spot of cat-sitting), but we’ve always felt very welcome here, even as only occasional drop-ins.
We venture south of the Liffey again for two purposes: bagels and beer. Whilst our main goal on our visit to 
Inside, what could have been a tired 1970s-era renovation in a 19th century pub has been thoughtfully updated, keeping a bit of the old for camp and comfort, with a blend of fantastic local art, memorabilia and the finest Pride gear (not just in June, we are told, but all the year round, and it’s wonderful) well-placed on all the walls. It’s one of the most cleanly-designed pubs we’ve ever been in, but it still feels packed with personality – these aren’t the ‘hotel bar’ vibes you get 
And there is truly something for everyone – sport, including an emphasis on women’s sport (FINALLY), is on various screens, there’s a monthly folk club, drag bingo and pub quizzes galore. But you’ve likely come to read about the bagels, and we wouldn’t leave you disappointed. Ireland is not generally known for its strong bagel game – see also: 
This week, we make a trip not only south of the Liffey, but nearly into the heart of Dublin 4, with a visit to 
It’s very much a neighbourhood spot, welcoming local families, game day regulars and guests – you can even stay in the pub. And while its renovation of the past decade means it’s got a bit more polished wood and stained glass than many of its counterparts on the other side of the river, it never feels snobby. There are some lovely snugs – again, more stained glass – and various different spaces to spread out around this large pub. Local independent beers are well-represented (from Trouble and Wicklow Wolf on this most recent visit, though we’ve also seen Hope in the past), but this is another spot where the stout enthusiast can do the full Guinness–Beamish–Murphy’s taste test.
We will eventually do a ‘Best Pubs for the Aviva’ roundup to complement our ‘
This week, we are visiting more of an event venue than a pub, but needs must.
And it may be that this vibe is a direct result of this new space: surrounded by bland offices and corporate apartments, it now feels like an after work ‘enforced fun’ spot for company meetings. The prices certainly fall into the ‘someone else is paying’ category with an ambitiously-priced pint of Scraggy Bay on offer for €8.20 (and a service charge added to food orders, despite it being relatively difficult to find someone to take your payment when you want to leave, even at the bar).
Although it’s part of the same ownership group as