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| The 1st one - well worth the wait |
Murphy's Irish Stout has a rich history, tracing its origins to Cork, Ireland, in 1856, when James J. Murphy founded the brewery. Initially known as Murphy's Brewery, Lady's Well, the brewery became the second largest in Ireland after Guinness. In 1983, Heineken N.V. acquired the brewery, changing its name to Murphy Brewery Ireland Ltd., and later to Heineken Brewery Ireland, Ltd in 2001. Today, the brewery, located on the original Lady's Well site, continues to brew Murphy's Irish Stout, along with Heineken and other Heineken products for the Irish market.
Both of those stouts were brewed in Cork for generations, so there’s a strong local connection and Beamish appeared to be the local’s choice in the Cork bars we visited.
The Beamish and Crawford Brewery brewed Beamish in Cork from around 1792 but closed in 2009. Beamish is still brewed in Cork at the nearby Heineken brewery.
Murphy’s has been brewed in Cork since 1856. Murphy's Irish Stout has a rich history, tracing its origins to Cork, Ireland, in 1856, when James J. Murphy founded the brewery. Initially known as Murphy's Brewery, Lady's Well, the brewery became the second largest in Ireland after Guinness. In 1983, Heineken N.V. acquired the brewery, changing its name to Murphy Brewery Ireland Ltd., and later to Heineken Brewery Ireland, Ltd in 2001.
Today, the brewery, located on the original Lady's Well site, continues to brew Murphy's Irish Stout, along with Heineken and other Heineken products for the Irish market.
Both Beamish and Murphy’s are noticeably less bitter than Guinness, with Murphy’s being sweeter with a more chocolate flavour. I would imagine that this taste difference would make Beamish and Murphy’s local favourites.
Like the Murphys I’m not bitter
Emily Bel sums up the Murphy’s story quite well.
To be fair, Murphy’s admittedly has a lot less sex appeal than Guinness. Its parent company, the Heineken corporation, tried to give it a bit of a marketing push in the 1980s and ‘90s, but that didn’t really work. So, Murphy’s has remained the quieter stout beer, found in fewer pubs stateside and exalted more often in beer forums than bar-side. Whereas Guinness, founded in 1759, is by now a marketing behemoth—widget-wielding seductress of stout fans (and even non stout fans) everywhere.
Full article here https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/murphys-the-other-stout-beer/
The main malt-based brew alternative is Smithwick’s or Smit’icks known as Ireland’s oldest ale, Smithwick’s has been a staple since 1710, and probably should be the beer of Ireland but was bought by Guinness in 1965 and has played second fiddle since though for a while it was Canada’s most popular imported beer. originally brewed in Kilkenny in December 2013 production in Kilkenny brewery finished. Smithwick’s is now being produced in the St. James Gate.
There are few versions of Smithwick’s beers, the core beer is an Irish red ale - sweet and malty but there are also pale and blonde versions.
A good blog has been written on Smithwick’s beers http://beerfoodtravel.blogspot.com/2020/01/its-smithwicks-time-short-history-of.html and https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/gned1478/chapter/smithwicks/
One beer I didn’t manage to sup or even see was the illusive Kilkenny Ale brewed at the Guinness brewery in Dublin, its description wets the lips Kilkenny is a unique blend of Smithwick’s and Guinness — a creamy, nitro-infused ale with a taste that borders on ethereal.
A final thought on the beer scene on the Emerald Isle The 12 handpumps at the new ‘Spoons, in Dublin the company’s first in the Republic, will boost the total number of working handpumps in the entire country by 33 per cent.
Outline of our
Wild Atlantic journey
Day 1 – Knock to Mulraney via Westport
We flew to Ireland from East Midlands Airport – a short run down the A50 for us and one of our favourite departures points it never gets overly busy and you can usually park relatively cheaply on airport – oh and our Daughter works there so can usually work a few perks – the bar upstairs(I’m sure I’ve be seen handpumps in the upstairs bar). There was for a while, a small craft bar, next to WH Smith’s but alas no more. With a bit of internet work you can through the airport’s own Avolta App get a discount in duty free and more usefully the exec lounge.
The lounge serves, a little surprisingly since it’s within sight of Burton on Trent, (the UK’s brewing capital) JW Lees of Manchester Greengate bitter and bottles of the same brewery’s Manchester Pale.
However for once I was unable to indulge as this was a motor home tour of the west coast and I was the designated driver so could only indulge on the breakfast and coffee! – the good news was that this also meant I also had a good excuse for not paying £6 for a small can of macro lager on the plane (I was to more than make up for this in pints of stout, later once the motorhomes was safely parked up for the night).
Picking up the Campervan from virtually outside the airport’s arrivals door we drove out into moorlands – this is one surreal positioned airport - and made a quick dash into Westport to stock up at Tesco’s – red lemonade, Tayo’s, white pudding and soda bread loaded in the van we then crawled through Westport’s rush hour (featuring several tractors) before heading north, through Newport towards the magical Achill Island.
Our first pub and home for the night (the pub handily has its own small campervan site - a very reasonable £21 a night) was the Nevin’s Newlands Inn – situated on the road from Newport to Achill Island. There has been a pub on this site serving travellers for over 163 years. It must also vie to be, the pub with one of the best settings in the world, with the magnificent Clew Bay with its hundred islands and the sacred Croagh Patrick out the front and the desolate and brooding Nephin Mountain range sweeping down to the back door. It sits on both the Wild Atlantic Way and slightly greener, Great Western Greenway and has a number of golf and fishing hot spots nearby so there will always be a crowd.
