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 a U2 hangout, back in the day – but there’s nothing there now to suggest this association. One might argue that there’s little – beyond the name, of course – to record the pub’s history as an after-work spot for actual dockworkers, but in fairness, few pubs with any sort of labour history associations really trade on them, alas. But if you look a little bit harder, there are some excellent photos of dockworkers from the Docklands Archives on show – they are worth seeking out. And that’s fine; each new demographic finds what they want in a pub they frequent – some will find the history (or elements thereof) more interesting than others.
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 design can veer a bit toward a ‘nice hotel bar’ vibe, only because it does feel very deliberately designed, but that’s no bad thing, more of a personal taste take. While not everyone loves an Instagram wall, plenty of people do enjoy them – and the high level of ‘purposeful aesthetic’ also means that things are kept tidy – another positive. Obviously, I do not subscribe to the ‘dusty boxed and bottles = authenticity’ theory.
While on my visit it was more crowded than I personally prefer, I was still able to find a corner to relax with my pint, and given the challenges of keeping any hospitality business going in the current climate, the enthusiastic mix of young-ish office workers, tourists and pre-concert folk was a positive sign.
No Bono? No worries.
Where: 5 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, D02 P3C6
Access from the city centre: Buses C1/C2/C3/C4, 15A, 15B, 56A, 77A, 17-ish minute walk
Food: Useful snacks: flatbreads and beyond
Sport: All the usual big events are shown
TVs: Big screens in the back, more scattered around
Music: General indie vibe
Family-friendliness: More of an after-work crowd
Pub-crawl-ability: Medium – not far from the BrewDog, the local ‘Spoons and The Ferryman, but a slightly longer walk to more pub density – Urban Brewing is across the Liffey
Local sites of note: 3Arena, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, EPIC, Grand Canal Dock
Haunted: No obvious ghost stories, but some spooky corners here and there
Other notes: Keep an eye out for live music and brunch
Socials: Instagram
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 
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, 
The Bleeding Horse gets the usual James Joyce namecheck in Ulysses, complete with a stone at the door to remind the visitor, but I’m personally more interested in the 
A 17th century ale-house would have been somewhat akin to our modern ‘wet pub’ (yes, it’s a terrible phrase), with drink on offer, but little else, while an inn would have offered accommodation as well as refreshment. And although ‘public houses’ 
But I love having an excuse to go to Arthur’s during the 
Now rebranded Teach Tábhairne Ag Teacht (so, ‘pub’ or ‘pub coming,’ perhaps? My Irish is all second-hand, based on my smaller child’s school assignments), the changes are less cosmetic and more fundamental to the feel of the place. In its former guise, the pub had been renovated under two years ago, and it considerably brightening things up, giving it a bit of glamour, while still feeling quite ‘pubby.’ Now, though, it just feels dark, as if some of the still-newish improvements have been scuffed or sullied up a bit. The real problem, however, is what’s happened to the beer. While obviously no longer a Galway Bay pub, it’s gone from having an always-interesting selection of house and guest beers to a tiny handful of craft taps. On the plus side, the Ambush was in good shape, but I need to be in the mood for The White Hag’s Púca – a fruited sour, for the uninitiated – and only one other (rotating?) tap, at the moment from Galway Hooker. For our purposes here, I’m not counting the Beavertown Neck Oil as any kind of upgrade to the lineup, the rest of which is all 
Well, that wasn’t the only reason, though it was a bit too on brand for that…but I digress.
While not (as far as I am aware) directly related to Galway Bay Brewing, there is a short-term-but-still around nod toward Galway and a ‘temporary’ rebranding as Gaillimh Abú (essentially, ‘up Galway!’) for the All-Ireland football and camogie finals (including discounts for Galway supporters in their jerseys – a few jerseys on the wall being the main evidence of this inside), but as someone who lives near Croke Park and sees all the GAA fans stream past my house on their way into the stadium*, trekking to and from this part of town before a game can be a non-trivial task. Without getting into the nuances of which pubs are ‘homes’ to which county supporters – a much bigger topic – it’s fair to say a lot of the pre-gaming happens closer to the action – I tend to simply avoid my local pubs on game days because of the crowds.
Crowds, though, were noticeably absent on my visit to Teach Tábhairne, while other spots on the same street had a lively presence. On one hand, it gave more opportunity to chat to the wonderful staff. On the other, however, this is no longer a pub to settle in to try a variety of different things. It’s more of a spot to get a quick bit to eat and a glass or a pint on the way somewhere else, instead of a destination in its own right.