192) The Speaker Conolly of Firhouse Road, D24
Established in 1985 and named after the politician, lawyer and landowner William Conolly, speaker of the Irish House of Commons in the early eighteenth century. This pub nests near the foothills of the Dublin Mountains and is capacious with plenty of pews up at the bar. A unique and ornate stone floor decorates the lounge. Unusually high ceilings here which is in contrast to The Blue Haven not far away. Not to be confused, at any cost, with its newest nasty neighbour: the European Headquarters for the Church of Scientology.
It made the national news in 2018 when a local scumbag attempted to rob the pub using an imitation machine gun [1]. He was quickly tackled to the ground by three brave patrons who didn’t take kindly to having a gun pointed at their face. They proceeded to beat the living shit out of him while waiting for the Gardaí to arrive. Photos were subsequently released of the man unmasked, bloodied and battered. (Staff and patrons knew this scumbag - he was a former patron himself and had been previously barred from the pub). It is reported that after his arrest, the three brave men wiped his blood off their knuckles, dusted themselves down and sat back at the bar to finish every last drop of their well-earned pints.
Update as of 2022: A happy return to The Speaker Conolly took place recently, a delicious Beamish is now served, although at a higher price of €5.30, we were still very glad to see it served in the bar. But there’s a sinister rumour rolling around – has the pub been sold to a yet another greedy property investor? Will The Speaker go the way of Mortons just 2 minutes down the road and close its doors forever? We hope not. Watch this space.
Update as of 2023: There’s a new manager in town by the name of Nicola and she’s doing fantastic work. Attentive to her customers, she’s clearly ambitious and serves with alacrity. She was once heard to inquire, unbeknownst to her, with one of the Publopedians how much a pint of Beamo ought to be compared to the going rate elsewhere. ‘A clean fiver’ was the response, and sure enough, by the next visit she had already impressively implemented the price change. So, we are pleased to announce that you can now get a deliciously creamy Beamish in the bar at The Speaker Conolly for €5.00. And o how it flows! Well done Nicola!
A word of warning to the wise, if it’s a quiet pint you’re after, it’s best to avoid here on Thursday night as a music quiz (followed by howling karaoke) bleeds the ears, and at weekends too, where live music screams the house down.
FOOTNOTE
[1] Article can be read with photos by following:
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