Despite walking past it multiple times a day most days, we’ve not had occasion to call in to The Bernard Shaw recently. This part of Dublin – the Phibsborough/Glasnevin border – is already well-served with great pubs like The Bald Eagle just across the canal, more food-forward spots like The Botanic around the corner, and world-renowned spots like The Gravediggers within a short walk. And so despite having an interesting selection of food vendors in its adjoining Eatyard, The Bernard Shaw is rarely top of mind as a spot for a quiet (or loud) drink or a family meal. True, they do have a drag brunch that we’ve heard is good fun, but the in-house food and drinks are always mentioned as not quite up to par for the neighbourhood, especially for the price.
And perhaps the fact that it doesn’t feel much like, well, a pub is part of the issue; in its previous incarnation in Rathmines, it had a variety of spaces and programming options, but it still felt very much like a (rather scruffy) pub. However, that closed in 2019, and it moved to the current spot, a former Porterhouse location, not terribly long after. But much about the interior feels very much temporary: colourful cardboard dividers, upstairs and downstairs spaces closed off at some times and not others, and even the Eatyard itself is sometimes table service, sometimes walk-up, and it’s never entirely clear which is which or what is on offer when.
While it does have a theoretically reasonably interesting drinks lineup, like its fellow Bodytonic-managed bar, The Back Page, sometimes quite a few taps are not in working order – but again, other times, it’s all fine. But if all is present and correct, there are usually multiple Kinnegar choices, an Outcider tap and the more usual Guinness and Beamish, plus cocktails. Between the two locations, we tend to go to The Back Page more often: it has a more distinct identity as a spot for watching soccer and some more obscure sport, and the pizza is consistently pretty decent.
It is, of course, entirely possible that it’s simply aiming for a younger/cooler demographic, which is fair enough…though it does beg the question as to why there’s a mural of Peter Fonda on one side of the building…it’s not something that resonates with GenXers like us…are the younger Millennials into Easy Rider? We’ve been told it’s a ‘no’ from Gen Z: ‘…it’s no Taxi Driver.’
But we actually *do* quite enjoy some of the events that take place at The Bernard Shaw – there are handy record fairs, local community art markets and so on that are great to have in the neighbourhood; we may just go elsewhere for that ‘pub’ experience after. But with so many to choose from in this area, there’s absolutely something for everyone.
Where: Cross Guns Bridge, Dublin, D09 XW44
Access from the city centre: Buses 9, 40, 46A, 83, 140; Luas Green Line; 30ish minute walk
Food: Breakfast, lunch, dumplings, hot dogs
Sport: Big events shown: Rugby, football, etc
TVs: Scattered around
Music: The hipster music vibes are strong
Family-friendliness: Children around at the usual times
Pub-crawl-ability: High. Multiple options nearby: The Bald Eagle, The Brian Boru, Doyle's Corner, The Boh, The Hut and The Back Page in one direction, with The Botanic, The Gravediggers and The Tolka House in the other…
Local sites of note: Royal Canal Greenway, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin Cemetery, Mountjoy Prison, Dalymount Park
Haunted: Oddly, no ghosts obviously associated with the nearby Cross Guns Bridge
Other notes: Toilets are very much not accessible
Socials: Facebook, Instagram
In our effort to fill in the blanks when we see you getting lost in our search results, we’re aiming to visit some of the more common pubs on the tourist trail here and there, now that the bulk of the summer holidaymakers have gone home. Indeed, this week’s pub is one we’ve only ever previously visited in that capacity, years before moving to Dublin: The Long Hall.
Visiting again with more ‘local’ eyes does make you notice different things, but the fundamentals remain the same: the beautifully-maintained – and, in this case, likely genuinely world-famous – exterior of the pub is unmistakable, with its signature red-and-off-white stripes. Inside, it’s the kind of high Victorian décor that is more commonly a pastiche these days, but The Long Hall comes by it honestly: its last real renovation was in the 1880s. And while the deep reds and dark woods are common to many other local Dublin pubs of this vintage – a subject to which we’ll return – there are unique features here, including the 
Cask ale, as we have often complained, is something of a rarity in Ireland. While there are a few more pubs with a regular cask offering up in Belfast, here in Dublin, it is simply not a regular feature in most pubs. Happily, though, a tipoff from a reader (cheers, Ciaran!) alerted us to a beer engine in regular use at Harty’s Bar. Naturally, we dropped everything to go investigate.
One reason this pub had not been on our radar is that, appearances notwithstanding, it’s a fairly new establishment (but also not; bear with us) – until about 18 months ago, it was the Dingle Whiskey Bar. But like its neighbour, 
While it doesn’t have the selection of beers next door in Tapped, with its enormous bar, for a small space, it has a good lineup of some of the more standard Porterhouse beers – the Plain Porter, Yippy IPA and Red – as well as Trouble’s Ambush. There’s also Guinness, of course, and Beamish. But as you know, we were here for the cask option: this week, it was 
We know that we tend to be biased toward pubs on the north side of the Liffey, but this week, we travel (relatively) far into south Dublin – all the way to Blackrock and . Once a quiet fishing village with a sideline in 
And while the 
There are some lovely little snugs and the pub also has a bit of a nautical bent – the seafront is right here, after all – but it’s very welcoming to all; the standard Guinness (and Beamish!) is on offer, and there is good support for independent offerings like Hope and Wicklow Wolf, as well as 
Our featured Dublin pub this week is one that has been in the ‘much requested’ queue for some time. While we had to make it a flying visit, we finally got to 
Until a little over a decade ago, 
And while it can be a bit rough around the edges, likely needing a few coats of paint and some repairs here and there (not to mention having slightly-infamous toilets), that’s part of the charm. Yes, it would be nice if some of the derelict buildings surrounding The Cobblestone were used for, say, housing, but it really does feel like a landmark as-is.
Have we found Dublin’s darkest pub?
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 
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