Have we found Dublin’s darkest pub?
While the exterior of Frank Ryan’s Pub is bright-ish candy colours of pink and yellow, the interior is more None More Black. The smell of incense and the nod toward illumination with a string of fairy lights adds to the student-squat vibe, but this is a student squat for someone who takes their music collection (vinyl, presumably) quite seriously.
And while the music is a shared interest with Fidelity, just across the street, the look and feel could not be a greater contrast: Fidelity is all large windows and polished metal, while Frank Ryan’s is more found furniture and inherited memorabilia everywhere. And yet, there is a significant crossover in the Venn diagram of pub-goers: it is not at all unusual to see people shuttling between the two pubs. No doubt some of this is down to the pizza offering at Frank Ryan’s – the food at Fidelity Studio is wonderful, but it can seem more of a ‘special occasion’ meal (indeed, you may need a reservation), while the pizza can be a more affordable handy mid-session snack or meal.
While we wouldn’t quite put the pizza in the same class as MeMa’s or The Morris Bar (not to mention Rascals, which is next-level), it is tasty. The beer offerings are a bit more pedestrian than some in the area – the O’Hara’s and Hopefully taps seemed a bit tired – but the Carlsberg was quite lively, and there’s always the Guinness. Again, though, there’s a world of options just across the street at Fidelity on the beer front, and with such proximity, there’s no need to choose just the one type of establishment. And sometimes, there’s nothing better to pair with a pizza than a fresh Carlsberg.
There is some light to be found toward the front and back of Frank Ryan’s (if you’re the sort of person who prefers to see your pizza or pint), and there’s even a seating area at the rear that splits the difference between a small beer garden and a Pavement Pints setup; we’ll allow arguments either way.
All told, though, the vibe at Frank Ryan’s is extremely laid-back, and it can be a respite from the sun on a hot day; it’s not the sort of pub that’s going to be to everyone’s taste, but with so many in the broader Smithfield/Stoneybatter area, there’s a pub for nearly everyone.
Just remember to have the light on your phone handy here.
Where: 5 Queen St, Smithfield, Dublin 7, D07 T227
Access from the city centre: Buses C1, C2, C3, C4, 37, 39, 39A, 70, 83, 83A, Red Line Luas, 20ish minute walk
Food: Pizza
Sport: Not likely
TVs: If they are there, they are hidden in the dark
Music: Eclectic mix of jazz, Afrobeats and other good stuff; live jazz on Thursdays
Family-friendliness: Saw a few mid-size small folk getting pizza
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Fidelity is right across the street, and Bonobo, The Cobblestone, The Belfry, The Brazen Head, The Barber’s Bar, Walsh’s, Hynes’ Bar and L Mulligan, Grocer are all within a few minutes' walk – and that's just getting started
Local sites of note: Lighthouse Cinema, Collins Barracks, Four Courts, St Michan’s Church, St Audoen’s Church, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublinia, Guinness Storehouse
Haunted: I mean, it *is* dark…
Other notes: The women’s toilet is hidden behind the ‘gents’ sign and neither seems especially accessible; dogs welcome
Socials: Instagram, Facebook
Dublin excels at 
There’s a warm welcome, and not one, but two local independent beers offerings: Hope and O’Hara’s are always well-kept here. The bar serves two separate sections, each with their own respective snugs and other seating, and there are lots of little corners to duck into if you’re looking for that quiet solo pint. And it’s interesting to note that while everything you see now is very much hearkening back to the late 19th century, this is, in fact, an older pub – the original building(s) is/are Georgian, and its first license 
Our one knock on many Old Man Pubs is that they rarely offer any beers beyond the usual Guinness and Heineken (though to be fair, it’s usually an excellent Guinness from scrupulously clean tap lines), but as mentioned above, at Gaffney’s, there is good support for other choices, plus Beamish as another stout option. This beer selection, combined with the attractive interior, might just make it the perfect Dublin Old Man Pub.
It’s time for another one of our rare trips into Dublin city centre proper with a visit to McDaid’s, a pub with a fine literary heritage. Granted, there are many, many pubs here with similar claims to fame, but most do come by it quite honestly. There’s the requisite 
It would be interesting to do a deeper dive into the history of the building and previous pubs trading on this site…the ‘est 1779’ above the door has little to do with the current incarnation of the pub, which is a mid-20th century affair, and the building that houses it is 
The recent run of warm weather has led to prioritising pubs with lovely 
A recent BlueSky chat was a reminder that unlike the Neighbouring Island, we have few pubs that are a middle ground between Old Man Pubs, with a standard macro lineup (always Guinness, of course, plus Heineken or perhaps Carlsberg) and ‘hipster’ pubs with interesting craft beers…there’s no direct equivalent of a free house with a mix of standard macros, family brewery offerings on cask (sob) and local indies here in Ireland (with a very few exceptions – 
It’s also worth mentioning just how spacious Kodiak is – the main floor has two full bars, each with its own distinct feel (one darker, one brighter) and tap lineup, so for you beer nerds, check out both, and then there’s the large beer garden at the back. Then there’s even more upstairs (shuffleboard!) – hangout spaces that would be ideal for parties, and the well-designed toilets can be reached via lift or stairs. Indeed, simply by moving around different parts of the pub, you can switch up your experience of the place: start off with a chill solo pint in subdued lighting, then grab some sun 
It’s July, and that mean a happy birthday to 
Dudley’s
‘Foodie’ pubs with good craft beer options include