October, 2026 - Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs

Outside Fallon's Despite having ‘The Capstan Bar‘ spelled out in large letters on the side of the building, this pub is more commonly knowns as Fallon’s to locals. And while the ‘est 1619’ sign may hang above the entrance, the pub’s website is a bit more circumspect, only referencing ‘a legacy dating back to 1619,’ which, while still overstating the case, is made much less of a selling point than the entirely fakety-fake date The Brazen Head likes to claim, only a short walk away.

Inside Fallon's Indeed, nothing in Fallon’s looks much older than the early 20th century, which makes sense – it was rebuilt in 1911 after a fire, and most records seem to indicate a firm late 19th century foundation for a pub on this specific spot, though there is evidence of the re-use of elements of earlier buildings. But this area – bordering The Liberties and The Coombe – had dozens of pubs (or, before that, pub-like businesses) in centuries prior, and ‘The Capstan‘ is a reference to the sailors and dock workers who would have frequented the area in the past. It’s sported the ‘Fallon’s‘ name since the 1970s; there is likely an entire thesis to be written on how and when Irish pubs have names more or less permanently assigned to them, and how those do still continue to evolve today. In short, there’s plenty of history in this area.

A Wicklow Wolf Elevation at Fallon's But back to Fallon’s – it’s wonderfully quiet (or, at least, was on our afternoon visit), and the snug at the front might be a good addition to our Best Pubs for Books roundup. There was a fairly even split between locals and well-behaved tourists on our visit, all enjoying the wooden floorboards and ceiling that offer something of an organic feel. There are independent locals beers on at reasonable prices, though most of the tourists were in for their ‘best Guinness,’ as per usual.

But if we were to recommend a ‘best way to enjoy’ Fallon’s, we’d suggest a browse at Marrowbone Books and a quiet pint after with your ‘new find’ – there’s no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Where: 129 The Coombe, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 NP52
Access from the city centre: Buses 13, 14, 15, 15A, 15B, 16, 27, 68, 77A, 122, 150, 151 or 18ish minute walk
Food: Toasties, soup
Sport: Occasional big events
TVs: Small screen
Music: Blissfully quiet
Family-friendliness: A few kids having a weekend afternoon Coke & crisps on our visit
Pub-crawl-ability: High – The Fourth Corner, Lucky’s, Lynott’s, Molly’s Bar, Drop Dead Twice, The Liberty Belle, Dudley’s, The Lord Edward, Arthur’s, Guinness Open Gate Brewery, Swift, The Brazen Head, The Christchurch…and many more
Local sites of note: St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Marsh’s Library, Chester Beatty, Dublin Castle, St Audoen’s Church, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublinia, Guinness Storehouse
Haunted: There’s plenty of good archaeology under these streets…
Other notes: While the toilets are on the main floor, they are tight squeezes
Socials: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok

Gargoyle friend at The Bull & Castle Editorial note: This post was originally published on 2 October, 2025, but we have updated with some new spooky notes for 2026.

Perhaps surprisingly to some (certainly, to us), Dublin pubs do not contain a wealth of ghostlore. There are, of course, a few good stories, but there isn’t the critical mass of spectral servants, long-dead landlords and pesky poltergeists who turn up in the dozens (and dozens) of books about haunted pubs on the Neighbouring Island. Indeed, we have books covering small parts of individual counties that span to over 100 pages, but for whatever reason*, Irish pubs simply don’t seem to have the same ghostly population – at least, in the ‘true ghost story’ tradition. We do have centuries of weird fiction, covering ghosts, vampires and other visitors from beyond the veil, and it’s certainly not just Bram Stoker, whose namesake festival is back with a bite for 2026 – Sheridan LeFanu got the vampire train rolling with Carmilla, back in 1872. We highly recommend local stalwarts Swan River Press for some wonderfully creepy tales, many by too-long-overlooked by Irish women writers like Rosa Mulholland (buried in Glasnevin) and Dorothy Macardle, to name only two. We’d recommend taking some books to one of the spooky pubs here mentioned, or, if you’re of a nervous disposition, one of these instead.

However, ’tis the season, and we always have an eye or ear out for a good creepy pub story. One of our favourite tales is tied to the Bull & Castle, although the current building replaced the one in which James Clarence Magnan was born; nonetheless, he’s meant to haunt the place, drifting around and leaving a melancholy atmosphere (as you do). And the pub does have a very atmospheric feel, so it’s well worth a visit for a spooky pint.

Spooky decor inside The Brazen Head We’re less inclined toward the flashy, big-name haunting at The Brazen Head, though at least there’s historical reason to associate Robert Emmet with the pub (unlike its entirely spurious ‘founding date’), so we’ll give it a pass, with reservations. Just around the corner (and we swear we’ll get to spooky pubs outside The Liberties, but it does have some of the more well-preserved ‘older’ buildings in Dublin, so sorry/not sorry), The Lord Edward is meant to still accommodate its namesake ghost, and the décor would back that up.

The clock at Mulligan's Sticking with one of the more well-known spots for spooky vibes, we can’t miss The Gravediggers; of course, the location next to Glasnevin Cemetery helps (see? We left The Liberties!), but it’s also got a proper ghost story of the ‘messing with the electrics‘ sort, which is always interesting from a folklore/ghostlore classification perspective (well, we get excited about that sort of thing). Similarly, Mulligan’s and Brogan’s both have more ‘modern haunting’ elements – we ignore mention of the dreaded orb, but we do enjoy non-specific bumps, knocks, moving pints and the like – and L. Mulligan, Grocer, also has some gentle ‘haunted’ vibes in that direction.

There is another ‘classic’ haunting of the folkloric stripe at The Portobello Bar, where a 19th century lock-keeper still keeps watch…or, perhaps, lures victims into the canal near Rathmines Bridge – if time permits, we’ll investigate this one properly this month and provide an update (that update: the food is good, but the feel isn’t super-spooky). The Bleeding Horse also has some literary ghost cred (yes, Swan River Press again), so it nearly counts in this list.

Holidays at The Cat & Cage - always great for all the family But we also want to shine the spectral spotlight on another pub whose apparitional associations are often overlooked: Doyle’s Corner. Whilst nowadays, with Gavin James onboard, its musical reputation is growing again, but in Brendan Behan’s day, it was known as the pub in which executioner Albert Pierrepoint would relax pre- or post-work at nearby Mountjoy Prison – and if you haven’t listened to the relevant Three Castles Burning episode, now is your chance. It even had reports of poltergeist activity in the 2000s.

And while we still have no creepy tales about The Cat & Cage, well…we hope there are some out there, it would be a brilliant spot for a ghost story on a chilly night. It’s also right next to an atmospheric churchyard, and makes for an ideal spot to pause on an autumnal stroll.

Perhaps we need a pubby ghost story contest…

*Would happily retire and do a folklore PhD on this topic. Just saying!

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Fallon’s (aka The Capstan Bar)

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Best Pubs for Ghosts