The Greenway cycle/walking path follows the old railway line between Westport and Achill Island – Nevins is virtually halfway, so a good point to stop for a pint or bite to eat.
A bit of a Tardis with a smallish bar and lounge at the front, but much larger restaurant complex to the rear. Originally opened as a shop and pub by a Dinny Sweeney in 1863 as a pub and shop, the current incarnation of the pub has been in the hands of the Nevin family since 1971 – 2nd generation John Nevin is the current owner who took over form his parents in 2001, they had extended into selling animal feed for a time and the pubs is still quite a diverse operation with a B&B business and its own Taxi. Whilst steeped in tradition the pub is also not afraid the innovate and if the lure of fantastic scenery, great food and a very good pint of Guiness doesn’t yet tempt you what about Robot waiters. Bella and Bertie were introduced in 2020 and will be zipping around the dining room if you pay a visit.
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| A warm welcome in Nevins |
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| Nevins - one down the next settling |
I have got to say that they do serve a very good pint, I’m aware that I had not had a true Irish born and served Guinness for some time and this was my 1st pint of the trip following and early morning start, flight and navigation a larger campervan through Westport’s rush hour and Tesco car park – it did taste like some form of alexia and did drink a fair few just to make sure there was consistency!
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| Meet Bella or Bertie Nevins waiters |
Day 2 – Achill Island to Galway
We kicked off a rather damp morning, with a quick drive over to Achill Island. Along very quiet roads we made good time; we spend many hours on Keel beach the last time we had been in this part of Ireland so that’s where we headed. There is a handy free parking spot in the dunes just off the road and a very brisk walk on the beach was taken – though some of the party made the decision to stay in the van. A few hardy souls were in the sea though the wind and rain were causing quite swell. We saw our first Wild Atlantic Way marker – this is a bit of an understatement they are quite spectacular bits of environmental furniture and were to become a feature of our trip south, we also saw out 1st mobile beach sauna which again became a bit of thing on the trip – though said to say we were never really one place long enough to try one out.
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| Our 1st Wild Atlantic Way Marker on a wet and windy Achill Island |
Having filled our Achill fix, we retraced our route back to Westport and being unable to find somewhere to park a 6 metre long camper on a busy Saturday morning took a detour to the foot or Croagh Patrick – unfortunately the weather had now well and truly ‘come in’ and the scared summit was engulfed in mist and cloud so we were soon heading south towards the wilds of Connemara, however the rain gods were definitely against us with the foggy dew well and truly descending we found ourselves in the middle of a large cycle event when we reached Letterfrack and soon after were ground to a halt – a serious accident we presume involving cars and cyclists had shut the road completely, thankfully we were able to turn the big white whale around in a Hotel entrance on what was quite a narrow road and headed back to be confronted with thousands of cyclists and motorists, all not sure what to do or which road to take – we managed to fire up the sat nav and found a rather circuitous route that would take us on a roundabout was to Galway City and there followed a tedious couple of hours in a long procession of very soggy cyclists and rather impatient car drivers.
Thankfully, the cyclists were soon directed away from our route and we made reasonable speed to arrive at our pre booked campsite by Galway Bay in the resort of Salthill – which is the posher bit to the west of Galway city.
Keen to head towards the bright lights and pints of the city (and being imprisoned in a big white box for several hours) we set up quickly and a shirt stroll to us to a hand y bust stop just outside the campsite entrance and 20 minutes later we had gone from the wilds of West Ireland to a pulsating city centres full of folk looking for some Saturday night Craic.
Galway Pubs
Murphys Bar run by three generations of the Murphy family, Philip Murphy returned from America to purchase the pub in 1931, a pub has been on the site since the mid 1800’s.
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| A Murphys in a very damp Galway |
The current pub, at least what we could see off it, as it was rammed retains many of its traditional feature’s snugs, glass partitions and thankfully for us, a large covered seating area outside, where we could get out of the rain and sample our first Galway Pints.
Into the Latin quarter
Tigh Neachlin very much acts as the gateway to Galway Latin Quarter – (we did take a quick diversion to see the Spanish Gate – unfortunately the ‘Rugby themed bar’ next door to the gate was now a Chinese restaurant. This is charming little pub almost fills is placed in the city centre more of a run-down village boozer with shelves of books and junk lining the wall of darkened room – unfortunately it was rammed with folk – it was even a bit of scrum to get to the bar where a team of very young looking bar staff were doing a Stirling job – Murphys was the order of the day in here and even the son and heir came over all leprechaun and had a half of the stout. Thankfully there is a largish drinking area at the front of the pub, with large umbrellas and ideally positioned at the crossroads of the Latin Quarter so that you can observe the ebb and flow of Galway city centre life.
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| The quaint but busy Tigh Neachlin at the centre of Galway's Latin Quarter |
It would have been good to sit here longer and even sneak a seat in the hallowed sung bar but we had a more of the city to see, so it was off and these became a bit of a theme across the road to the next bar.
Front Door/Sonny Molloy’s – a pub with two names or two pubs that are conjoined – didn’t really work this out – though both pubs do serve Sunny Mollys Stout which was a nice change from the ‘macro’ black stuff. We entered via the door with Front Door over the door and bouncers, again this is reportedly a rugby bar though not much evidence on this Saturday night. More of an upmarket gastro pub, the majority of punters were eating or waiting for a table to eat, however there were numerous alcoves and small bar areas where us drinkers could perch – we managed to get a seat at a small side bar.
