We are not *quite* into Spooky Season yet – indeed, it has been so unseasonably hot that I’ve had to create a Beer Garden tag – but my thoughts have nevertheless turned toward the creepier side of things when it comes to pubs. And although I cannot find any ghost stories linked to The Bleeding Horse, it does come with a spooky-adjacent literary history, and so, to Camden Street.
The Bleeding Horse gets the usual James Joyce namecheck in Ulysses, complete with a stone at the door to remind the visitor, but I’m personally more interested in the Sheridan Le Fanu mention. While MR James nerds like me get excited about Le Fanu’s role in shaping the modern ghost story, his mention of The Bleeding Horse is in one of his earlier works,
The Cock and Anchor (no snickering at the back). Set in 1710, the pub is described in the book as ‘…a small, old-fashioned building, something between an ale-house and an inn.’ And while this is largely literary license, that part does have a ring of authenticity.
A 17th century ale-house would have been somewhat akin to our modern ‘wet pub’ (yes, it’s a terrible phrase), with drink on offer, but little else, while an inn would have offered accommodation as well as refreshment. And although ‘public houses’ began to be licensed in both Ireland and Britain in the late 17th century, it’s still all a bit scattershot, and there are gradations and edge cases all over. And while a 1649 date for the pub’s foundation often pops up, one wonders if this has more to do with its maybe-possibly association with the Battle of Rathmines, which might have given The Bleeding Horse its name (or, equally, may not have – the story of a bloody, battle-frightened horse is a bit too Just So). It would seem to be spectacularly bad luck to build and open a new business just as the country is about to be laid waste to by Cromwell and his troops, but then, stranger things have happened. That said, if it was a coaching inn, it was likely a relatively substantial establishment, and one that stretched at least a bit further back. In short, a little proper archival digging would be quite an interesting exercise!
But with that said, the pub we see today – and a large, somewhat barn-like building it is – only dates from 1871 (though I would be willing to wager the cellars have some older bits and bobs), when it was redesigned by RJ Stirling, early in his architectural career; he would later go on to serve as a key architect for Trinity College. That ye-olde-feeling interior, on the other hand, is even more recent – it’s from a renovation in the 1990s. Again, though, this is no bad thing, as the feeling of the place does ‘work, and the maze-like interior as you wind up the stairs offers a variety of nooks and crannies to settle into. And while there are the usual Carlsberg (whose branding is currently covering most of the exterior) and Guinness taps (and also Murphy’s, for those seeking an alternative stout), there are also local independent options with a few Whiplash choices, too.
Perhaps, though, the spookiest thing about The Bleeding Horse is its more recent literary history: The Bleeding Horse and Other Ghost Stories by Brian J. Showers (he of local publisher Swan River Press) is a cracking read, and one I’d highly recommend for any visitor to the area. Le Fanu may be long dead, but his tradition remains alive; no better place to check it out than at a pub whose name he would have recognized.
Where: 24-25 Camden Street Upper, Saint Kevin’s, Dublin 2, D02 NP22
Access from the city centre: Buses 9, 14, 15, 16, 27, 56A, 65B, 77A, 83, 140, 151, 15-ish minute walk
Food: Elevated pub grub with some more interesting offerings than many spots
Sport: Football, rugby, horse racing, F1, golf…really, all the sports
TVs: All over the place
Music: Live music and comedy on weekends and some evenings; check the socials
Family-friendliness: More of a grownup vibe, and can be very crowded on big sporting event days
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Devitt's, Teach Tábhairne Ag Teach, The Portobello Bar, The Camden, Anseo, Ryan's of Camden Street…and the local ‘Spoon's, Keavan's Port. Or, carry on to Dame Street for The Beer Temple and The Oak
Local sites of note: Whelan's, Iveagh Gardens, St Stephen's Green, National Concert Hall, Marsh's Library, St Patrick's Cathedral
Haunted: Only in the most literary sense, though I admit I’m not the biggest fan of the recent restoration of the horse, which does creep me out
Other notes: Handy for a bookish pint after picking something up at The Last Bookshop
Socials: Instagram
But I love having an excuse to go to Arthur’s during the 
But back to the pub itself: The Bull & Castle is very much ‘sleek steakhouse with taxidermy and statuary’ downstairs, and if you’re simply looking for the bar, you need to head up the stairs. But before you do, it’s worth noting that the steak is top-notch; it’s part of the FX Buckley family, and if you are a meat-eater who hasn’t had their steak, well…you should probably get on that, whether at The Bull & Castle or one of their other locations around Dublin. Upstairs, there is also excellent food, but also a more pub-like atmosphere. There are a variety of local craft beer options: on my most recent visit, some Trouble, lots of O’Hara’s choices (also in bottles downstairs), including the house pale ale, The White Hag and others, plus a wider selection of ciders than you typically find in most places around town. It can feel a bit hidden, since you don't enter into the main bar right from the street as in so many other pubs, but that can add to the charm as well.
