Let me set the scene. It was St Paddies Day 2002, raining and felt like about minus 30 outside watching the parade that dragged on for two hours. Our hands and faces were numb. One of our mates had deserted and went looking for a pub to defrost. We got the call that Oliver St John Gogarty’s was the destination and he had staked out a corner beside where the band was setting up.
Turned out to be a godsend. We all raced to Oliver’s as soon as the parade was finished and set up camp in the corner on the second floor. The pub was located right in the middle of the Temple Bar district and filled up awfully fast after the parade. The pub itself was named after one of Dublin’s famous poets and general socialite. A bloke called Philip Lawlor obtained the first license for the premises in 1835 and would’ve had many a famous face sit and stare into a Guinness.
Once established in our corner (kind of a bay window) we set about getting rounds of Guinness and Murphy’s (about 5 euros each) while the band broke out into traditional Irish music under the "no spitting" sign on the rafters above. This same band played for the whole 10 hours we were there that afternoon with only a couple of breaks to re-lubricate the larynx with some soothing Irish beers. They really played up to the crowd – although I fear most of us there would have been tourists. Amongst our group were Wallaby Rugby jerseys and touristy Irish coloured top hats. Throughout the day different groups of people came and went – some over from London for the weekend (like us) and others on tour groups with the same coloured shirts on to identify each other once the beer goggles became cloudy.
There are two main levels to this pub. The upstairs area is a bit smaller but brings everyone together. Downstairs is a little larger with the bar counter coming from the Green Room at The Theatre Royal. There is no cover charge either which is a bonus. You can get bar food throughout the day from 12pm or you can wonder upstairs to the dedicated restaurant that has dishes such as the Trinity College Chicken being enjoyed since the 1800’s. The Galway Bay Oysters and Dublin Bay seafood cocktail are highly recommended.
The décor is typical of 19th century pubs with different memorabilia and artefacts from all the decades it has been serving. Traditional Irish music is played daily from about 2pm till 2am and this is a famous drawcard for tourists. Oliver St John Gogarty’s also offers accommodation in either Hotel style or hostel type accommodation. Good central location to stay but could get a little noisy I assume.
Great way to spend St Paddies and enjoy the craic!