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.
Although Kilbarrack itself does date back to the medieval period in some form, it is almost certainly best-known now for its alter ego, Barrytown, in the works of Roddy Doyle. And while we’re very much Roddy Doyle fans, there’s not much about the pub that we’d call a direct callback to one of his novels (or any of the films thereof), but it’s very much the kind of local spot that seems to have simply grown out of its nearby surroundings.
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.
With so many Dublin pubs working hard to maintain a late 19th century look and feel (even if they are thoroughly modern establishments), it’s refreshing to see a spot that is simply itself; The Bayside Inn wears its 1970s font and decoration with pride.
Where: Bayside Blvd N, Kilbarrack Lower, Dublin
Access from the city centre: Dart to Bayside, H3 bus – this would be well over a 2 hour walk from town
Food: Pizza (more of the frozen and reheated variety)
Sport: So much sport!
TVs: Screens visible throughout the pub – an ideal spot for a match when several are on
Music: Television sound on the most recent visit, but we’ve heard 80s faves in the past
Family-friendliness: Kids welcome at the usual times
Pub-crawl-ability: Low – there is a scattering of ‘nearby’ pubs like The Elphin Bar or The Racecourse Inn, but it would make for a tough pub crawl; otherwise, hop the bus or train further out to Howth for The Harbour Bar or The Bloody Stream
Local sites of note: The Lamb Chop, Sutton Park, Bull Island
Haunted: The old fireplace looks to have been rescued from an older establishment; perhaps it brought a spooky friend?
Other notes: Dogs welcome; main floor toilets
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