178) Ruin Bar of Tara Street (former MacTurcaill's), D2 (Permanently Closed)

Opposite the famous Irish Times headquarters sits a sorry example of how to take a very fine Dublin pub and eviscerate it. Gutted of all character and charm, this hellhole is home to weekend wankers scowling for cocktails and phone numbers. Sloppy pre-drunk punters shout for “G and T, easy on the G!” The most gastritis of prices.  Hot dish of the day typically involves such offerings as their trendy ‘house slaw’ sour and seedy, with pomegranate, lemongrass, and tzatziki glazed house hosted hot ham. There’s a steady flow of sourdough for dunkers, and highbrow falafel waffle can be heard amongst connoisseurs. If taking on liquid refreshment isn’t to your fancy, then the pool tables around the back are available for just a trivial charge. The overall impression is: if you ask for a pint o’ stout, you’ll be shown ‘the entrance out!’ A ghost of its former self and an unpardonable stain on the Townsend and Tara streets. So dreadful a place it’s fully deserving of this separate entry (See: MacTurcaill’s).

ENDNOTE: Thankfully this enterprise didn’t last long. It’s now permanently closed at no loss to the community.

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