254) Annesley House of North Strand Road, D3
The exterior is shaped unusually with an impressive official Beamish clock mounted high over the main entrance. In accordance with their clock one may bark for the Beamish and be satisfied. It sits on the corner of North Strand Road and Annesley Place, and as the bar runs along the latter, one can see an Irish surname displayed: ‘A. Ó’hEachthairn.’ It also calls itself ‘beár ceol’ a music bar, and indeed there’s a small music venue upstairs. Downstairs in the bar windows on all sides deliver a lovely light during the day, which also shows up the dirt. At night the locals invade their locale and we, being outsiders, were unsympathetically welcome. We had just the one and moved on.
Update as of Feb 2022: having since past this pub 100s of times without returning we decided to call in and sample the Beamish - and we are very happy to report our findings. The Beamo is of an excellent quality and at only €3.95 a pint it’s well worth the walk from the river. Barman ‘Barry’ was the picture of civility and dropped down our pints courteously. He was as silent as a monk mid-meditation for the entire afternoon, but come evening he became deeply ‘triggered’ by a group of auld fellas who asked him to increase the TV’s volume for the RTE news. Apparently ‘Barry’ hates RTE and finds the entire institution ‘a load of fucking shit and bollox.’ He’s probably right, but shouldn’t he let the lads listen in peace? He eventually succumbed, and while half the patrons watched the news the other half stayed glued to the races, betting papers in one hand, pint in the other. But ‘Barry’ continued to loudly lambaste RTE for a good 20 minutes.
It’s like a broken drum - you can’t fucking beat it!
One sad, skinny, gaunt patron sat alone and gifted himself with paragraphs of curses after each race was run - an absolute looser in the true sense. Another patron, fat and jolly commented that even though ‘Barry’ turned up the volume they could hear more of him than the news. More and more patrons spilled in and for a Monday evening it was doing a roaring trade. And why wouldn’t it? €3.95 for a Beamo and a delicious Beamo at that! ‘Barry’ was overworked and could have done with some help but he was frightfully efficient running around serving everyone and ensured nobody was left waiting. A tall man seen previously haunting Molloy’s was seen drinking breakfast tea and placing bets. A man was selling books out of a bag. A woman perused the said books but failed to purchase. A pretty girl dropped by in search of a lost glove. A corpulent man walked in proudly in his paint spattered work clothes and joined his friends. Tippler’s Tip: while letting go of liquid in the jacks, don’t look up! This is a busy wet house rich in pub-theatre and while it can get rowdy at times it’s a warmhearted public home. No frills - just spills. We’ll definitely be back.
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