2020-05-01_Lonely_Planet_Traveller

PHOTOGRAPH: LISA WILTSE/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES

TheBrazenHeadmakes

a fairlybrazenclaimto

beDublin’soldestpub,

runningsince1198.The

presentbuildingdates

from1754,thoughits

predecessorwasknown

to writer Jonathan Swi.

An 1872 lawrequiring

pubowners’namesto

bedisplayedoutfrontis

thoughtto bethereason

forthepersonaltouch

in so manytraditional

Irishpubnames:more

Murphy’s than Red Lion.

ManyIrishpubsonce

multi-taskedas grocers,

or evenundertakers.

JohnKavanagh’sin

northDublinadjoins

GlasnevinCemetery,

andhada servinghatch

for gravediggers.

O’Donoghue’sis the

mostfamedof allthe

city’smusicpubs,and

aer 1962wasthe

favouritepracticespot

forTheDubliners– the

folkband’sportraitsare

up on the walls.

Pubswitha literary

pedigreeincludeToner’s

• thoughaer writer
  OliverSt JohnGogarty
  broughtWBYeatshere,
  thepoetsaid:‘I have
  seenthepub,now
  please take me home.’

When‘Irish’pubs can be foundfrom Mongoliato Tierradel Fuego,it’s clearthatthe promiseof

Guinnessand good craicis a potentone worldwide– even if the blackstuffjust doesn’ttastethe

sameoutsidethe EmeraldIsle.Dublinis hometo around770 pubs thesedays,fewerthanwhen

LeopoldBloommusedinUlyssesabout how to crossthe city withoutpassi n g one, but stillenough

that it took a computer algorithm to come up with a totally teetotal route to crack the puzzle.

ICON

Pubs in Dublin

Livemusic

sessionstake

placenightly

attraditional

favourite

O’Donoghue’s