We are back this week with a ‘request pub’ – one that’s much further north than our more common north-of-the-Liffey-but-still-pretty-central stomping grounds. We’re heading out of Dublin City proper to Howth; it’s an easy trip on the DART, but a bit of a pain if, for example, you needed Dublin Bus to deposit you to a nearby spot at a predetermined time. Dublin Bus is not always especially good at the concept of ‘on time’ (but it’s pretty great on ghost buses), so the journey in this general direction involved more taxis than I typically take in a 6-month period, but we got there in the end. Our (eventual) destination was The Bloody Stream, a brightly-painted pub nestled into the Howth train station complex.
Howth is much-visited by day-trippers, walkers and other sight-seers, and with good reason. It’s a seaside town with all the usual outdoor amenities as well as the occasionally-open National Transport Museum of Ireland. But it’s also a commuter town, with the aforementioned DART station running regular trains into Dublin City Centre (and on to Bray, for more seaside travels). But while the DART has only existed since the 1980s (and no, there’s still no train or tram to or from Dublin Airport), Howth Station – not to be confused with Howth Junction – has been here in something approaching its current form since the 1850s, with services going back to the 1840s. And while the interior of The Bloody Stream is dark, cosy and delightfully atmospheric, it’s not by any means an ‘old’ pub – it opened in a derelict part of the railway station in 1995 – and this is no bad thing!
I’d recently had an exchange on the socials lamenting the lack of railway station bars in Ireland, and while we have nothing here quite like the small-but-mighty Stalybridge Station Buffet Bar, a strong case can be made that The Bloody Stream may be counted in this number (even though the pub itself is not directly accessible from the platform – possibly a disqualifying point for some). But perhaps it doesn’t feel like a railway pub – and that’s fine, too – but it is very handy for the train.
And while there is not a large number of independent beer taps, there was some very fresh Handsome Jack from Hope (located at Howth Junction, rather than in Howth – a brewery tour is highly recommended) on for our visit. There’s also Murphy’s for the stout crowd, presumably those folks who are not bitter, and plenty of Guinness. There is a sign outside encouraging visitors to ‘split the G,’ but please feel free to ignore that – though given that it is a touristy area, it’s at least a well-done sign.
We enjoyed excellent food and service when we stopped in, which isn’t necessarily a given in some pubs mid-week in the middle of the afternoon (hardly a fruitful time for most), so it was much appreciated. There is outdoor seating as well around both ends of the pub, but we kept to the more dimly-lit interior on a lovely sunny afternoon. Having offspring who actively avoid the sun may be odd to others, but hey, at least their vampiric ways are preventing long-term sun damage, and the pub interior really is lovely, all stone and dark wood.
There is one thing I couldn't discover much about, however; I’ve had multiple people ask for this pub as an addition to the ‘Haunted?‘ category, and I love nothing more than a good bit of ghostlore in a pub. However, I didn’t see anything in the pub itself, though they do give a good accounting of the area’s popular history on their menus (Vikings, battles – that sort of thing). The pub does take its name from the stream that runs underneath, so it’s at least ideally set up for Stone Tape Theory enthusiasts to take and run with…but nothing more than that. That said, there are plenty of entries for Howth in dúchas.ie, including a holy well nearby with perhaps the same water source so…does that count? Of course, if you do have a ghost story to share, please do! We need a proper ‘Irish Pub Ghost Stories’ book out there – we can’t let the Neighbouring Island have all the fun in that regard.
But all told, The Bloody Stream is a lovely pub; it does feel like a trip away from the city, and has something for both the railway enthusiast and seafood lover, while also supporting local suppliers. Far too many higher-end restaurants and pubs will trumpet their investment in local produce, but skip over the local beer, so while I’d love to see an additional tap or two, it’s good to see Hope so close to where it’s made, and in top condition.
But definitely take the train – the bus is rather woeful this far out of town!
Where: Howth Railway Station, Howth, Dublin
Access from the city centre: DART from Connelly or other handy station; 6 bus
Food: All the usual ‘nicer’ pub grub hits, very well-executed – lots of seafood, unsurprisingly
Sport: Rugby, GAA, football, etc…
TVs: Scattered here and there
Music: More touristy soundtrack – trad and U2 – but also live events
Family-friendliness: Kids’ menu and good desserts
Pub-crawl-ability: Low; nearly a 10-minute walk to many other Howth pubs like The Abbey Tavern
Local sites of note: Howth Castle, St Mary’s Abbey, Ireland’s Eye, Bog of Frogs
Haunted: Folklore-adjacent?
Other notes: Main floor toilets with lovely wallpaper
Socials: Instagram, Facebook
Back in the day – you know, perhaps 3 years ago – this week’s pub was The Porterhouse Central. It was a very handy spot in that you could enjoy a mix of interesting beers from Porterhouse and various guest options, but you avoided 
However, I happened to be in the area and had a bit of time after a meeting, so I gave Tapped another try. I’m pleased to say that the interior, while still feeling just slightly too ‘taproom’ has been softened and improved. There is now much more comfortable seating and the lighting is more dialled-in; it feels warmer on the whole. There are screens showing the beer lineup, 
This week’s pub is one that we’ve both been asked to profile repeatedly, and, in nearly equal measure, begged not to reveal it as a secret hidden gem. Is it possible to satisfy both of these audiences? Let’s find out – and so, we venture back to Marlborough Street, home to 
Also unlike many other Old Man Pubs, there was an independent beer option: Kinnegar’s Scraggy Bay. In some pubs that don’t have that kind of turnover for non-Guinness options, they aren’t always as fresh, but there were no such issues here. Guinness was, of course, plentiful, but there were many pints of lager being consumed, too – it is slightly unusual to see Tuborg on one of the taps in a Dublin pub, but I have a soft spot for many Carlsberg products, so it was quite welcome. The décor is, again, by no means fancy, but it’s very well-kept: red and cream paint, lighter wood tones and simple brass lamps on the bar. The crowd was clearly mostly regulars, and although most were deeply invested in the multiple channels of horse racing, there were other long-running conversations, too.
