Once upon a time – back in the early 2010s – Against the Grain was one of the few places in Dublin you could consistently get an independent beer. Indeed, it was one of the handful of pubs recommended to me before my first visit in 2016, and along with its then-portfolio-mate, The Black Sheep, I found it rather delightful. However, as previously mentioned, Galway Bay has continued to jettison pubs, notably The Beer Market (now The Christchurch Inn), BRÚ House (now The Strand House) and Gasworks (now The Water Bank), among others, and, alas, Against the Grain is also in this number.
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 macro blandness of the sort that can be found anywhere along Camden Street. Indeed, it seems likely there might be a more fully-featured beer lineup at the ‘Spoons a short walk away, but given the minor scuffle that was taking place outside, I gave that a miss.
Well, that wasn’t the only reason, though it was a bit too on brand for that…but I digress.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though – there’s a very nice smash burger, and the one truly bright spot is with the staff, clearly holdovers from the old days. They were thoroughly welcoming and professional, and even produced a water with lemon and ice without being asked; truly a rarity in much of Dublin, and one especially welcome on a warmish day. This used to be a norm in the Against the Grain days, and I have fond memories of a Galway Bay Running Club meetup here that kept the post-run water and beer flowing for a long afternoon session that kept going into the evening.
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.
Sic transit gloria mundi…
*and let’s not even get into what kind of hot mess it’s going to be for Oasis, but if someone wants to pay to sleep in my front garden, let’s talk rates…
Where: 11 Wexford St, Dublin, D02 HY84
Access from the city centre: Buses 9, 14, 15, 16, 27, 56A, 65B, 77A, 83, 140, 151, 15-ish minute walk
Sport: Emphasis on sport with a Galway bent: Galway Races, GAA
TVs: TVs in the bar, but not always on
Music: General indie
Family-friendliness: The reliable Galway Bay children’s menu is no more
Pub-crawl-ability: High – The Bleeding Horse, Devitt’s, The Camden, Ryan’s of Camden Street..and the above-mentioned Wetherspoon’s, Keavan’s Port. Or, carry on to Dame Street for The Beer Temple and The Oak
Local sites of note: Whelan’s, Iveagh Gardens, St Stephen’s Green, National Concert Hall, Marsh’s Library, St Patrick’s Cathedral
Haunted: Perhaps by memories of past times…
Other notes: Craft beer taps in Dublin seem to be shrinking, not growing. It’s a worry…
Socials: Instagram
