Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: The Christchurch Inn

As a general rule, when I’m in this part of town, I head to The Oak, or wander further into The Liberties for spots like Dudley’s or Arthur’s (or, really, anywhere that is a stop on the always-excellent Libertine Market Crawl – a highly-recommended monthly craft market that takes place across multiple pubs). And while I’ve spent a goodly amount of time in this week’s pub, it was in its previous guise as The Beer Market, one of several Galway Bay pubs that the chain has shed over the past several years – a topic we’ll return to in a moment. But I recently had occasion to visit The Christchurch Inn, as it is now known, and can report that the interior is much brighter, so if you were a fan of the dark, dripping candles from The Beer Market era, you may need to head to Cassidys to get your fix nowadays.

First, though, some background; I was trying to determine when I’d first visited The Beer Market, and I got as far as figuring out it must have been on a work trip in 2016 or 2017, long before we moved to Dublin. I’d been impressed enough by the beer lineup – all Galway Bay and other local craft options – and the cosy, candlelit atmosphere that I bought a t-shirt; one that I suppose must now count as a collector’s item. I’d been back more than a few times after we arrived here permanently, though the pandemic and my general reluctance to go south of the river if I didn’t have to meant it wasn’t anything like a regular spot for me. Nevertheless, I was a bit surprised when it was sold off, along with some other Galway Bay-owned or branded locations, early in 2023* – but only because I’d just been there shortly before the shuttering, and there was no obvious indication at that point of its imminent demise. But on paper it did make sense – it was so close to The Beer Temple and The Oak, and even Against the Grain isn’t terribly far away – so it was a bit of a Galway Bay saturation point.

Without getting into the specific behind-the-scenes workings that are, frankly, none of my business, the pub ended up in new-but-familiar hands, and was rebranded as The Christchurch Inn, reopening in mid-2023. And so, finally, to what it’s like now. While there is still a bit of décor left over from The Beer Market, notably the outdoor signs indicating ‘beer’ as a daily event, the interior of the pub is now much brighter, with more of a ‘generic Irish pub’ feel, with old adverts and the like. A quick search of recent reviews, especially from overseas visitors, indicates a certain belief that this has been a ‘traditional pub’ from time immemorial, and they aren’t entirely wrong; census records from the 1850s onward show a ‘grocer’ and/or ‘wine and spirits dealer’ on the site, so while the names and looks may have changed over the decades, the use case has (mostly) not.

But while it has much less of a ‘craft beer bar’ feel and more of a ‘catering to international tourists’ vibe, there is still a strong lineup of local options, albeit without any from Galway Bay. On our visit, there was some well-kept Ambush, Happy Days, Big Bangin’ and Rustbucket from Trouble, Rascals, Rye River and Kinnegar, respectively; even some Galway Hooker (no relation) appeared, plus a La Chouffe tap for the odd Belgian hit. Obviously there’s Guinness as well, both the real thing and 0.0, and some of your standard lagers as well. And it must be said that it really does feel much less like a locals’ craft beer pub and more like a tourist pub nowadays, though that’s completely understandable, given the location. And on this particular visit, there were many, many North American accents on display (not just mine), and I didn’t have the usual warm-fuzzy feeling from the playlist, which in most pubs I frequent is more ’90s Irish, UK and European tracks – I first moved out of the US in 1995, so haven’t heard any new music From There since then, and I couldn’t identify anything playing without the help of Shazam…it was all American bands I’d never heard of. And to be clear, I’m not saying I’m cool to not take on board New Things, just…old. So, if you’re an American or Canadian younger Millennial or older Gen Z traveller, it will probably get you right in the feels; not everything needs to be just for me, and that’s fine!

But that said, I can certainly see stopping back in for a recovery pint or lunch after a session at Dublinia with the smaller kid (especially if Other People’s Children have been particularly loud there); the staff were fantastic and they clearly know their audience well. And as it’s not a given anywhere in Ireland that any pub, much less a more touristy one, will have any local craft beer offerings, the fact that much of, if not most of, the customers here seem to be tourists is no bad thing, and giving them an opportunity to find something they love beyond Guinness is a fantastic opportunity to keep them coming back. Fair play!

Where: The Christchurch Inn, 13 High St, Merchants Quay, Dublin 8, D08 K09
Access from the city centre: Buses 27, 77A, 150, 151, 11-ish minute walk
Food: Pub grub and a few extras
Sport: Usual big games on for football, rugby, GAA
TVs: Several throughout the pub
Music: Live music on Fridays & Saturdays; otherwise, popular(?) American music
Family-friendliness: So close to Dublinia, easy menu for your picky people
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Tailors Hall, The Lord Edward, Bull & Castle, The Beer Temple/The Oak are all more or less in one direction, with The Thomas House, Love Tempo, Swift, Arthur’s and other Liberties spots (including a certain Guinness Storehouse) in the other; The Brazen Head is also a short walk away
Haunted: Many local ghost tours go through The Liberties…surely, a collaboration opportunity to create a Philip-style ghost, if there’s not one already?
Local sites of note: Christchurch Cathedral, Dublinia, St Audoen’s Church, Guinness Storehouse, Vicar Street, Olympia Theatre
Other notes: The pub layout is the same as before, over 3 levels – you can find a bit of a different vibe in each space
Socials: Instagram

*BRÚ House Fairview was a more recent casualty and will be re-opening under new management as The Strand House in the near future; stay tuned for more on that, though it’s curious both pubs now have a bright red frontage – is this A Thing? Perhaps we’ll see…