A Galway Hooker Pale and a half of the house stout went down well though, slightly above the average Galway pint cost. We left via the other pub with Sonny Molloy’s over the door, into a rather damp evening – thankfully another ‘target’ pub was just across the road.
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| Its not a stout - A Galway Hooker in Galway's Front Door Pub |
Freeneys looks more like a shop from the front, which is factual as it doubles as a fishing tackle shop with a bar at the rear. Venturing inside, you are stepping into a different world with Victorian snob screens, wall to wall shelves crammed with bottles of whisky, yes this is another bar that claims to have the largest collection of whiskey and whisky in Ireland, though the sheer number of bottles on display does somewhat evidence their claim.
Note Whisky or Whiskey – the difference reflects the original Scots and Gaelic derivations of the word ‘Uisge beatha’, meaning Water of Life, with each variation being carried through to modern use. As a result of Irish immigration to America in the 18th century, American ‘whiskey’ is spelled with an e.
Is it a shop or a Bar - Feeeny's Galway
Opened in 1938 as a bar, grocery and firearms business by the family who still run it now, Tom Feeney is the current landlord. The rise of supermarkets in the 1960’s killed of the grocery business, so they moved over to fishing tackle. If you do venture in there will no doubt, be racing on the tv’s and it’s the kind of pub where there are betting slips ready to be filled on the tables.
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| The Craic flowing in Freeney's - The vicars happy he's just had a win on the horses! |
Our final stop was the Quays – something of a megalith in Galway centre a multi roomed venue with multiple bars that’s was heaving – live music is on most nights and they do get some big names here – this is the kind of city centre den that has something for everyone and it was certainly a very diverse clientele local and blows in, old timers and students – I eventually found the trad bar at the front left (advertised as perfectly preserved historic pub) left nearly unchanged from the 1800’s) and settled down to watch the world go by while the rest of the party were dancing and singing away in the show bar – this is something a bit special in itself with gothic arches, inlaid woodwork and church pews apparently imported from a medieval French Cathedral.
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| The Quays - Trad bar it was a lot busier than it looks |
Day 3 Galway to Kilrush
After our epic detour drive yesterday we were looking for more of a relaxed day, our route took us down through Ballyvaughan, Lisdoonvarna and another forlorn search for a parking space in Irelands surfing capital Lahinch which for a blowy May Sunday was particularly busy – in the end we had a break in Supervalu Carpark in Miltown Malbay a smallish non-descript town which has a reputation for traditional music. It is the birthplace of the famous Uilleann piper Willie Clancy, and the town celebrates his legacy with the annual Willie Clancy Summer School and Festival, which draws musicians and visitors from all over the world – he has quite a nice statue, pipes an all, on the high street. The town is also home to the West Clare Music Makers’ Visitor Centre, where visitors can learn about the history of traditional Irish music.
It was quite sleepy on a Sunday afternoon with most shops with the exception of Supervalu firmly closed. It was then a scenic drive, with rolling Atlantic waves and impressive headlands, as we rolled down the bottom of County Clare to Kilrush.
Kilrush (Irish: Cill Rois, meaning "church of the promontory or woods") is a historic market town in County Clare, located on the Shannon Estuary. Its development is closely tied to the Vandeleur family, who were major landowners in the area during the 18th and 19th centuries. A rather impressive set of lock gates connect the Shannon with the open sea, and it was this strategic location made it the only major safe harbour on Ireland’s west coast between Dingle and Galway City, contributing to its prominence in trade and shipping.
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| Our home for the week - safely moored for the night at Kilrush Marina |
O Briens – The first of 2 pubs of the same name on our trip – this was chosen at will on a sleepy Sunday afternoon – I could add that it did appear one of the few pubs actually open – however stepping inside we were pleasantly surprised – despite being healthily full of wizened and well lubricated locals we did receive a very warm welcome – the barman who must have been at least in his late 80’s initially struggled with the ladies request for Baileys and muttered at the card machine was pleasant enough and we settled down in a sunny window to take it all in – as usual, in an Irish pub, we were soon caught up in a range of conversations crisscrossing ours and other tables.
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| O Briens Kilrush on a sleepy Sunday afternoon |
Our other venue we had clocked earlier as it stated ‘Music Tonight’ in the window- Johnsons – very much a more 20th Century Irish Road pub perched pretty much in the centre of Kilrush off the central roundabout. A larger multi roomed pub – we initially started in the front bar before moving to the rear bar to settle in for the ‘music’ – the bar tender did explain that they would normally set up the music on the pavement in front of the pub but it was looking like rain tonight. After a slow start the pub did fill up with a range of locals and visitors,
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| The names above the door - the liveliest place in Kilrush, |
Landlady Shawana took over for the busy shift and despite being on her own ran the place like a well-oiled machine. I have over the years been to a number of pubs in Ireland (Another is mentioned below on our visit to Killarney being a particular example) where a landlady ran the bar effortlessly – everyone got their drinks change etc in the right order there was no need to que or even stand up and wobble towards the bar as she instinctively knew what you wanted or when and if you wanted another – whilst also collecting glasses, welcoming newcomers directing them to free seats- I just wish a some of our pub chains could send their young staff on training courses with these Irish gems in order to see how it can and should be done – we would not then have to get into debates about is it OK to que in Wetherspoons (I would always say yes linked to the amount of times I have been gazumped by late comers just strolling up to bar and shouting their order with no regards to the etiquette of whose next.
