253) Gaffney and Son of Fairview, D3
A late Victorian pub meticulously maintained. A gem, one of the finest in Dublin as Mac Maloney has it in his big picture book of pubs. (Maloney can be seen photographed at the back of the said picture book in the same said pub sporting the kind of smile one wears after announcing that one is writing a book about pubs and subsequently receives a gift from the house - a nice pint of Guinness and a goodly nip of Jameson just to chase it - no strings attached). Let it show for the record that Sam Coll and Andrew Stephens have on no occasion resorted to this strategy.
An ordinary exterior gives way to an old-world trove. Stained-glass windows allow for a peaceful air and they have a dog friendly policy which we witnessed as two great hounds lazily lay next to an open fire (and very well trained doggies they were too – you would not catch them running out the door, instead meekly waiting their turn with due deference to the precedence of their respected and respective owners). Amusing drawings of various pintmen are hung throughout the bar along with historical text regarding the evolution of the pub. Small witty bronze signs are variously affixed such as ‘Too Busy For Bullshit.’ With great delight one can call in a Beamish. Delicious is the stout but at a premium price.
Tipplers Tip: Avoid on GAA match days, there’ll hardly be room to turn a sweet in your mouth.
Particularly church-like and sacramental is a deserted front room through which one passes en-route to the lounge, a silent spot where the wooden counters are low and the dust motes shimmer on the sunbeams, such an oasis as might lure in a butterfly or moth from the outside to bask in the radiance and the silence – with a corner shrine to a well-beloved onetime regular, the 'Bard of Drumcondra', none but the hatted, moustachio'd and bespectacled Jerome 'Ger' O'Leary, writer, poet, actor and socialist activist (famed for his portrayals of big Jim Larkin), 1935-2018, R.I.P.
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