And while it may be true that this is not the cleanest nor most well-kept part of Dublin, that is presumably part of what keeps the tourists away, Georgian architecture notwithstanding. And although some parts of Reddit may be thoroughly convinced that we’re all just waiting to get murdered north of the Liffey, there are signs of positive development; newer pubs like The Morris Bar, just a short walk away, suggest that things are slowly improving. But for a pub like Briody’s that’s been here for over a century in various guises, it seems to be content to keep its current mix of regulars and semi-regulars who drop in whenever they are in town.
While our stats here show that you seem to be extremely interested in 
Of course, Walsh’s is far from new, as it’s been trading on this corner since 1826, so it’s coming up on two centuries in business. One wonders if there is to be an epic celebration next year…but back to the pub itself. It’s got a beautiful mix of stained glass and dark wood, cosy nooks and a fantastic snug…really, it’s quite close to the Platonic ideal of a late-19th century Dublin pub (albeit with televisions for the footy), so its recent restoration work has been well-planned and executed. The look and feel is certainly closer to the end of the 19th century than the beginning, but that’s no critique. And while it is best-known for its Guinness, they also serve Beamish, and there are also fresh lines of Trouble’s Ambush and Kinnegar’s Scraggy Bay – it made an ideal stopping-off point for my traditional 
And Walsh’s has another point or two in its favour: it has the full-on Victorian pub splendour, without the crush of tourists you can get at The Long Hall, and it has more variety on offer, drinks-wise, than 
Sometimes, just sometimes, a fantastic new(ish) pub pops up where you least expect it. Dublin’s Talbot Street has had a lot of publicity 
At that time, the shopfront that is now the pub was The Morris Wallpaper Stores, and the signage from that era has been preserved above the door. The theme continues inside, with framed William Morris wallpaper samples on the exposed brick, giving a mix of industrial chic and cosy early-20th century-pub vibes. There’s a pizza spot toward the back (check for opening hours, as these things evolve) with more communal-styles tables, but the seating in the main bar is much ‘pubbier,’ and very comfortable indeed.
There’s a good mix of the usual Guinness-and-friends offerings, but also a handy Rye River tap, as well as Beamish for the Corkonians in your life. The cocktail list is interesting as well. On our visit, the staff were all wonderful, and the attention to detail that went into the design of the pub is evident. It hits just the right mark of honouring the building’s past without feeling like a theme pub.
While it was likely something akin to a coaching inn in that earlier phase – again, like its not-too-distant neighbour in Drumcondra – having a tourist site spring up nearby in the form of the National Botanic Gardens in the 19th century was a boon to business, similar to the relationship between the nearby 
It’s been a minute since we’ve been to an entirely new pub, so it was good fun to make it in to 
While much of 
The best news for beer fans is that unlike several of the ex-Galway Bay pubs, we have their core lineup, and there will be other guest beers as well in the future. But you can also bring your Guinness nerds and other macro-beer friends here – they are by no means left out, and there are cocktails as well. On our visit, everything was lovely and fresh (as you might expect) – the Lush and Full Sail were both in excellent form. Food, too, was more varied than the standard menu, or else it’s changed again – either way, the addition of the charcuterie board was most welcome, and the halloumi fries are as good as ever.
There’s been a pub on this site in 
But just what is a glimmer man, you might ask? The name comes from the 
I’ve never seen U2 live. But like everyone of my age and fighting weight, I saw Rattle & Hum a fair few times, and back in the 1980s, I rented the U2: Live at Red Rocks VHS not infrequently. And while I completely agree that a lot of the stuff of that era of the band still slaps, I can see that the kids might find certain things about U2 a bit, well, cringe. But as a transplant to Dublin, I also don’t have that immediate animosity some seem to have to anything Bono-related – I’m essentially U2-agnostic.
Why the U2 preamble? Well, because this week’s pub, The Dockers Bar, was 
And what do those current regulars find at The Dockers Bar? It must be said that they were there in numbers on a weekend evening, so clearly, it’s working for them – is it the combination of some excellent independent Irish beer options (Rascals, Kinnegar, Trouble, Wicklow Wolf)? Or maybe they are mostly there for the Guinness, or perhaps the cocktails? The more-interesting-than-usual nibbles? In any event, it was a packed after-work scene.
The Oval’s most recent refurbishment was only about a year or so ago, and while it feels fresh and tidy, there’s still enough of a patina to give it a feeling of the history of the place; the décor and grillwork have an authentic feel. The pub is divided up into multiple sections, with more of a dining-room feel upstairs, but even within the relatively small main bar area, there are distinct areas to sit and relax, either alone or to spread out with friends. And while you can, of course, have a Guinness and all the other usual big brands, The Oval has two house beers, a pale ale and lager, that are brewed for this and other 
Indeed, every time I’ve stopped it it’s been a good mix of people from all over, either enjoying a pint before heading on to a gig at The Academy or an after-work crowd catching up before catching buses. While it doesn’t have the selection of local independent beers that its neighbour