Barfly: James Joyce's Café Bar
52 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1. 01 8728188
Friday November 13 2009
Joyce would probably have twirled his cane and wiggled his moustache in amusement. In his lifetime, the author of Ulysses was Irish literature's controversialist-in-chief, a writer who had bishops foaming at the chops and most everyone else scratching their heads in bafflement. Now he's a cuddly cultural mascot, Dublin's answer to an 'I heart NY' T-shirt. So it was only a matter of time before he had a pub named after him -- and, as if you didn't take the hint, James Joyce's café bar even has a life-size portrait of the novelist on the front window.
In a previous life, this was the bar of the Abbey Hotel, a boozer renowned for its lack of pretension and popularity with fans of televised footie. Post-makeover, management is clearly keen to attract a more eclectic clientele. Stepping into the interior, the first thing that strikes you is how sleek and slick everything is -- by the window you'll find euro-chic leather couches and wicker chairs, while in the back-bar area long banquettes invite you to put your feet up.
Sensible, straightforward and very Dublin -- when you stop to think about it, this place feels more like a Ronnie Drew ballad than a Joyce novel.
In the glass: Pint of stout €4.50,
Pint of lager: €4.90
At the bar: Locals from the days when it went as the Abbey Bar
On the stereo: Quiet tunes that won’t intrude on your chat
And? It’s one of a growing number of pubs with a Facebook page. What next - twittering barstaff?
- Ed Power
Irish Independent
