2) Chaplin's of Hawkins Street, D2
Located across from where the Screen Cinema and the caricature sculpture of the cinema usher, Mr. Screen used to stand, since demolished. R.I.P. (Cry not too hard, for Mr. Screen can now be seen shining his torch in the lobby of the Savoy Cinema on O'Connell Street). Named for the immortal Charlie of silent movie fame, posters of whose movies hog the walls (one of which was stolen one night by a drunken Tom 'magpie' Morris [1]). Also popular with the student body – the upstairs was oft the scene for 'Open Readings' or latterday 'Speakeasy's. An unusual stained glass piece shows worldly destinations for the shipment of various alcoholic beverages with the Liffey and Custom House at its centre (and also a pub called O’Reilly’s - perhaps Chaplin’s previous namesake?).
Sam Coll once read a mock Seamus Heaney poem co-written by Coll, Andrew Stephens and Ronan Murphy [2] much to the embarrassment of some unfortunate fellow who had to follow it with a sincere reading of one of Heaney’s bog-standards. Reasonably friendly staff. Lounge boys were known to generously turn a blind eye to the lighting of cigarettes and tolerated certain poets to supplement their purchased pints from the bar with smuggled cans from the schoolbag. As of 2019 has built a new snug which is home to unusually high bar stools. A sign behind the bar reads: ‘Notice: if you’re drinking to forget, please pay in advance.’ Very dark in the daytime and suffers from lurking in the shadow of the moribund Hawkins House.
Update as of 2021: The foul Hawkins House is now demolished giving Chaplin’s a lovely light!
FOOTNOTES
[1] A Welshman and a former TCD student of English and Philosophy, later a housemate of Sam Coll's (with whom he co authored a trilogy of satirical novels) and later still a prizewinning short story writer.
[2] A lad from Louth, former TCD student of English and Italian, former lead singer of The 1922s, current lead singer of The Sweet Naïve, a published poet, a gifted literary critic and lyricist, partial photographic memory, a pintman, a former man-about-town.
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