In Ulysses, James Joyce’s iconic 1922 novel, the protagonist Leopold Bloom mused: “Good puzzle would be cross Dublin without passing a pub.” Over a century on, it’s still a conundrum, with around 750 pubs in Ireland’s capital. But some, let’s say, are more appealing than others.
Do yourself — and your bank balance — a favour and skip the tourist-filled Temple Bar district, where pints can cost several euros more than elsewhere. Here are five addresses with stacks of charm, fair prices and usually a more balanced local-visitor dynamic. At this delightfully preserved Victorian establishment just south of the Temple Bar, it’s €6.
60 ($10.80) for a pint of Guinness (Dubliners will tell you that you should never stray above €7). As you sip, admire the decor — think: mahogany-panelling, mosaic marble floors and, yes, stag’s heads on the walls — and soak up the craic of a place that was frequented by a young Joyce.
This is one of the Dublin venues that celebrates Bloomsday, an annual Joycean-themed carnival on June 16 — the day, in 1904, that Ulysses is set. Another famous former Stag’s Head punter was Michael Collins, a leading figure in Ireland’s quest for independence from Britain. If you can’t find a seat downstairs, a creaking staircase leads to an upstairs parlour lounge-bar.
The pub is also renowned for its beef and Guinness stews and traditional live Irish music every Friday and Saturday. Journalism for the curious Australian across politic.