 Johnsons for drinking
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Day 4 Kilrush to Tralee and on the train to Killarney
A sail over the Shannon, motor home and all, on the good ship Shannon Dolphin landed us in the Kingdom of Kerry – Ireland’s largest county. The rest of the grey rainy morning was spend passing through the Ballys, Ballybunion, Ballduff, Ballyheigue (Bally = place of and is a common prefix in Ireland) and a short stop in Ardfert to wander round its rather solum Cathedral ruins before tackling the inner ring road of Tralee, the County Town.
Thankfully, an early check in at our campsite for the night meant we could set up and head on foot into town past the Rose Gardens and Cathedral to hop on the train to Killarney – 20 mins down the track.
Killarney it’s hard to describe this vibrant town – it’s like a seaside town without the sea – just some big lakes that you can’t see form the town centre but you can feel they are there, it’s a place where you‘re more likely to hear Japanese or Italian spoken than Irish and its certainly a coach tour mecca. The town is surrounded by a smorgasbord of manmade and natural delights and has been a tourist destination since the railway arrived in 1853, its appeal was further boosted by Queen Victoria’s visit in 1861. It has a darker side and was a key battle ground in the War of Independence.
Jimmy O Briens is handily the nearest pub to the railway station and pretty unmissable as its decked out in Kerry’s colours Green and Yellow – another pub with strong sporting connection especially GAA. The former mentioned Jimmy was a Kerry man but sought his fortune in America, having trained as a mechanic in Killarney and emigrated to America and did very well. The pull back to his homeland was strong though and when he saw and advert in the Kerryman newspaper he had shipped over to America advertising the sale of the pub for £2750 he snapped it up and returned back to Killarney in 29161 to run the pub, a renowned singer, Jimmy retired in 2013 and the pub was closed for a number of years before being revived.
It was very much alive on the rather soggy afternoon we visited the bar was crammed with locals watching horse racing on big screens behind the bar and a smattering of international tourists on the room edged tables but all got a long fines – it has a reputation for its Guiness- whilst, it was fine I wouldn’t say it stood out. You could spend a fair few hours in ere studying the walls of the pub – every possible space is filled with sports shirts, old photographs and newspaper cuttings.
On a previous holiday to Killarney, I had spent far too much time in Hussey’s (It was the nearest pub to the apartment we stayed in). This is a little out of the way and takes a bit of finding, it doesn’t show itself off too much on a busy street and is a bit too far out for many tourists – meaning it’s a classic little locals and ‘those that know’ boozer – especially the wee snug and the staff, often solo who run it. My recollection of my earlier visit during a busy Easter week, with the pub full of locals but a dynamo of a landlady who managed the bar solo but had that knack of knowing who was next to serve and even more magically was able to sense when you were about to pop up and ask for another, she just needed to nod in your direction and the first half of the pint was pulled and settled.
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| The slightly understated Hussey's Killarney |
Not sure if it was the lovely lady we met this time with a warm welcome, we were also lucky, in that snug was empty, so in we went and a great drink was taken – and for once I wasn’t driving so a few were sampled again for consistency checks – this is a great pub and one I would strongly recommend.
Its website states that its one of Killarneys oldest family operated bars run by Husseys since 1870. Theres a lovely picture of a Denis Hussey on the website and an equally lovely review of the place on the Whiskey4breakfast website which sums up the place much better than I can.
A Proper Pint, a Quiet Snug, and 150 Years of Soul
Tucked away just beyond the bustle of Killarney’s town centre, Husseys Bar is one of those rare places where you walk around and just smile at how Irish and unchanged it feels, nostalgic almost.
And while it might feel like it’s miles away from the crowds, you’ll be sipping a creamy pint here just five minutes’ walk from the centre.
There’s no fanfare, no fluff just a family-run pub that’s been serving Killarney since 1870 and still doing it right.
It’s the kind of place you step into and immediately know you’ll be staying for at least two more than planned. Honestly this could be the Best Pub in Killarney.
Everything about Hussey’s Bar invites you to slow down. The snugs dotted around the pub are like little sanctuaries made for watching the match, whispering over whiskeys, or just sinking into your own quiet headspace. If you’re lucky, the snug just left of the entrance might be free. I’ve been trying to get into it for years and still haven’t managed it, it’s that good.
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| In the snug and the hatch is open |
Soon it was time to dodge the rain once again and head back to the station and return to Tralee – a quick dip in the pubs guides didn’t throw much up for Tralee. In the end we went for one that’s was on the walk back from station to campsite. Baileys Corner which wasn’t on a corner was spookily quit but served a decent pint – dark and moody interior billed a traditional pub serving Killarney since 1981 which I do feel stretches the traditional tag a little – we had the front of the pub to ourselves and handily there was a well-reviewed Chinese take away over the road so we had to have a 2nd pint while we waited for our order!
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| Take away ordered - time fpr another |
An early start saw us heading down to Dingle, taking the more sensible national route rather than over the Conor pass. We made good time and managed to bag the last parking space on the Strand, as it was a slightly damp and still early we went straight into the first pub we came to which was James Long for a splendid full Irish breakfast.
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| The Full Irish at James Long Bar, Dingle |
James long has possibly one of the best views in Dingle, overlooking the harbour and indeed it is named after one of Dingles legendary fisherman, John Long who opened a pub and chandeliers on this site in the mid 1800s as a sideline to his fishing. Now badged as a gastropub, it was heavily refurbished in 2019 when its new owner took over and it's certainly a pub full of nautical paraphernalia and a portrait of the said James looking down from you over the bar. It was a bit early for a pint but can heartily recommend the very good full Irish breakfast.