And, of course, there’s the aforementioned literary connection and ghost story. Poet 
A mid-October 2024 update:
Bill Clinton wuz here. And you’re not likely to forget it, as he seems to be on every wall in Fagan’s, somewhere.
We’re back in the ‘my sort of Dublin pub’ category: one with great craft beer – and a good variety, not simply one or two taps – there are 28 in total at Dudley’s, which is one of my favourite spots in The Liberties. But it’s not just the beer and the deep, rich colours that make this one of my go-to places when I’m in this part of town; it’s that it’s always welcoming and feels like a part of the fabric of the community – a pub for many different occasions. As with some of the other locations that make up the always-excellent 
Dudley’s opened in 2021 when the previous pub on the spot closed during the Covid shutdown. Its name now commemorates 
In short, even though it’s not one of my locals, Dudley’s is always a must-visit when I’m over in that direction; it’s great for a chilled-out solo pint, a pause on the 
This week’s Weirdo Dublin Pub is properly a little bit weird, in the best possible ways; we’re heading back to Stoneybatter for 
But back to the dogs – they are very much catered for here, with their own little snugs and corners, photo wall (there is much to be said for a pet-focused feature wall vs a human-centred ‘Instagram wall’ in a pub) and even a little bed tucked away within some of the seating, for the sleepier or simply more retiring Good Pupper. On my recent visit, all the canine customers were very well-behaved indeed – and the same went for their human counterparts.
I’d been told by a regular that 
But it retains a strong musical tradition, from the instruments in the window to the nightly-ish trad sessions in the main bar, and the wealth of photographs of well-known musicians throughout the pub. While the entrance and front bar are rather small, the pubs winds its way back in slightly eccentric fashion, with a series of not-quite-snugs (you may decide for yourself whether our seating area pictured here, with your own fair author deep under the stairs, counts as a snug) to a cozy back room with another fireplace, as well as a heated outdoor area, which on our visit was rather smoky, as outdoor areas tend to be, but given how central this is, it’s rare to have much of an outdoor offering at all.
We didn’t stay for the session, as it happens, but it did look like it was going to be a good one; plenty of regulars were arriving for it just as we were leaving, which is always a good sign.
Where: J. McNeill’s Pub, 140 Capel St, North City, Dublin, D01 F9R2
Welcome to the new home for Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs! If you’re a regular visitor, you’ll notice we’ve spun off to a new, stand-alone site, just in time for the first anniversary of this series, and we’ll be adding some new features and categories as we go. With that bit of housekeeping out of the way, we’re back to normal service with another Northside pub – 
My perception of The Ivy House before this visit was that is was more restaurant than pub; the larger main section is sleeky and modern – there’s a lot of dark blue – with many booths and tall tables, though there is a fireplace toward the back, albeit a large open and, again, very modern one. It’s less cozy and more efficient, with a large menu suiting most tastes (including my still-rather-picky younger offspring). Indeed, they always seem to be doing a roaring brunch trade at the weekends, and when I’m out and about for a solo pint, I frequently stop at The Cat & Cage, rather than The Ivy House, simply out of habit, but also because on those occasions I’m looking more for a nice spot to sit and relax, rather than go for a full meal.
But as I happened to be in the area and wanted to get inside as soon as possible, I finally stopped in to the Carthy’s Bar side of The Ivy House, and ‘side’ is the key word here – it has an entirely separate entrance around the corner, complete with its own frontage. And, once inside, it’s quite the contrast from the other side of The Ivy House – it’s every bit the old-man-pub, complete with the aforementioned fireplace – not a woodburner, but lovely an warm. On my afternoon visit, there were at least 3 different sports on – possibly one for each person in the pub at that moment – but nothing was too loud or distracting. And as the bar serves both sides of the pub, it’s easy to order one of the local craft options – they always seem to have Hope Hop-on on tap – or a Guinness or Beamish from either spot.
