101) Cumiskey's of Upper Dominick Street, Phibsborough, D7

Modest glory-hole near King's Inns. Come sunset, a wonderful view is afforded from the back window of blood-red or orange-peel sky and scarlet sun sinking down. Venerated for its cheap Beamish (€3.60, fixed price and not about to rise anytime soon). When imbibing here one ought to adopt the wise old stratagem: ‘the more you drink the more you save.’ This is, strictly speaking (along with the Dominick Inn and the Auld Triangle), Dublin’s cheapest pint of Beamish in a traditional pub. And what a pub! Only awful Wetherspoons (€3.45), and the bar in Caulfield’s Hotel (€3.50) can beat it (to say nothing of a certain room called Lowry's in Summerhill, but could you be bothered?!).

The humble Beamish - paradise in a pint glass

Also notable are the ghostly plaster busts of Luke Kelly and Ronnie Drew that haunt a quiet corner alcove. A poster on the wall for a 1986 production of O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock depicts the actors Donal McCann (as Captain Boyle) and John Kavanagh (as Joxer Daly – who also lent his name to a dreadful pub) – was one or the other of the cast or crew a regular here? A new Luas line runs past it on Dominick Street – the double reflection of the sun in the glinting mirror is a thing of beauty and a joy forever.

Larissa Silveira Cabral Vilhena, a local resident as of 2019, has said of Cumiskey's: 'It's a shame that the best view in the house is hidden in the ladies toilets.' Also happily dog-friendly – a recent visit witnessed a tender romance twixt the pint-sized dotes Nipper and Harley, egged on by an adoring crowd who likened these star-crossed lovers, fittingly and obviously enough, to a canine Romeo and Juliet. Outside, a twofaced Cumiskey clock protrudes on high. Both faces tell a different time and neither one is correct. Underneath, a sign boldly states that the establishment is a ‘Licensed Vintner.’ Joyful are we who return for a luscious brew at an excellent price. Long live Cumiskey’s!

The ghost and goblin - Drew and Kelly

N.B. Cumiskey’s has a SPARE CHAIR in the corner that’s in need of a LONELY CUSHION.

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