It’s finally here!
Yes, it’s been a long ‘two weeks’ since Dublin beer nerds were told The Christchurch would be opening, but at long last, it’s in business. There’s still a bit of work to be done – the kitchen isn’t yet up and running, and there are a few bits and pieces still being put in place – but the beers are pouring. Most are from Third Barrel, the local brewery who have taken over the pub, but like its predecessors in this spot, both The Christchurch Inn and The Beer Market, it’s not a taproom as such. This is both in terms of vibe – still very pubby – as well as on paper, For Reasons. There has been much recent attention on the licensing laws in the North, where Lidl has opened a pub to circumvent some of those restrictions, but it’s far from a ‘solved’ issue closer to home.
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 First Draught, the excellent new beer podcast from Elizabeth Townsend of Keroo Brewing. And so The Christchurch is a pub owned by Third Barrel that happens to pour (mostly) Third Barrel beer – just as Rascals is (mostly) Rascals, and Fidelity is (mostly) Whiplash.
So while there may not be an enormous range of breweries on tap, the selection of beers the Third Barrel crew spun up for launch is a good summery selection (barring the imperial brown – perhaps we’ll check back in on that one when it’s not so hot out): a range of IPAs (not just hazy!) and lagers, a nitro red and a stout, plus some of the usual core range like BOOM and Shut Up Juice, mixed in with a few guest taps.
Most importantly, though, much of the Underdog crew turned out for the soft launch; the gang was very much back together to support the new venture, and to cheer the return of Maura behind the bar. There’s been more than a lick of paint applied to the place, and the new colours are dark and soothing around the main bar, with more splashes of brighter hues toward the front upstairs and downstairs spaces – the always-odd layout remains, but it does seem a much better use of the space than in previous incarnations. A good time was had by all. For the near term, The Christchurch will be open Wednesday-Sunday, so plan accordingly – we’ll update this bit when the kitchen opens.
Finally (for now), calling one the new beers ‘Two More Weeks!‘ is absolute perfection. Well played. We’ll be back!
Where: 13 High St, Merchants Quay, Dublin 8, D08 K09
Access from the city centre: Buses 27, 77A, 150, 151, 11-ish minute walk
Food: Coming soon
Sport: Nah
TVs: Only the beer lineup onscreen at the moment
Music: Chill background tunes
Family-friendliness: Fine to pop in after Dublinia during the usual hours
Pub-crawl-ability: High – The Lord Edward, The Bull & Castle, Thomas Read’s/The Oak are all more or less in one direction, with The Thomas House, Guinness Open Gate, Swift, Lynott’s and other Liberties spots; The Brazen Head is also a short walk away
Haunted: Collaborative ghost story, anyone?
Local sites of note: Christchurch Cathedral, Dublinia, St Audoen’s Church, Dublin Castle, Guinness Storehouse, Vicar Street, Olympia Theatre
Other notes: One of a very few Dublin venues on Untappd
Socials: Instagram
It’s Dublin pub round-up time again; this edition is in response to a frequently asked question we get on 
For a less-formal event, 
Finally, there are plenty of pubs and bars that have space for more casual get-togethers and events with a bit of advance notice: 
We’ve been rather remiss in not getting to Kavanagh’s in 
We took a break from the partying to relax indoors with some pints – the sun was ‘too bright’ for the youngest in our party – and to have a general nosey around the pub. Inside it’s every inch the Victorian/Edwardian pub – there are public and lounge bars that have separate outdoor entrances, but that are also connected inside via the stained-glass-adorned doors that (also) lead to the toilets – you’ll just need confidence walking through that you know where you’re going.
But as imposing as it looks outside, it’s pleasantly warren-like inside – there’s a semi-snug near the front on one side, and a variety of cosy spots on the other, including a tiled inset that seems to have appeared from the 1930s, while the rest of the bar remained in about 1901 (the date on the façade outside does 
There aren’t any independent beer offerings (and no, Beavertown certainly doesn’t count nowadays), but it is possible to do the Big Three Stouts here for those who enjoy doing their blind Guinness/Murphy’s/Beamish tasting; we tend to prefer Beamish of the three, but all were in excellent shape. As an aside on the ‘comparing stouts’ point, this is a handy area for it – 
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.
