This week’s Dublin pub is another frequently-requested one that we’ve put off visiting for far too long, and we were quite wrong to delay. Although previously labouring under the misapprehension that Mulligan’s of Poolbeg Street was a pub only for Guinness bores (albeit one with a few good stories), it is, in fact, delightful in nearly every way that appeals to us.
Although it does (actually) have an 18th century license, the modern pub looks barely touched since its 1880s rebuild. The dark reds and yellows, the wood panelling and the somewhat spare furnishing make for an unfussy Old Man Pub experience. It is, happily, lacking the busy array of old signage and remaindered hardware that can be overdone in some places, especially in overseas Oirish Pubs. There are two distinct sides of the pub, one entirely free of televisions if you prefer that experience. The beautiful back room is perfectly atmospheric, and there’s even a bonus outdoor beer garden.
And yes, the Guinness may be a draw, but there is a very strong local independent lineup as well: several Wicklow Wolf and O’Hara’s options are on offer alongside The White Hag’s Little Fawn. But even among the macro beers, it’s a wider-than-usual array: the full Guinness/Beamish/Murphy’s blind tasting is possible, and there’s Harp and Kilkenny as well, plus some handy non-alcoholic options. In short, there’s something for every beer drinker (as well as some ciders for good measure).
But it’s the stories that bring people in (and back) – we’re much more interested in Judy Garland’s visits than JFK’s – though there are so many tales of this particular pub that it has its own dedicated book. We’d also highly recommend a listen to this Publin episode about how an American visitor’s ashes came to be resting in the clock; it certainly drives home some of the pub’s atmosphere.
As regular readers will know, we collect ghostlore of all stripes, and frequently complain that we simply don’t get enough of it around Dublin pubs, so finding a few good tales (especially as we closer to Spooky Season) is always cause for joy. The fact that the sightings (soundings?) in question are a bit shadowy and vague only adds to their appeal.
Finally, the other reason we wish we’d stopped in before is that Mulligan’s also feels much more urban and down-to-earth than even some of its near neighbours; the rather florid JR Mahon’s around the corner can feel entirely suburban in comparison. As city folk, the vibe in Mulligan’s is much more (for lack of a better word) straightforward; the fact that they also have a cracking beer lineup is a real bonus that will keep us coming back to do a bit of ghost-bothering.
Where: 8 Poolbeg Street, Dublin 2
Access from the city centre: Right there
Food: Peanuts, scampi fries, crisps
Sport: The usual football, etc
TVs: Screens on one side of the bar
Music: Low-key tunes
Family-friendliness: Grown-up vibes
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Cassidy’s, Tapped, Harty’s Bar, Bowes, JR Mahon’s, Bill Aherne’s, The Oval, The Palace Bar, The Flowing Tide, Piper’s Corner and many more
Local sites of note: NATIONAL WAX MUSEUM, Trinity College, Abbey Theatre, Irish Whiskey Museum, O’Connell Street
Haunted: FINALLY, some spooky goings-on are reported
Other notes: Is it the platonic ideal of a Dublin pub? Perhaps…
Socials: Instagram, Facebook
We tend to avoid bigger crowds when out and about (and, frankly, we like to be home early – sleep is important!), but we recently made an exception to stop into 
It certainly leans more ‘gastro’ than ‘pub,’ but the overarching feeling about the place is ‘
And while it may feel a bit less spontaneous than your typical 
And while we are usually visiting 
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 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 
While we are 
There was a strong cocktail game as well, and while we didn’t have time to sample the food, it did look rather more interesting than many other pub options…perhaps something we’ll revisit to consider adding to the 
Upstairs there is a glorious sun deck, so rather than 
It’s finally happened.
And 
The cask offering is also a point of contention here – as cask nerds, we’ve noted before the very small number of pubs in Dublin that have 
Which, of course, leads us to the other reason we tend to not go there very much – it would be horrifying to the Young Adult member of the household to run into us at a place that is very much a usual haunt of His People; best to leave it to the Youth most of the time, but it is handy for a cheap pint before a gig nearby, and you can always make paper airplanes from the Wetherspoons magazine if you are so inclined. Just consider 
We are back in action this week, now that the Paddy’s Day crowds have moved on, and, as so often, we find ourselves in 
With one recent glorious afternoon of sun, however, making the most of it was a moral imperative – and so, we repaired to Lucky’s. The main pull was their large and well-appointed 
As a sister bar to 
Beer-wise, there’s a nice, rotating mix of local independent options from Whiplash, Rascals and Hopfully (among others recently on tap), along with the usual Guinness; bottles of flavoured cider seemed to be the thing the Young People were going for. Rather unusually, there’s also Hoegaarden, plus a range of cocktails and non-alcoholic options.
Regular readers know that we tend to keep 
However, our midweek daytime visit was quite a different affair, and all to the good. Both the interior and the large beer garden were calm, though not empty – as we write this, it is 
That said, we are more likely to take ourselves to