Yes, it’s yet another new pub this week, replacing one more short-lived but much-loved Dublin spot – we venture back to The Liberties to bid farewell to All My Friends, and to say hello to Lynott’s.
We never had a chance to write up All My Friends in its relatively short tenure, but we always heard good things about the LGBTQ+-friendly space* that was known as a great spot for local artists and other creatives to showcase their work. It was a relatively quick turnaround (by local standards) for the pivot to Lynott’s – yes, it namechecks one of Dublin’s most famous sons, but it also feels very much like a traditional neighbourhood pub that’s been there for ages.
Indeed, it seems to have hit the sweet spot between newly-opened Old Man Pub and modern-day venue for music of all sorts, with more comfortable and varied seating than you might get in a pub that’s been going for 50 or 100 years. The wood isn’t all dark, and the colours are a bit brighter, with a small stage near the front for the regularly-planned tunes. There is a mix of old-school horse racing-inspired art and a fair few portraits of Phil himself, many by local artists.
Beer-wise, it’s mostly the usual suspects, but we were pleased to see that in addition to a Rye River tap, there is now also one for Trouble, so local independent beer is getting a look-in (plus some cocktails). With so many pubs in such a small area, it’s hard not to feel spoiled for choice in The Liberties, so it’s important that pubs here do have their own distinctive feel and offering. There’s likely a bit of settling in yet to be done here (food is still on its way, as of this writing), but it’s clear there’s an emphasis on supporting local musicians, so that’s a nice hook (see what we did there?).
And while we couldn’t find any direct connection between Phil Lynott and pubs in this part of town – it would be a bit of a walk to The Long Hall, where he famously filmed the video for Old Town, or his childhood home in Cabra – it seems the kind of spot he’d have enjoyed. As to whether we’re pronouncing it the way he did or the way most people seem to, the jury’s out…we heard both versions whilst out and about.
We’ll need to revisit once the food is A Thing, but again, given so many pubs in the area, it’s easy to put together a nice Liberties pub crawl.
Where: 61-63 Meath St, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 H2NE
Access from the city centre: Buses C4, G1/G2, 13, 23, 24, 27, 56A, 73, 77A, 80, 150, 15ish minute walk
Food: Coming soon
Sport: Horse racing, football, rugby (not just men’s, which was nice), etc
TVs: All around
Music: Regular live music – check the socials
Family-friendliness: A fair few kids in during the afternoon
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Lucky’s, Drop Dead Twice, Dudley’s, Arthur’s, Swift, Love Tempo (still closed, post-fire, as of this writing), Guinness Open Gate Brewery, The Thomas House, The Lord Edward, The Bull & Castle and Thomas Read’s/The Oak are all within a short walk; The Brazen Head is also not far, if you’re feeling touristy
Local sites of note: Guinness Storehouse, Vicar Street, Olympia Theatre, Christchurch Cathedral, Dublinia, St Audoen’s Church
Haunted: The Liberties is crying out for more pub ghost stories – someone supply some!
Other notes: There’s a lot of interesting history on Meath Street, if you know where to look
Socials: Instagram, Facebook
*FWIW, we wouldn’t go anywhere that wasn’t LGBTQ+-friendly, but obviously, some pubs are more specifically aimed at the community than others…something that probably needs its own list at some point.
Regular readers know that we tend to keep 
However, our midweek daytime visit was quite a different affair, and all to the good. Both the interior and the large beer garden were calm, though not empty – as we write this, it is 
That said, we are more likely to take ourselves to
Back in the 1990s – before Trainspotting, as it happens – Robert Carlyle and Shirley Henderson starred in Hamish Macbeth, a vastly-underrated Scottish cosy crime comedy-drama, with a bit of quirky/folksy paranormal goodness thrown in here and there for good measure. In the show, Carlyle played the titular Macbeth, a police constable with an adorable Westie, a fondness for the odd herbal cigarette and a work ethic that isn’t overly-dedicated to solving crimes, but who, nonetheless, keeps his small, eccentric village in good order. Shirley Henderson’s character starts off as a relatively conventional love interest (this was, after all, the 1990s), but as with all the characters in this excellent show, we discover much more as we go along.
In 2024, Dublin craft beer OG Against the Grain closed abruptly, not long after a renovation. What had been a friendly and welcoming Galway Bay pub with an excellent tap lineup of own-brand and guest beers was replaced by the wildly-underwhelming 
Although initial chatter was the Barebone would be ‘just a restaurant,’ we’re happy to report that it does still feel like a neighbourhood pub – but one that also happens to do quite good food. Yes, the décor has been upgraded even a smidgeon more – lots of dark tiles, mirrors and subtle brass fittings (including very handy coat/bag hooks, which we don’t see enough) – but it’s all thoroughly welcoming, both for the person stopping in for a quick (or not-so-quick) drink and their more relaxed-dinner counterpart. While the taplist isn’t quite as extensive as it was during the Galway Bay days, there were independent options from Hope, Whiplash and Trouble, as well as more ciders than one usually sees, both on tap and in bottles. The cocktail list is interesting, and the only especially ‘expensive’ drink was Beavertown’s Neck Oil, which you can skip nowadays in any event. And there’s both Guinness and Beamish for the stout-comparing person in your life.
Food was fantastic – it’s not just your typical bar food – and it looks like a great spot for nibbles with a group, too, with a variety of options. The only major change to the layout is the addition of a DJ booth and some well-placed speakers – this is now another spot catering to the music enthusiast, in the vein of 
And so while it’s true that we didn’t need to quite go to the extremes the townspeople of Lochdubh did, we’re thrilled that the place that replaced the place that replaced Against the Grain is a worthy successor. And if you haven’t binged Hamish Macbeth yet, what are you waiting for?
Although Dublin has no shortage of pubs 
We’ll start 
There’s a folk club upstairs at 
And if you’re looking for up-and-coming local bands or established touring acts, there are plenty of pubs that also serve as music venues. Whelan’s, 
It’s hard to beat 
Finally, we’re left to ponder why it seems that Dublin’s dive bars (see also: 
On our perambulations around Dublin this week, we visit what feels like a proper dive bar…that is, assuming proper dive bars all have a few good local taps and a killer playlist. If so, then Anseo is, indeed, in that category. But its slightly-scrubby-yet-cheerful interior doesn’t entirely hide the building’s history: this is a mid-18th century house, complete with a few extant interior features, that’s been repurposed as a pub since the mid-19th century. If you 
While it does have a theoretically reasonably interesting drinks lineup, like its fellow Bodytonic-managed bar, 
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 I love having an excuse to go to Arthur’s during the 
What, you might ask, is an early house? If you’re not a Dublin local, this may not be a familiar phrase, but this week, we’re heading to one of the city’s very few remaining such establishments – 
I’ve only done the (relatively) early-morning visit there a few times, and in both cases, it was For Science – once to scope out the best spot to record 
And it is the Guinness most seem to be coming for; there aren’t any craft options, but they have added both 0.0 and the Heineken 0.0 of late, so there are alcohol-free options for those who want to have that morning pint, but also a reasonably productive day. Slattery’s has a classic Irish pub interior, with lots of dark wood and deep colours, some snugs and various nooks and crannies, as well as tributes to local historical and musical figures throughout the bar. And it does draw both that curious tourist and a steady local crowd, so it’s always a lively mix.
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.