While we’re deep into Spooky Season, this week’s pub, The Circular, doesn’t have any good ghost stories of its own – as far as I’ve discovered – but it is a very quick stroll from Rialto Bridge, which has a number of folkloric associations. Although it’s more properly called Harcourt Bridge, its nickname is one of long association: the first stone bridge was built here over the Grand Canal in 1795, replacing an earlier wooden structure, and its resemblance to Venice’s Ponte Di Rialto gave the bridge, as well as the surrounding area, its better-known name. There are stories of a Black Shuck-type dog stalking the underside of the bridge, with some tales more specifically citing the devil himself appearing as a black dog in the area.
Indeed, devilish attachments (literally) continued with a stone ‘devil’ head formerly being affixed to the bridge – though whether the stories or the sculpture came first is open to investigation. In any case, the ‘devil’ has been moved further up the former canal path, where he’s now looking out over The Liberties, although he’s still tied into beer history there; Guinness was one of the heaviest users of the Grand Canal in its heyday.
But let’s walk back along the South Circular Road to The Circular; it’s an interesting building in its own right, originally built as a house, it became a grocer’s shop and – of course – a pub, over the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It’s got various spaces with their own characters, and, indeed, their functions vary throughout the day. The Good Room is Daddy’s Café by day, but transforms into part of the pub in the evening, with the very tasty Coke Lane Pizza taking over of an evening. The Other Hand Bar is the smaller, ‘pubbier’ side of The Circular, but, as at The Ivy House, a pub with similar multiple personalities in terms of layout, you can order beers from either side of the (circular) bar.
And a lovely beer selection it is, too – there is generous support for local craft beer, with taps from Rascals, Hopfully, Trouble and Kinnegar on recently. The laid-back vibe is not dissimilar to sister bar Lucky’s, though there is more of a family-friendly atmosphere at The Circular, though perhaps it simply seems like that to someone like me who is never out after about 8 pm. However, ’tis the season; could The Circular be a good spot to start or finish a ghostly tour of the surrounding area? Would a nice pint keep Old Nick away?
It can’t hurt to try…and there are some interesting ghost stories to explore.
Where: 536-538 S Circular Rd, Rialto, Dublin 8, D08 CC02
Access from the city centre: Buses 13, 27, 68, 68A, 77A, 122, 151, Luas Red Line
Food: Breakfast & lunch by day, pizza by night
Sport: Rugby, football…all the big events
TVs: Throughout the complex
Music: Variable indie-ish playlist
Family-friendliness: Very family-friendly at the usual hours
Pub-crawl-ability: Low in the very immediate area, though you could make the effort to get to the Old Royal Oak, The Four Provinces, The Saint and Rascals HQ, or even head back to The Liberties for the Guinness Open Gate and more
Local sites of note: While not mere steps away, Kilmainham Gaol and Mt Jerome Cemetery are not terribly far
Haunted: As mentioned, you’ve got the bridge and the local area to go explore
Other notes: Many regular events, from pub quizzes to movie nights
Socials: Instagram, Facebook
But I love having an excuse to go to Arthur’s during the 
Dublin does not, on the whole, have the kind of grand railway station pubs and bars that you might find in the UK or Germany, but it seems 
It’s a bit of a funny spot, The Galway Hooker; the patio outside overlooks the Luas tracks, giving it more of a ‘commuter’ vs ‘real trip’ vibe, but it does afford a nice view of Heuston’s exterior, which is really rather nice by Irish train station standards; it can be a bit too easy to overlook when you’re in a hurry to catch a train. Inside, though, there are multiple options for people-watching, though it’s not as easy as it might be for trainspotting. The entrance from the station concourse only suggests a somewhat-unpromising buffet/carvery experience, but if you press on into the pub interior, a more impressive spectacle awaits.
The colour scheme is dictated by the red-brown (Burnt Sienna?) sails of the model 
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 
This is no surprise, though, as the other pubs in the group have always supported independent beer; we’ve covered 
From the exterior, 
On a recent Saturday evening, I found people making the most of the remaining visit from the sun in the beer garden, which comes complete with a DJ booth and Oasis-v-Blur cigarette disposal – a reference that here in Ireland is both a GenX comfort blanket and general Father Ted reference that even the younger set who don’t recall the 1990s will recognize – they know all about 
All told, it would be a challenge to find a more inclusive, welcoming spot, and the bao buns are absolutely fantastic. 
A mid-October 2024 update:
As tourist season seems more or less nearly in full swing, we’re sticking with Dublin city centre this week and O’Neill’s Pub and Kitchen – a tourist-friendly but also authentic pub that caters to a range of tastes and preferences – and one that’s large enough to offer a different experience depending on where you are in the pub (and just how crowded it is on the day or evening).
I recently had the unpleasant experience of stopping in a pub I’d never tried, and which shall remain nameless here, that was so aggressively 
Happily, O’Neill’s is nothing like this, and visiting it not long after The Pub to Remain Nameless made its positive features stand out all the more. Yes, there are trad sessions – good ones are always welcome – but the usual background music is quiet enough to chat, not painfully loud. Yes, there are various old photos and signs, even some barrels as you head upstairs, but they seem like a more natural accumulation over 
And speaking of ‘upstairs,’ there’s a nice ‘Whiskey Corner,’ all red leather and dark wood, though of course you’re welcome to drink anything you’d like (and the whiskey selection is indeed a very good one). It can be quieter up here (not necessarily on big game days, of course), especially during the afternoon, and it can make a pleasant spot on your literary pub crawl, given its 
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 
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