Sometimes, just sometimes, a fantastic new(ish) pub pops up where you least expect it. Dublin’s Talbot Street has had a lot of publicity for the wrong reasons over the past few years, and it’s true that it’s neither the tidiest nor most well-kept part of town, despite a goodly number of lovely Georgian and Victorian buildings, often hidden under layers of plastic hoardings. Indeed, until quite recently, the mid-19th century building that houses The Morris Bar was trading as a barber shop/cafe and, before that, a cash-and-carry…but its current incarnation has returned in to its c. 1920s glory.
At that time, the shopfront that is now the pub was The Morris Wallpaper Stores, and the signage from that era has been preserved above the door. The theme continues inside, with framed William Morris wallpaper samples on the exposed brick, giving a mix of industrial chic and cosy early-20th century-pub vibes. There’s a pizza spot toward the back (check for opening hours, as these things evolve) with more communal-styles tables, but the seating in the main bar is much ‘pubbier,’ and very comfortable indeed.
There’s a good mix of the usual Guinness-and-friends offerings, but also a handy Rye River tap, as well as Beamish for the Corkonians in your life. The cocktail list is interesting as well. On our visit, the staff were all wonderful, and the attention to detail that went into the design of the pub is evident. It hits just the right mark of honouring the building’s past without feeling like a theme pub.
All told, The Morris Bar is a much-needed spot of warmth and welcome on Talbot Street; it may well become one of my usual haunts. There’s good beer, nice pizza and some thoroughly well-done historic re-use – let’s hope we can see more of this approach, all over Dublin, but it’s especially needed where it is.
I’m happy to support this movement by becoming a regular. Needs must and so on…
Where: 15 Talbot St, North City, Dublin, D01 V9P2
Access from the city centre: Luas Green Line, Buses 9, 13, 14, 83, 122, 123, 10-ish minute walk
Food: Pizza
Sport: Football and the usual big sports
TVs: Screens in the main bar
Music: Live music some evenings, nice indie mix on in the background
Family-friendliness: There’s even a kids’ pizza option
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Mooney’s of Abbey Street, Kimchi Hophouse, Mema’s, The Big Romance, The Flowing Tide, The Palace Bar, Piper’s Corner, Bowes, JR Mahon's, The Oval Bar, Mulligan’s and The Confession Box; also not too far from The Silver Penny if you must visit a ‘Spoons
Local sites of note: O’Connell Street, The Spire, The Portal, GPO, Custom House, Busáras, Connolly Station, Abbey Theatre, Gate Theatre, NATIONAL WAX MUSEUM, Ha’Penny Bridge
Haunted: The ghost sign has been tidied; are any pictures or wallpaper samples haunted?
Other notes: Fully wheelchair-accessible, which is not a given in all pubs in Ireland
Socials: Instagram
While it was likely something akin to a coaching inn in that earlier phase – again, like its not-too-distant neighbour in Drumcondra – having a tourist site spring up nearby in the form of the National Botanic Gardens in the 19th century was a boon to business, similar to the relationship between the nearby 
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In the immortal words of 
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The colour scheme is dictated by the red-brown (Burnt Sienna?) sails of the model 
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And, of course, there’s the aforementioned literary connection and ghost story. Poet 
A mid-October 2024 update:
