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.
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 
We’re still just warming up for all things Autumnal, so while we wait for Spooky Season to properly kick off, we’re visiting a very ‘normal’ pub this week – we’re back in 
As it happens, there are a lot of positives: the interior is a tidy version of ‘traditional Irish pub,’ with dark colours – lots of deep greens and reds – and a variety of snug-like seating options. Independent beer is represented by Kinnegar’s Scraggy Bay, and there were a variety of non-alcoholic and cocktail options on offer as well. There is Guinness, of course, and a frankly great €10 pint-and-toastie deal – ‘Not The Brazen Head‘ notes the chalkboard proclaiming the deal.
Now, my personal favourite Jonathan Swift-themed pub is, oddly enough, 
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