It’s been a minute since we’ve been to an entirely new pub, so it was good fun to make it in to Molly’s Bar in its first weekend of operation. After the spate of Galway Bay pub sell-offs over the past year, with very hit and miss results in their new incarnations, it was something of a surprise to see a new location popping up here in Dublin. Without getting into the complicated machinations behind the scenes in terms of the ownership structure of the various different Galway Bay pubs, it seems that things are sorted out in some fashion, so this is good news.
While much of The Liberties is blessed with Georgian and Victorian architecture, the building housing Molly’s Bar is relatively new, and not as characterful as many of its neighbours. The exterior is giving ‘breezeblock TARDIS’ in its current deep blue – quite a change from the bright pink everywhere when this was drag bar Doll Society, now decamped (well, ‘relocated’ is more apt here) to a spot inside Hyde, nearer Grafton Street. But inside, while it still has a bit of ‘new paint smell,’ the darker greens and woody tones are cosy, and the candles give a welcoming glow.
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 still early days, so they are still getting some final touches in place, but the staff are friendly and attentive, and keen to hear feedback; it’s a promising start indeed.
Where: 101 Francis St, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 Y70F
Access from the city centre: Buses 9, 13, 16, 27, 49, 54A, 68, 77A, 83, 122, 123, 151, 17-ish minute walk
Food: Galway Bay menu with charcuterie board
Sport: Not typical in Galway Bay joints
TVs: No TVs
Music: Not as fabulous as in the Doll Society days, but good fun
Family-friendliness: Always easy to bring a kid to a Galway Bay pub
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Jackie’s, The Liberty Belle, Dudley’s, Love Tempo, Guinness Open Gate Brewery, The Thomas House, Swift, Arthur's, The Christchurch Inn, The Lord Edward, The Bull & Castle…the list goes on
Local sites of note: Guinness Storehouse, Teeling’s Distillery, Vicar Street, Olympia Theatre, Christchurch Cathedral, Dublinia, St Audoen's Church
Haunted: The old pink paint can’t be completely hidden in the toilets…there’s probably glitter, too
Other notes: There is a covered outdoor/smoking section hidden away if you keep poking around
Socials: Instagram
This week’s pub isn’t especially Christmassy, nor is it one I frequent, but it is one that appeals to tourists and locals alike, so here we are. The Confession Box’s claim to be the smallest pub in Dublin may not be entirely accurate, but it does have historic bona fides; mixing a bit of fact and myth is almost par for the course in modern pub marketing (indeed, also in historic pub marketing), so we’ll consider it part of the furniture.
But The Confession Box didn’t start out as a pub, and its 
Given the concentration of pubs in this part of town (and easy proximity to the Luas), it’s a good shout to include for a pub crawl; for those not afraid of the north side of the Liffey, there’s something for everyone in this area of Dublin.
There’s been a pub on this site in 
But just what is a glimmer man, you might ask? The name comes from the 
In the immortal words of 
There can be a bit of a dark side to going all in on Christmas, though – a pub might attract groups of Twelve Pubs of Christmas revellers. Now, I like a 
Well, as mentioned, they have the ideal backdrop for the social media documentation of their special day – there is no corner of the pub lacking holiday decorations. They can also be sensible by getting a bit of food, and while the beers on offer aren’t terribly adventurous – their own-brand offerings look to be from Franciscan Well, so more or less a small step up from your standard Heineken portfolio plus Guinness, but it does give Beamish stans their fave, too. But The Ginger Man is the kind of place that’s busy no matter what – its proximity to Trinity College means there are always plenty of students and tourists, plus a big after-work crowd. There are likely smaller numbers of JP Donleavy fans coming to see a pub named after his novel, as there are 
I’ve never seen U2 live. But like everyone of my age and fighting weight, I saw Rattle & Hum a fair few times, and back in the 1980s, I rented the U2: Live at Red Rocks VHS not infrequently. And while I completely agree that a lot of the stuff of that era of the band still slaps, I can see that the kids might find certain things about U2 a bit, well, cringe. But as a transplant to Dublin, I also don’t have that immediate animosity some seem to have to anything Bono-related – I’m essentially U2-agnostic.
Why the U2 preamble? Well, because this week’s pub, The Dockers Bar, was 
And what do those current regulars find at The Dockers Bar? It must be said that they were there in numbers on a weekend evening, so clearly, it’s working for them – is it the combination of some excellent independent Irish beer options (Rascals, Kinnegar, Trouble, Wicklow Wolf)? Or maybe they are mostly there for the Guinness, or perhaps the cocktails? The more-interesting-than-usual nibbles? In any event, it was a packed after-work scene.
The Oval’s most recent refurbishment was only about a year or so ago, and while it feels fresh and tidy, there’s still enough of a patina to give it a feeling of the history of the place; the décor and grillwork have an authentic feel. The pub is divided up into multiple sections, with more of a dining-room feel upstairs, but even within the relatively small main bar area, there are distinct areas to sit and relax, either alone or to spread out with friends. And while you can, of course, have a Guinness and all the other usual big brands, The Oval has two house beers, a pale ale and lager, that are brewed for this and other 
Indeed, every time I’ve stopped it it’s been a good mix of people from all over, either enjoying a pint before heading on to a gig at The Academy or an after-work crowd catching up before catching buses. While it doesn’t have the selection of local independent beers that its neighbour 
No new post this week as it’s a busy time of year for us, but we have created a new 
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 
Indeed, devilish attachments (literally) continued with a stone ‘devil' head formerly being affixed to the bridge – though whether the stories or the sculpture came first is open to investigation. In any case, the ‘devil' has been 
And a lovely beer selection it is, too – there is generous support for local craft beer, with taps from Rascals, Hopfully, Trouble and Kinnegar on recently. The laid-back vibe is not dissimilar to 
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