Nancy Hands is an interesting pub in that it manages to feel like a local haunt and a tourist bar, but not necessarily at the same time. It has something of an advantage in its size – it can easily accommodate coach parties across its many and various spaces, and the tour groups can be reasonably quarantined from other pub-goers, while still enjoying the well-appointed pub. It’s got all the standard late 19th/early 20th century pub accoutrements: dark wood, well-polished bar, antiques and old advertising, but we wonder if the interesting copper frieze over the door is of more recent vintage – any insights, readers?
The staircase formerly connected floors in Trinity College, and the beer garden out back can even be heated when necessary (though as with so many of the more interior-feeling beer gardens in Dublin, it can tend toward feeling very smoky). All told, it feels very ‘pubby,’ but what strikes me is the very noticeable vibe shift when the tour groups leave. It took a few visits to realise that it wasn’t just the freeing up of part of the pub that made the real difference; rather, it was the music. When the groups are in, the music is not just trad (there is, after all, plenty of good trad out there), but full-on diddly-eye trad – the sort of music that might have been featured on an American PBS station 40+ years ago. But once they go, there’s a break – either no music, or a change to something a bit more current. Perhaps it’s coincidence, but it’s something we’ve noticed on multiple visits – and it’s no bad thing!
Now, this is not to say that some of the more touristy pubs are doing their customers a disservice in any way; to the contrary, they are doing a great job of catering to multiple demographics, and more power to them. And Nancy Hands also does a great job of supporting local writers – Ali Dunworth’s excellent A Compendium of Irish Pints and our own Beer Ladies Podcast co-host Christina Wade’s Filthy Queens both feature prominently behind the bar – ideal gifts for locals and tourists alike! And while it would be nice to see a few more local independent beers on tap, the O’Hara’s is fresh and tasty, so a welcome sight.
All told, a great spot to stop in on the way to or from the Phoenix Park.
Where: 30-32 Parkgate St, Stoneybatter, Dublin 8, D08 W6X3
Access from the city centre: Buses C1/C2/C4, 4, 13, 26, 60, 69, Luas Red Line, 35ish minute walk
Food: Broad pub grub, toasties, international, ‘tourist’ and kids’ menus
Sport: All the major sport
TVs: Plenty about the pub
Music: Trad and Not trad (check the socials for live sessions)
Family-friendliness: All ages welcomed & fed
Pub-crawl-ability: Medium: while right next to Ryan’s of Parkgate Street and P.Duggan’s, with the Galway Hooker at Heuston Station, it’s a bit of a longer walk to Urban8 or the Old Royal Oak. Also possible to walk to the main pubs of Stoneybatter, or you could stroll to the Liberties to the Guinness Open Gate; also handy to hop the bus to The Saint and Rascals in Inchicore
Local sites of note: Criminal Courts of Justice, Croppies Acre, Phoenix Park, Heuston Station, Guinness Storehouse, IMMA, Collins Barracks, Kilmainham Gaol
Haunted: Did ‘Nancy Hands’ exist? The stained glass is nice, but if she did, she almost certainly haunts a different building
Other notes: Dogs are welcome. This is (kinda) Stoneybatter, after all
Socials: Instagram, Facebook
