Old Kilmainham and Inchicore Dublin's most historic district.
John Callery of Old Kilmainham Inchicore. at 14:50:04 on 17 May 2000
PUB REVIEW.
Donoughue's of Emmet Road, Inchicore, Dublin 8.
( The finest pub in the Home of Guinness - Dublin 8.)
The last of the old Dublin pubs are still to be found in Dublin 8 and in particular the district of Inchicore and Kilmainham. If you are the discerning visitor who wishes to stray from the obligatory tourist trail / enevitable tourist pubs and wishes to seek out the atmosphere of real Dublin by drinking in pubs which real Dubliners frequent, then I have to recommend most of the pubs in Dublin 8 and in particular the pubs of Inchicore and Kilmainham. If you wish to have a quiet pint, at the same time talk with the locals and be served by the owner himself, then Inchicore / Kilmainham has got to be part of your trip.
The finest local pub in Dublin 8 has to be Donoughue's on Emmet Road Inchicore ( 78 or 19 bus route ) which lies in the shadow of the back walls of Kilmainham Jail / Museum. Here you can experience what constitutes a real Dublin "local ". First and foremost you will see and meet ( essentially from 9.00+ pm ) local people enjoying their drink and each others company. This is the essence of a real Dublin pub no piped music, no gaming machines, no one arm bandits and the T.V. confined to the "back bar" - these distractions from peace and conversation will not be tolerated by the locals or indeed the owners.
On entering the front door take a turn to your left. You have now entered what use to be a great tradition in all Dublin pubs "the front snug", a reside in times past for women who wished to enjoy their glass of Guinness in the company of other women in the privacy of the snug ( little room). Also women were not encouraged to enter the male preserve of the back bar. This small room is peace personified when visited in the afternoon or early evening. Sit up on a bar stool near " the hatch " ( a small opening in the wall ), another architectural feature unique to a real Dublin local. Here listen to the orders of locals asking for "take outs" and the local kids minerals and crisps. This room comes into its own come the late evening ( Thursday - Sunday 9.00+pm). Come early to witness / listen to the banter of the locals rising as the evening lenghtens and the Guinness pours freely. Incidently freshly brewed Guinness which has only travelled a short distance from Guinness's brewery just down the road in James's St to the taps in Donoughue's.
Now go out the right door of the front snug and enter the "back bar" and into what is still essentially a male preserve. Here the local men discuss passionately the day's current affairs, politics, local, national / international gossip , horse racing and all forms of sport. Don't be shy and you'l soon make friends for life !!
Now proceed into "the lounge" , usually the largest area in a Dublin pub. This is where you would bring your wife or mother for a drink or generally meet the relations on a sunday evening. On sunday afternoons children are allowed on the premises but only into the lounge as they would cause a mutiny in the front snug or especially the back bar. The banter in the lounge reaches its peak come late evening, as most Dubliners like to go to the pub a few hours before closingtime. As I said it's here in the lounge that couples of all ages and groups of ladies meet and chat and would not tolerate the presence of TV or piped music.
If you should arrive on a nice summer's afternoon / evening go to the back garden beyond the lounge. Sit here in the tranquility of the back garden ( in the company of your pint ) and admire the towering back walls of Dublin's Bastille ( Kilmainham Jail), now the foremost historical museum in Ireland. Kilmainham Jail is bound to be part of your itinery and how fortunate that Donoughues lies in its shadow.
Incidently when on Inchicore Road ( the main entrance to Kilmainham Jail) take a stroll further up to the next bend of the road to view the beautiful but derelict Church Spire of St. Jude's. The beautiful little church that once stood beside the spire was delmolished in 1988 ( by a demolition crew in the employment of Robert Guinness and with the permission of Dublin Corporation!!) to be removed from where it was originally built in 1864.
Like LEGO blocks it was "rebuilt" ( in a form in Straffen Co. Kildare) on Guinness's private lands as the "Inchicore Railway Museum" !!!, some 30 miles from Inchicore village !!! It's INCREDIBLE. St. Jude's was uprooted from the home of Irish Railways (Inchicore) only to be "reinstated" in the middle of nowhere i.e. - a non industrial / non tourist area!! The spire was saved for the area after a 6 month local campaign. There are plans for St. Jude's Spire to be the focal point of a new private dwelling and for the spire to be "wrapped in glass" thus restoring to St. Jude's some of its former dignity.
Now, turn right just after St.Jude's, crossing the main road to the west, through the gates on the other side of the road and into the finest memorial gardens in Ireland - The Great War Memorial Park laid out beside the river Liffey. You now deserve a rest so retrace your steps back to Kilmainham Jail. Walk around the corner onto Emmet Road and into the front snug of Donoughue's for a well earned drink. Say hello to Brian Donoughue for me or to the other staff (Liam,Darren,Brian or Alan). I am confident that you will have enjoyed your time in Dublin's most historic district as you reflect (over your pint) on your day in this oasis of a pub in old Dublin.
