Staying on a holiday theme, we venture out toward the Phoenix Park this week to visit The Hole in the Wall – a pub that may be better known for its Christmas decorations nowadays, but also one which has a much better claim toward being one of the oldest pubs in Dublin than a certain establishment that trades on this point. Ahem.
But first, the surroundings: the pub gets its unusual name from its proximity to the park, where in times past, British soldiers from the former Marlborough Barracks – now McKee Barracks – could avail of its drink through a literal ‘hole in the wall,’ and thus avoid leaving the Phoenix Park. The pub was known as The Blackhorse Tavern from the 1650s, and the core of the original building does seem to tally well with this sort of date. However, its claim to fame as ‘Europe’s Longest Pub’ is more recent; that’s a result of local cottages being knocked together to add on more and more space as it curves around the edge of the park. There’s also a shipping container coffee stall outside, and plenty of seating for better weather.
Inside, it can be absolutely packed at this time of year, both with decorations (similar to The Ginger Man) and with young visitors to Santa’s Grotto. The many and various rooms within the pub are quite narrow, so it can be a challenge to walk through if there’s a crowd, but it can be done – there are many small nooks and crannies and little benches to be found with a bit of looking around. The beer is mostly the usual suspects from Guinness and Heineken, at least on our visit; the tap for The Holer Pale Ale (previously brewed by Rascals?) was off, and so the only independent beer option was a bottled McCaffrey Irish Pale Ale from Brewmaster/Dundalk Bay Brewing Company, which was…fine. If we’re being nitpicky, it could use a bit of a spruce-up in the beer regard, but the decoration and speed of service with the large crowd was remarkable.
But The Hole in the Wall is a pub for life, not just for Christmas – there are also running and cycling clubs based here, and it’s a handy spot if you happen to be on this side of the Phoenix Park (though you’d have Nancy Hands – its sister bar – on the other end). Given how few truly ‘old’ pubs there are in Dublin, we’d love to see them lean into this aspect even more, but in an evidence-based way…we suspect there are some truly fascinating stories to be told here.
Where: Blackhorse Ave, Phoenix Park, Castleknock (part of Phoenix Park), Dublin 7, D07 V663
Access from the city centre: Buses 37, 38, 38A, 39, 39A, 70
Food: Pub grub
Sport: Major sports shown
TVs: A fair few around the pub
Music: Mostly MOR hits
Family-friendliness: Not just for Santa’s Grotto, but year-round at the usual times
Pub-crawl-ability: Low – Cumiskey’s Bar is nearby, but that’s about all in the immediate area; it’s a long way to Nancy Hands and Ryan’s of Parkgate Street on the other side of the Phoenix Park
Local sites of note: Phoenix Park, Dublin Zoo, Áras an Uachtaráin
Haunted: Could do with a good ghost story or two, given its age
Other notes: Dogs welcome
Socials: Instagram, Facebook
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Covid lockdowns notwithstanding (and even then, there were occasions where it was possible to pop in to pick up some cans), I have never known an Underdog-free Dublin. Yes, that’s a reminder of my blow-in status, but it was one of the first local pubs I ever visited, long before moving here, as well as the last before lockdown started, just after we arrived permanently. In those days, Underdog was in the basement of Brogan’s; the damp from neighbouring Dublin Castle’s moat made things moist at times. But there were good memories from that location, most notably, the working beer engine on Fridays, and incredibly friendly regulars. The beer was a fantastic mix of interesting beers from all across Ireland, as well as choices from the UK, the US and elsewhere in Europe. The bottles and cans were just as diverse as the options on tap, and the knowledgeable crowd would happily make recommendations to visitors or newbies. I quickly got to know Paddy, the owner and all-around legend, and always felt warmly welcomed.
We still have no firm answer to that question, but it’s fair to say we made the most of the last few weeks of business; there would be no kegs left for any potential new owners to have to worry about. We brought in bottles and cans from all over the world to share as the taps ran out, and made sure that we put in extra orders at the excellent Boco Pizza across the street. From leftover Mexican-ish lager to Westvleteren 12 (and everything in between), it was all shared and, mostly, enjoyed. There were hugs, some tears and a lot of laughter on the final night.
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So, ghosts aside, what is the pub like? Well…most definitely not creepy. If anything, it’s a bit too polished to feel at all like a liminal space. There are several very different sections of the pub with their own character, but none are especially dark or gloomy. The front is much more ‘pubby’ and the rear more of a restaurant or hotel bar vibe (the many large TV screens are part of what gives that impression), though it’s worth knowing that the back bar is where the sole local-craft-beer representative is; there’s a Rye River tap if you know where to look. Indeed, the food was very good – a step up from a lot of pub food, though the enormous portions are perhaps created more for tourists than locals. There’s also the usual Guinness – and Murphy’s – plus some Warsteiner.
There’s a covered outdoor space too, more