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.
We venture south of the Liffey again for two purposes: bagels and beer. Whilst our main goal on our visit to 
Inside, what could have been a tired 1970s-era renovation in a 19th century pub has been thoughtfully updated, keeping a bit of the old for camp and comfort, with a blend of fantastic local art, memorabilia and the finest Pride gear (not just in June, we are told, but all the year round, and it’s wonderful) well-placed on all the walls. It’s one of the most cleanly-designed pubs we’ve ever been in, but it still feels packed with personality – these aren’t the ‘hotel bar’ vibes you get 
And there is truly something for everyone – sport, including an emphasis on women’s sport (FINALLY), is on various screens, there’s a monthly folk club, drag bingo and pub quizzes galore. But you’ve likely come to read about the bagels, and we wouldn’t leave you disappointed. Ireland is not generally known for its strong bagel game – see also: 
This week, we make a trip not only south of the Liffey, but nearly into the heart of Dublin 4, with a visit to 
It’s very much a neighbourhood spot, welcoming local families, game day regulars and guests – you can even stay in the pub. And while its renovation of the past decade means it’s got a bit more polished wood and stained glass than many of its counterparts on the other side of the river, it never feels snobby. There are some lovely snugs – again, more stained glass – and various different spaces to spread out around this large pub. Local independent beers are well-represented (from Trouble and Wicklow Wolf on this most recent visit, though we’ve also seen Hope in the past), but this is another spot where the stout enthusiast can do the full Guinness–Beamish–Murphy’s taste test.
We will eventually do a ‘Best Pubs for the Aviva’ roundup to complement our ‘
This week, we are visiting more of an event venue than a pub, but needs must.
And it may be that this vibe is a direct result of this new space: surrounded by bland offices and corporate apartments, it now feels like an after work ‘enforced fun’ spot for company meetings. The prices certainly fall into the ‘someone else is paying’ category with an ambitiously-priced pint of Scraggy Bay on offer for €8.20 (and a service charge added to food orders, despite it being relatively difficult to find someone to take your payment when you want to leave, even at the bar).
Although it’s part of the same ownership group as 
Dublin has an exceptional number of ‘literary’ pubs, and it’s no surprise that visitors build entire itineraries (a fancy word for ‘pub crawl’ in no small number of cases) around pubs frequented by Brendan Behan or namechecked by James Joyce. Indeed, in some parts of town, it can be tricky to find a pub that doesn’t claim to fit into one (or both) of these categories, and in many instances, it’s absolutely true.
Of course, there will be times when even the most chill bar will be absolutely heaving, so it (mostly) goes without saying that you’ll have better luck of a sport-free afternoon versus, say, a Friday or Saturday night, so plan accordingly – a peek at most pubs’ socials will tell you if there’s a big event on when you’re keen for a solo reading session.
Oddly enough, even some dive bars can be good for the bookish – 
Venturing out toward Kilmainham, 
While we are 
There was a strong cocktail game as well, and while we didn’t have time to sample the food, it did look rather more interesting than many other pub options…perhaps something we’ll revisit to consider adding to the 
Upstairs there is a glorious sun deck, so rather than 
It’s finally happened.
And 
The cask offering is also a point of contention here – as cask nerds, we’ve noted before the very small number of pubs in Dublin that have 
Which, of course, leads us to the other reason we tend to not go there very much – it would be horrifying to the Young Adult member of the household to run into us at a place that is very much a usual haunt of His People; best to leave it to the Youth most of the time, but it is handy for a cheap pint before a gig nearby, and you can always make paper airplanes from the Wetherspoons magazine if you are so inclined. Just consider