A number of websites, claim that Dingle has 50 pubs (that would be one for every forty of its residents) and therefore, can claim the title, as the world's greatest pub town. I'm not sure that I've counted or identified 50, but you are certainly spoilt for choice if you're visiting Dingle. Quite a few of its pubs turn up in those best pubs in the world guides, with the top three being Dick Macs, Foxy Johns and my own favourite Currans.
All these three pubs share the same feature, in that they, at least to the eye are dual use establishments. Dick Macs, as well as being a pub, is also a leather shop. Foxy Johns sells hardware as well as pints and Curran's is a general store, I'm not sure how much ‘shop material’ is still sold these days in the pubs, though Currens does still have a fine display of flat caps and socks.
A little bit of reading dug out, that in the past, most doing most of Dingles pubs had dual use with a pubs running jointly as butchers, bakers and even an undertaker, which is not surprising given that the town is at the end of a long peninsula and even in modern times a good hour from the nearest fleshpots of Tralee or Killarney. Dick Mac’s tends to attract most of the tourists and it's also been frequented by many Hollywood stars and indeed, on my visit to Dingle this time, the pub was shut for filming is quite easy to find has as its opposite the very prominent church up one of the main steep streets of Dingle.
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| Curren's Dingle well worth the steep climb! |
A little bit further up this street you meet Main Street which is where you'll find Currens and Foxy Johns, these tend to be a little bit less touristy and you'll more likely meet more locals an hear Gallic being spoken.
Whilst I have visited Dingle before I had never had the chance of visiting Currens, this pub features on the film ‘The Irish Pub’ which was aired on Channel 4 many moons ago but he's still available on YouTube etc. This film is a fantastic insight into the pub life of Ireland and Currans (along with the best pub in Dublin, The Palace) is one of the featured pubs and especially its current landlord
James Curran. (Note it does say O Currains over the door – but every one says Currens)
James Curran’s is virtually unchanged since the 1930s and 40s. The same family have run the pub since its birth and have pretty much resisted all the lure of the early plastic era and the fake charm of the retro period in pub furnishing and have kept it just as it was with all its genuine charm.
“I try to keep everything the same as it was, that’s one of my traditions. Keep things as they were. There’s enough of things changing in the world” James Curren, current Landlord
It was Jame’s great great uncle, also called James, who first opened a general store and bar back in 1871.
It has the reputation for the best Guinness in Dingle and although I was only on the halves, as I still had a lot of driving to do that day, it was certainly the best I had tasted for a while. But the real stars here are the pub and its landlord James, who was on top form regaling us with tales on the history of the pub. Having found out that my in wife and in-laws were of Irish descent there was then a whole pub discussion about surnames and whereabouts in Kerry and local other areas we would find particular surnames. James features heavily on the documentary and he can be best summed up, when in the film, he talks about his love of the ‘chat’ – in his won words- “People come for a chat and never leave”.
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| Legendary Landlord James Curren in full flow - you can buy a flat cap with your pint |
As we were pushed a little bit for time, we had to head back to the camper and hit the road south, so this was just a taster of Dingle, other pubs worth a future visit include Kennedys, Paddy Braw Brosnans (which you can't miss as it's painted in very bright Kerry colours) Bob Griffins and Nelligan's and I would say if you only had one place to visit in Ireland and you loved pubs and were looking for the legendary Craic, then Dingle is the place to head for.
Leaving The Ring of Kerry we headed south and up and over the spectacular Beara Peninsula and into the ‘Rebel County’ of Cork. The "Rebel County" tag is due to due to Cork’s long history of resistance and rebellion against various authorities. This nickname dates back to the 15th century when the people of Cork supported Perkin Warbeck, a pretender to the English throne, in his claim to be Richard, Duke of York 1 2. This act of defiance against King Henry VII earned Cork its rebellious reputation. Cork's rebellious spirit continued through the centuries, including its significant role in the Irish War of Independence in the 20th century, In this wild part of Irelands deep Southwest you often feel like your are a long way from anything urban, cosmopolitan and authoritarian!
Another very scenic coastal drive that took us down and up headlands and inlets to have us ready for a pit stop at the great Charlie Chaplin's favourite Irish town. Waterville, a popular stop on the Ring of Kerry and WAW, its gallic name is An Coirean meaning “little cauldron” or “little whirlpool,” referring to the shape of Ballinskelligs Bay. It is certainly scenic, with rolling waves and clouds scuttling over the Iveragh Peninsula.
Whilst there are some new builds the front is also scared with a large empty desolate hotel which somewhat dampened the spirit however the town is known for its connection to Charlie Chaplin, who vacationed there with his family. The town now hosts the Charlie Chaplin Comedy Film Festival and there is a quirky statue much photographed opposite said derelict hotel.
The small town has also a technical legacy, the Commercial Cable Company laid a telegraph cable from nearby Spunkane to Nova Scotia in the 1880s, making Waterville a hub for Europe’s transatlantic communication.
The Villa/O Dwyers – just back from the rather nice promenade in Waterville and across the road from the wells standing almost Colonial Butler Arms stand son it s corner another cracking pub with a very warm welcome form landlady Fiona. It describes itself as a gastropub sports bar and accommodation -I’m guessing to appeal to one and all that travel through the town – why the two names – the pub was for a long time owned by famous Gaelic footballer Mick O Dwyer – Waterville born in 1936, O Dwyer was one of the best players of his age (He still holds the record for most points scored) and he went onto be Kerry’s longest serving coach winning 8 All Ireland championships.
