We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
SO YOU FANCY a pint, but want a story to tell over it. Fear not, head to these historic spots.
A pint in Dublin’s official oldest pub is simply necessary when you’re in the city. It was established in 1198 and originally a coach house. You’ll be sharing the same space once occupied by James Joyce, Jonathan Swift, Michael Collins and Daniel O’Connell.
Some fine company to keep.
This pub is literally a derelict church, spruced up a bit of course. A conversion saw the site modernised, but still retain the stained glass, the organ, and the altar which is now a stage for bands. Arthur Guinness got married here in 1761 so you simply must toast to him.
The Bank was once… a bank, and still displays some of the original fittings and vaults and safes. The interior was once the main banking hall of the Belfast Bank in 1892, with a stained glass ceiling and mosaic tiled floors that you can still enjoy a cocktail among.
Due to its close proximity to the Irish Times building, the Palace used to host a lot of snug meetings between journalists and their sources in the back rooms. The pub was built in 1823 and was a favoured spot of Flann O’Brien, who got his Irish Times gig here and who is commemorated with a statue outside. The staff also hold on to a cheque that Patrick Kavanagh wrote for an evenings worth of drinking, one pound and ten shillings. The Irish Times Croisare crossword was also started here.
This spot is said to have been the regular meeting spot of the United Irishmen, and the 1803 rebellion planned.
The highest pub in Dublin is about 30 minutes outside the city center but is worth the trip. It was established in 1798 and was used for meetings by leaders of the 1916 uprising.
Know in Dublin as The Gravediggers, this Glasnevin pub was established in 1833 and got its name from it’s close location to the Glasnevin Cemetary. Gravediggers would come into the bar for a free pint due to their unpleasant job. Most of the interior remains the same.
The only pub W.B. Yeats visited, and he didn’t even like it. Claim to fame if there ever was one.
This pub dates back to the 1700s. Michael Collins then used the pub to hold meetings for the Irish Republican Brotherhood, as they were outlawed and it was inconspicuous. Made way for a few pints as well, eh?
Bringing us into present day, the Dubliners Ronnie Drew and Luke Kelly are said to have met here during a session. Founded in 1854, it still retains a lot of its Victorian interior.
Former visitors include James Joyce, and John F Kennedy visited in 1945. The pub retains the original lettering on the windows, and was once raided by the Black and Tans.
By Nicola Byrne. Originally published on DailyEdge.ie.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I still can’t believe Ben Affleck is the new Batman…
Johnnie Foxes is a sh!t hole the staff are as ignorant as pigs
Couldn’t agree more .. Staff are aholes ..
I’d second that.
The pub is nice and the view is spectacular but the staff are just plain rude. They make you feel as though they are doing you a favour by serving you. Would be going back or recommending it at all.
Completely disagree.
Always enjoyed courteous service and good food in Johnnie Foxes.
I’ve imbibed in most of them!
Imbibed… Ha! I’m going out imbibing now in a minute…. honest like :)
What about The Long Hall, The Stags Head,O’Donohues or Bruxelles?
The church in Jervis St. (St. Mary’s C of I), is also where Wolfe Tone and Sean O’Casey were christened. Surprised that didn’t warrant mention.
An Arthur Guinness was married there. Think his wife had 19 children, something crazy like that anyway..
History of the drunken men that beat their wives and children after a night out in pubs is the hidden history but never known for many years
Terrible but so true.
And many the wive had a great night with their man in each of those pubs I’m sure!
Give it a rest Denise. Overwhelming majority of men who arrive home intoxicated don’t engage in violence. Jesus wept !!
CORRECTION: The highest pub in Ireland is not Johnnie Foxes but actually the Too of Coom in Cork. There have been legal proceedings over this.
I have no time for drunkenness.
Highest Pub in Ireland Top of Coom
it is entirely possible to go to a public house,enjoy a few beers and head home without feeling the need to beat your loved one up.
Come down off it Denise…. You’ll feel better in the long run.
CORRECTION: Reread the article and you will see it says the highest pub in Dublin.
they didn’t say “the highest pub in Ireland” they said “the highest pub in DUBLIN”.
@denise enough with your feminist nonsense
Yeah most people have no memories of being hit by they mothers every 28 days.
Spot on Justin.
Denise is actually right. Wife beating and domestic violence by drunken men was commonplace and a serious problem back in the day, another part of our hidden history that we would rather not face up to.
Dublin Pub Life And Lore by Kevin Kearns is a good book about Dublin pubs and covers this topic.
Alcohol abuse can exacerbate domestic violence. it doesn’t cause it.
You really love having a go at the male sex don’t you?
Lucky the journalist said highest pub in Dublin so!
@ Paul. If you haven’t suffered you. Will think like that, and I’m happy for you, wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Kavanaghs … ‘The Gravediggers’ – great pub.
There are a lot of pubs that are now “history” due to the recession! Shame
We had too many pubs. About ten years ago I stood in the main st in a town in the west of Ireland. I could count 17 pubs, not including the hotels. Some are closed now, surprisingly enough.
20cent slapped on d pint in pubs in drumcondra on Friday last now that’s wat I call Greed
So hungover. cannot deal
The Barge on the Canal, great spot and great staff.
The eleven pubs of August be rude not to for the holy saint of em st what’s his name
The blue light pub! Can’t believe it’s not mentioned!
Toners also known for the classic scene in the movie, starring James Coburn, “Fistfull of Dynamite”, Well worth a watch on youtube
The Hut ,phibsboro…Savage pint.
The Lord Edward across from Christchurch is hands down the finest pub in Dublin.
Mccanns James’s St is100s of years old.
You don’t know what ‘derelict’ means,
Give us a pint there will yeh son, all this cobs wallop (sorry Denise) sense of history is making me thirsty
What about 37 Dawson street?
The only one i was in was Johnny Foxes as i don’t live too far from it, wouldn’t be going up there in Winter slipping and sliding but a great Pub, a good night to be had.
the magic carpet , cornelcourt , although refurbishing the old lounge killed it ,! lost all its charactor
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say