Despite having ‘The Capstan Bar‘ spelled out in large letters on the side of the building, this pub is more commonly knowns as Fallon’s to locals. And while the ‘est 1619’ sign may hang above the entrance, the pub’s website is a bit more circumspect, only referencing ‘a legacy dating back to 1619,’ which, while still overstating the case, is made much less of a selling point than the entirely fakety-fake date The Brazen Head likes to claim, only a short walk away.
Indeed, nothing in Fallon’s looks much older than the early 20th century, which makes sense – it was rebuilt in 1911 after a fire, and most records seem to indicate a firm late 19th century foundation for a pub on this specific spot, though there is evidence of the re-use of elements of earlier buildings. But this area – bordering The Liberties and The Coombe – had dozens of pubs (or, before that, pub-like businesses) in centuries prior, and ‘The Capstan‘ is a reference to the sailors and dock workers who would have frequented the area in the past. It’s sported the ‘Fallon’s‘ name since the 1970s; there is likely an entire thesis to be written on how and when Irish pubs have names more or less permanently assigned to them, and how those do still continue to evolve today. In short, there’s plenty of history in this area.
But back to Fallon’s – it’s wonderfully quiet (or, at least, was on our afternoon visit), and the snug at the front might be a good addition to our Best Pubs for Books roundup. There was a fairly even split between locals and well-behaved tourists on our visit, all enjoying the wooden floorboards and ceiling that offer something of an organic feel. There are independent locals beers on at reasonable prices, though most of the tourists were in for their ‘best Guinness,’ as per usual.
But if we were to recommend a ‘best way to enjoy’ Fallon’s, we’d suggest a browse at Marrowbone Books and a quiet pint after with your ‘new find’ – there’s no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Where: 129 The Coombe, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 NP52
Access from the city centre: Buses 13, 14, 15, 15A, 15B, 16, 27, 68, 77A, 122, 150, 151 or 18ish minute walk
Food: Toasties, soup
Sport: Occasional big events
TVs: Small screen
Music: Blissfully quiet
Family-friendliness: A few kids having a weekend afternoon Coke & crisps on our visit
Pub-crawl-ability: High – The Fourth Corner, Lucky’s, Lynott’s, Molly’s Bar, Drop Dead Twice, The Liberty Belle, Dudley’s, The Lord Edward, Arthur’s, Guinness Open Gate Brewery, Swift, The Brazen Head, The Christchurch…and many more
Local sites of note: St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Marsh’s Library, Chester Beatty, Dublin Castle, St Audoen’s Church, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublinia, Guinness Storehouse
Haunted: There’s plenty of good archaeology under these streets…
Other notes: While the toilets are on the main floor, they are tight squeezes
Socials: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
We briefly name-checked Brogan’s in our roundup of the 
But this pub was also an important spot for more recent social history; before becoming Brogan’s, it was The Viking Inn, one of Dublin’s first reasonably 
And local craft beer nerds may not find much to get excited about here nowadays (though there is a well-used Ambush tap – it just looks a bit lonely amongst all the Guinness memorabilia, unless you count the Beamish tap as ‘other’), the basement was the original home to 
It’s finally here!
And while it’s a different situation here, it’s still effectively impossible for a brewery to simply open a taproom; there’s a good recent discussion of the local state of play with Friend of the Blog Sarah (now ex-of Rye River Brewing, and off to new adventures) and Galway Bay Brewing’s Marco on 
Most importantly, though, much of the 
Yes, it’s yet another new pub this week, replacing one more short-lived but much-loved Dublin spot – we venture back to 
Indeed, it seems to have hit the sweet spot between newly-opened 
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 
What is it with certain parts of Dublin and lovely places Going On Fire?
The ‘bumblebee’ yellow-and-black paint job outside has been replaced with a more plain black exterior, though still with yellow lettering, but it looks ever-so-slightly more sombre (or, perhaps, sophisticated?). Inside, it’s still got a bit of an under-construction feel, with the sense that more decoration is coming, but what’s there now is a mix of darker hues of blue, black and red, and to good effect. The stage area toward the rear looks like it will soon be back in action, and there is a comfortable mix of different seating options.
Where: 18/19 Francis St, The Liberties, Dublin, D08 EK06
We are back in action this week, now that the Paddy’s Day crowds have moved on, and, as so often, we find ourselves in 
With one recent glorious afternoon of sun, however, making the most of it was a moral imperative – and so, we repaired to Lucky’s. The main pull was their large and well-appointed 
As a sister bar to 
Beer-wise, there’s a nice, rotating mix of local independent options from Whiplash, Rascals and Hopfully (among others recently on tap), along with the usual Guinness; bottles of flavoured cider seemed to be the thing the Young People were going for. Rather unusually, there’s also Hoegaarden, plus a range of cocktails and non-alcoholic options.
It’s hard to beat 
Finally, we’re left to ponder why it seems that Dublin’s dive bars (see also: 
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.
It’s properly Halloween season, and that means we need to take in a pub with a better ghostlore pedigree…even if its other, more, er, brazen claims don’t really hold up. And so, to 
And so to the second issue – is it ‘Ireland’s oldest pub,’ here ‘since 1189?’ LOL, no. While 
Happily – at least for a 
For anyone used to a reasonably trendy brewery taproom, the recent glow-up at the Open Gate hits all the marks – sleek-looking taps, photography-friendly spaces and industrial chic, though you do now get a better view of the brewing operations behind the glass wall. That said, this isn’t the sort of spot you’ll find 30 rotating taps; it’s still your core Guinness range, with a few more 
Perhaps my favourite thing about the Open Gate, however, is less about the beer and pretzels – though I love the Dublin Porter, and would happily drink it much more frequently were it available elsewhere around town – it’s the sign. Rather than the more common neon chalk or paint-pen listing of what’s on tap, there’s an old-school, railway station-style flipboard that resets periodically, and it is incredibly satisfying to watch and listen to. And despite being someone who once spent far too long each week in Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, I miss