Originally called the Villa Maria in 1973 but known to all as O Dwyers – it is now owned and run by husband-and-wife team Dan and Fiona Fitzherbert.
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| Mick O Dwyers Waterville |
Fiona was very much in charge during our visit, on a rather blowy afternoon – a very fine pint of Guinness) (as I was on driving duties) help wash down a very substantial chowder which I can highly recommend. The Pub also has 10 rooms and it would make a great base for exploring this part of Kerry – we had to crack on though nursing the camper van up and over the Coomkesta Mountain Pass and down to our nights pitch right by the sea at Caherdanial (Unfortunately the pub –O Carrols was shut on a Tuesday night) so I had to make do with a couple of bottles picked up in SuperValu, Ireland’s very own supermarket chain (very similar to the Co Op in UK – not the cheapest but virtually every town has a store)
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| Alfresco beers in deepest Cork |
60 Knots Pale Ale – This is a Galway Hooker brew, badged as a double IPA ‘bursting with character and nautical references. Galway Hooker beers are occasionally seen in the UK they are a family-owned independent brewing since 2006. The name has nothing to do with rugby positions or ladies of the night, but the fishing boats that plied the wild Atlantic waves around this part of Ireland, apparently this name was the most popular option following an online competition when the brewery was being set up.
Rye River Brewing’s Dam Busters Double Banging a heady 8% Double IPA. This brewery is based in Celbridge in County Kildare who claim they are the most decorated craft beer brewery in the world with over 180 international awards. Both beers were very drinkable and a reminder that there are some alternative to black stuff in Ireland – just a pity you can only find most of these alternatives in supermarkets and not in pubs.
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| Camping pitch with a view - Wave Crest Camp site on the Iveragh Peninsula |
Day 6 Caherdaniel to Cork/Blarney via Bantry and Kinsale
After a very pleasant night beside the relentless, bit soothing, Atlantic swell we were up and out with another long day of driving a head of us – a new peninsula beckoned with the customary up and down little roads and stunning views, the Sheep’s Head Peninsula was to be the mornings focus. Needing more fuel, for both van and people, our first stop of the day was Bantry – the place of Beanns people, is a picturesque harbour town nestles at the end of the Fjord like Bantry Bay whose deep sheltered waters have been attracting visitors for millennia – a local myth reports that Noah (of the Ark) niece Cesaire landed here with 150 handmaidens BC. It is certainly eye catching with the Beara and Sheep's Head peninsulas stretching out either side.
Like many Celtic seaside towns, the buildings are a multi coloured and there is quite a nice new central square with art work and information panels - many focus on Bantry’s role in the 1796 French expedition to Ireland, when Wolfe Tone and the United Irishmen attempted to land French forces to spark a rebellion against British rule. The plan was thwarted by bad weather. The square is now called Wolfe Tone Square in memory of what could have been.
The town owes most of its past prosperity to Pilchard fishing and it does have a bit of a cosmopolitan feel especially in the sun, a possible legacy of its past popularity with fishing fleets from Spain, France, and the Netherlands.
Again, the marina provided a welcome parking sport for the campervan – even providing free electric as part of the parking fee. After a quick dart around the town – inducing the purchase of some fine Irish new potatoes we popped into James J Crowley public house (JJ’s) which is set on the main square.
It has been a little hard to fine much history or background to this pub, JJ lived the ripe old age of 87 passing in 2023 In 2016 the pub apparently regularly hosts the annual international gathering of the Crowley Clan with on average over 200 Crowleys descending from as far away as New Zealand and Ohio.
JJ also features as a face of the Wild Atlantic Way – his photo as one of the People of the Wild Atlantic Way –
JJ Crowley – Bantry, West Cork is presented with the following quote .
‘I’m a retired publican but still farming and that’s what keeps me going, plus a few greyhounds, they are my passion. I travel a lot to local meetings such as Clonakilty and Bandon, and then onto Clonmel for the Irish Cup. I even go as far as Clare and parts of Galway.’
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| The man himself JJ Crowley JJ Crowley - Bantry, West Cork. - Shay Hunston Photography |
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| And the pub with his name on |
It took a while to leave the Marina car park at Bantry as the complicated ticket machine wouldn’t accept initially our registration and then either coin or cards, thankfully a helpful local sorted us tailgating another local out through the barrier – a few months on I haven’t had a fine letter in the post so looks like we got away with it!- though it wasn’t for the sake of trying to pay the 3 Euros we owed.
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| Blue-ish skies at Bantry Marina |
Kinsale is the official southern end of the Wild Atlantic way and there is a nice bit of street art you can stand under and have your photo taken – this whole area feels very Devon like and Kinsale with its neat harbour and little backstreets could quite easily be transported to south east England. Its Irish name Cionn tSáile translates as head of the sea and this area is often referred to as the Irish Riviera – there’s also something of a Gourmet tag and there are certainly a number of nice but pricey eateries in town along with a number of artisan ice cream parlours – a few pubs but we didn’t really have the time or inclination to dive in as we had to get to Cork for some bigger beery fish!
It would have been good to check out The Spaniard which is billed as possibly Irelands oldest pub dating back to 1650.
Our target for the night was actually a campsite on the edge of Blarney. The village of castle and stone fame, just north of Cork City. A lovely rural spot, we set up let son play half a round of golf on the adjacent course and then jumped in a taxi bound for Cork. Luckily for us, the taxi firm recommended by the campsite also came with a very knowledgeable driver who gave us a running commentary all the way on the 20 minute drive back into city centre. Drives suggested that we should start at the Corner House and so that's where we alighted on what was by then quite damp Wednesday evening.
