345) McNeill's Top House of Main Street, Howth, North County Dublin

Formerly: Krugers. We were surprised and delighted to discover that this was a Beamish bonder, vending for an enviable 3:80 – Enrique Wedgwood Young felt royally shafted when his IPA cost nearly twice that amount – more fool him, for when in Rome, do as the cliches do, etc. The delightful price did not, however, negate the negligible quality of the Beamish itself, which tasted sourly stale and suggested that the pipes were seldom flowing. The lower front section is dark and traditional, with a pretty antique stove and much old wood and exposed brickwork in evidence – one may also espy a monochrome photo of Phil Lynott on the wall, arm in arm with a matronly lady who might well be his mammy. A higher back section contains a pool table and is far less attractive than the front, especially when every one of their seven televisions are playing in noisy and noxious unison. Like so many pubs we encountered on this stretch, fairly passable and forgettable. As the fellow says: 'It's not that it's bad – it's just a bit shit.'

A bad case of the shakes and the shits

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