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| Our first Cork City Pub - a very busy Corner House |
The Corner House, is another one of those pubs which are referred to as 'institution' and it does have a really interesting mosaic frontage with a dark wooden interior. We were lucky in managing to get one of the last tables at the back of the pub and being in cork I decided that we had to start with a pint of Beamish and a very good pint it was indeed.
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| A fine pint of Beamish in its home town |
We then headed towards the city centre and split up with the ladies finding a rather nice gastro pub to have some dinner, whilst me and son went looking for what we hope was the toughest pub we could find and duly found that on the corner – The Welcome Inn badged as another one of the oldest in Cork dating back to at early as 1845 and apparently Cork’s last remaining early house (licensed to sell from early morning – presumably to service the adjacent docks). However, despite most of the clientele looking and sounding like they had been in there for a while we were warmly welcomed and settled down with at a decent pint to watch the floor show of people dancing, trying to find the loos bouncing off the walls etc.
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| Cork's toughest pub? - The very Welcome Inn |
Next on the list was a bar I had come across in my research on the bars to visit in Cork -the High B bar on Oliver Plunkett Street. Something of a Galway institution though not quite on the tourist list and very eccentric – think Irish Sam Smiths. It’s no easy to find you need to look up – the actual doorway has Hibernian bar in rather nice glass canopy – but my research suggests that the Hibernian was a bar Nikon closed elsewhere in Galway. As hinted above there a few things that you need to be aware of This is a first floor one room lounge style of pub, you have to climb some red steps and there didn’t seem to be any other way up so any one with mobility challenges may find it hard to get to. It has a strict no phones/mobile devises policy – there is a sign on both the door and the bar stating, “No Phones – Please talk to each other”.
To get to the gents loos you have to press a button by the door in to ‘open the gate to the gents’ – not quite sure as to what the ladies need to do to access their loos – this was as not explained on the walls!
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| Up the stairs to Cork's High B Bar |
Recent TripAdvisor reports had wetted my lips…….
Oasis. No phones allowed. Bliss.
Discrete venue. Good staff
Just the best pub in Cork!
Gramophone sessions used to be legendary in 2008. :-)
It was fabulous to return to the Hi -B,
I brought two visitors their first time in Cork to experience a wonderful phone free environment. They got to experience first-hand a gent been very politely asked not to be on his phone, sadly he did not respect the Lady of the house and said he would not be back! Which thankfully was met with a round of applause.
Most of the rules and atmosphere of the bar were established by Brian O Donnell, who took over its management from his father in 1958 after completing medical training. Although he passed away in 2019, the bar continues to operate according to his standards. Reports suggest that he envisioned the bar as a space resembling his living room, where patrons could converse and listen to jazz; a record player remains on the bar top. The establishment is now managed by his wife Nancy and daughter Rachel. The bar closed during the Covid pandemic due to its size but reopened in Spring 2022 with the addition of a new coffee machine and card payment options.
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| Look up for Cork's High B Bar |
It is known for serving Beamish, Rockshore lager, and offers a notable whiskey selection. – though it has to be said most bars in Ireland seem to claim this.
Rockshore is classed as a modern Irish lager (not sure if there were any traditional Irish lagers – oh Ok Harp) we don’t see this beer on our side of the Irish sea- brewed by Guinness at their St James Brewery – it is apparently inspired by the bracing refreshment of Ireland’s Atlantic coast – very apt for those traversing said Atlantic coast in a camper van.
Harp was the macro lager of Ireland before the turn of the century, another Guinness owned brand – originally brewed at the Great Northern Brewery in Dundalk in 1960 its brewing was transferred to the Dublin St James brewery in 2008 and the Dundalk brewery closed.
Interestingly, the Harp we can occasionally buy in the UK is imported from Dublin – Harp is not contract brewed by any UK based breweries.
Dundalk’s closeness to the border meant that Harp became very popular in Northern Ireland, an article titled the ‘Genesis of Harp’ suggests that Guinness wanted to brew a German style lager and felt that they needed a German Brewer to give it credibility so appointed a Dr Hermann Muender of the Dom Brewery in Cologne who was looking for a new challenge. His brewing background in the Reinheitsgebot (German Beer Purity Law) resulted in the early versions being brewed using spring water collected form the Mountains of Mourne and after much testing a bonafide German yeast strain was used – the resultant brew was said to be superior to any of the UK lagers as it was brewed with a better water source sand had a stronger ABV.
Other reports suggest that Harp lager was the first of the British macro lager and the first to be served on draught and not bottles – apparently the first draught was poured on the cruise liner Queen Elizabeth I in the early 1960’s. An article in Shipping World of 1965, explained how the liner was fitted with nine 260 gallon tanks to serve the new Harp lager as it sailed to and from New York.
We just found time for a final pint in Corks theatre land, anther busy bar The Sherbourne, a gin palace style boozer with lots of mahogany and glass - really great chatty staff and a decent pint - a good end to our Cork adventure.
Day 7 Cork back up country to Castlebar – via Charleville, Limerick and Tuam
A day on the road with a couple of stops and romps around long forgotten village graveyards looking for deceased in-laws. Good, empty roads remined us of Irelands relatively small population and EU benefits- we made good time and were parked up by mid-afternoon with time to clean the van and head out for a final fling in Castlebar.
Not really on the tourist trail and overshadowed by its Oirish touristy neighbour Westport.
The county town of Mayo, Castlebar is a solid proper market town with a surprising array of services – whilst there is a large Tesco and a McDonalds but these sit alongside many independents and unlike many of our UK towns there are still plenty of butchers, green grocers and family run pubs. With one website stating that the town’s pubs—such as Mick Burns’ and Paddy Moran’s—are more than watering holes; they are living museums to Mayo’s sporting glories, music, and storytelling traditions.
Castlebar’s origins can be traced back to the late 11th century, taking its name from the castle built by Norman adventurers, the de Barry family, in 1235. Remnants of this history can still be seen in the layout and vibe of the town. Over the centuries, Castlebar has witnessed the passage of pilgrims, merchants, and revolutionaries, and it played a significant role in Irish history during the 1798 Rebellion, when French forces landed at Killala and marched through Castlebar—an event commemorated as the “Races of Castlebar” due to the unexpected defeat of the British garrison by the Franco-Irish force.
My first stop, whist the ladies renewed their M&S addiction (there’s a fine retail park with good parking and large Tesco's just on the edge of town) was the Irish House, with an impressive frontage it sits with pride on Castelbar main street – appropriately named Main Street. Originally a drapers shop it’s a slightly quirky lay out as on the 1960s it was split into two separate shops – however it became a pub in 1992 and does feel much older than it actually is though you can still identify a number of the shop features.
Interestingly, the Heverin family who owned the original drapers’ shop are still at the helm with the 5th generation Alan Heverin running the current pub.
Keeping up the positive PR theme, the Irish House are not shy in their advertising their website states ‘This cosy traditional old-world bar located in the heart of Castlebar is home to the best pint in the west.’ To be honest it wasn’t too bad and for a Thursday late afternoon the place was very busy with a mix of chaps in high vis having a quick one after work, local college students celebrating the end of exams and a handful of blow ins like myself.
Research has suggested that Mick Burns was the pub that served the best Guinness in town, established in 1917 Burns is a family run pub with Mick still in charge. Inside is a homage to all things Mayo Football (of the Gallic style) and interestingly QPR's, Mick is a massive fan and apparently can be often heard on the local radio talking about sports.
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| Mick Brynes a craic-ing night guaranteed |
This pub reminded me of the pubs of my youth and particularly my local Sotheby's in Moulton particularly the backroom element we were soon S kunst drinking great pints of Guinness and after a short while we're also joined by the man himself Mr Mick Byrne who kept us all entertained with stories and at one point getting out his record player and encouraging my wife and sister-in-law to choose and then sing any songs of their choice we had a cracking couple of hours in here a really good chat with a number of the locals in a way and we'll definitely would definitely recommend if you are in Castlebar.
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| The man himself Mr Byrne running the bar and record player. |
However it being our last night we needed to make sure that we got a little bit more culture in and we'd read earlier on that across the road just about across the road from Mick burns there was a trad music session on in Paddy brands so around about 9:00 we made our excuses and left Mick with his records and headed across to Paddy Moran’s – the pub is now run by Paddy’s son John, Paddy having purchased the Pub in 1953.A newspaper article reports that Paddy stood for no nonsense and moreover he never sold drink to a man who had had enough – the report also mentions the way that when the bar got busy, Paddy would tap on the ceiling letting his wife Bridie know that she was needed downstairs.
The weekly Castlebar market was held on the street outside the pub and reports talk of the pub being full of geese, turkeys, vegetables and on more than one occasion a couple of inquisitive cows. This pub was again pretty rammed for a quiet Thursday in May with I guess many folk coming in to listen to the music and I've got to say that if you're into trad Irish music what went on in this pub tonight was top Class A great mixture of mainly very young musicians who played pretty much non-stop for the for the arrow so that we're in the pub again another great typical Irish pub about staff who can a new distinct instinctively knew when you ready for an appointed Guinness and again another one to highly recommend. A bit of a tardis this pub, it is a lot bigger inside than it looks from the outside but again a really good example of great traditional Irish boozer and unfortunately our last one of our visit.
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| Our final pub of the trip - Paddy Moran's, Castlebar |
Slightly later than planned we made it back to the camper in what was a very tranquil setting by the lough and settled down for our final night on the Emerald Isle. A quick clean up and short drive back to a very empty airport in the morning. The airport works very much around staff are here when the planes arrive and disappear once they’ve gone so there is not much to do when you have three hours before your flight – though would say the free Wi-Fi was very good and there are free charging points in the entrance. We had seen that access to the lounge at Knock was an extremely low 18 Euros so we had taken the liberty of pre booking. The Lounger here is unmanned so there was a bit of a fav getting the access code to get in, but once in we had the place to ourselves (think ‘portacabin vibe’ with a couple of sofas, a telly, free newspapers and a small help yourself kitchen and fridge with bottles of Heineken) it was a typically Irish end of the trip.
All in all this was a great trip and I would highly recommend the Wild Atlantic Wat as a Bucket list must do at least once – we need to come back and do the northern bit from Mayo up to Donegal via Sligo and we are already planning a return trip later this year back to our highlights of Westport. The pub scene is great and lives up to all the hype and legend you read and hear about Irish pubs – I have to say we had a great experience and welcome in every pub we visited – you do get a little bored of drinking stout and it would be great if there were more cask beers available – it was good t switch between the macro stouts as we headed further south and the advent of good Guinness Zero does mean even if you are driving and just not fancying a proper pint you can still join in the Craic.
In total we clocked up over 900 miles, drank in at least 25 pubs and I dare not guess how many pints of stout were taken – but Ill be doing it all over again in October!
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