Oonagh Donnelly's Qype profile

A well known pub amongst Dubliners. It’s termed as an 'auld fella’s’ pub. The walls are crammed with art and then there’s the famous Jim Fitzpatricks’ stained glass piece. The Piece lends itself well to a long stare. Often it can get a bit hairy there. Literally hairy, as in there are some wolfy looking characters about with eye brows that meet in the middle. Some times you can hear grunts and snort sounds not unlike sounds one might hear in the wild. Its an interesting place with very interesting clientele.

Slatterys Rathmines is a panic. A panic, as in there’s always a banter and a good laugh to be found in there. Upstairs does live gigs with cover charge every so often. The pint is very good in there. It has a genuine ambience and is a real traditional pub. Its very easy to meet people there, as it is a friendly place. It is more so a local. It is often a quiet escape for many on the way home from work. A quick pint and off they go, for the dinner. The reason being as one can totally chill out in Slatterys and not be bothered or join in on the criac. Its very laid back and one of the last of the real pub scene.

Hogans is very much a sort of post graduate designer type of haunt. ITs for the cool and Clique. IT used to attract every single graphic/web designer in Dublin and I;m sure it still does. Its gets very full and it can be very strenous standing within a sardine can with pals grinning and not being able to hear yourself think above the loud D4 accents and groovey up to the minute coolest of sounds. THe crowd are not friendly and can even throw dagger looks across. The atmosphere can be from stagnant to bordering anxious almost. Its for a young and more still in college age, for people that have the energy to try hard. I’ve known this place ten years plus and it has never suprised me during my infrequent visits. Very consistent establishment.

A nice bar to go into. Authentic traditional interior. I often find it’s too packed though. It also seems to attract folk that lack personality. For some strange reason the clientele are male in majority. I’m not sure but I often find that its best to not interact with people in The Stags Head, because they are just not friendly. I find that one must also murmur quietly amongst friends at times in there. Its a bit like a victorian Boarding School. I’m sure the clientele of the Stags Head must be of the very prestigous and important type. I know it often is chosen as the meeting piont. It can fill up to a packed level very quickly. It becomes like a rugby battle staying there. I can never see the sense in it all. I;m sure why but I think its really for uptight prestigous bachelors. Not the Type ya might find in the Bachelors Inn anyway. At least one can get a laugh out of them.

The Brazen Head is very nice but at the same time it seems to not lure many locals for sure. THe atmosphere can be a bit stagnant. Its worth a see especially within the viccinity. Possibly on the way up to the Guinness Store house.

The atmosphere can be pretty good in The Porter House on busy weekends. Sometimes they have someone playing live music to help the atmosphere. Some of the beers are interesting. THe Mochito’s cost an arm and leg and of course the drink is mostly just crushed ice. So there’s an element of rip off going on between expensive beers and other drinks. The smoking area is the size of two toilet cubicles. There often is a cram going on there from time to time and one grins and bares it. Mind you in saying that it attracts a decent crowd and it is actually a very decent pub. I’m not sure why though. Its a good place to go. Its a good place to start off the evening. Strangely enough it seems to attract mostly scandinavian nationalities. I guess they may be lured by the promise of quality home brewed beer. I;m sure they are dissapointed by the rip of prices, however. One of the brews in there knocked me for six with a headache. I only drank two pints and it was like me head was thumped with a wrecking ball. So it was back to the reliable Bottle of Budvar to remain on the safe side in there.

Free in and often live music.
Bands are usually good. Pints are €5.50. However they do a Rum and coke for €5. It attracts a young vibrant and mostly foreign (as opposed to just irish crowd) I have often not met one other irish person in there!?! Many languages are often spoke in the midst of one conversation. Its good fun and lively. Great atmosphere. It used to be too packed on a saturday but I think its eased up a bit.

This place seems to be a proper pub. My pal and I took refuge in there after battling through bombarding hordes of revellers and lunatics on the Reeperbahn on a Saturday night. We escaped unscathed (luckily) and found refuge at Fritz Bauch. Suddenly there was peace and decorum and normality. We found we could breath without detriment. The staff were freindly and the people there seemed friendly enough as there was the odd grin and nod and bits of laughter shared between us. I have to say, its a proper pub. Its straight forward and has decent beers with a friendly laid back atmosphere.

I was lucky to get to visit the Exhibition 'Mahjong;’ in the Hamburger Kunsthalle. This was an extensive exhibition that was curated with the highest calibre. The exhaustative exhibition told truths about China from approximately 1979 to 2005 through the work of many chinese artists.

On entering this exhibition the first piece reduced me to tears and of course frightened my pal who ran off to hide in the toilets. The piece featured a giant sized wallet that framed video footage of the production of wallets in sweatshops, slaughter houses and high street designer stores. The video footage was also complimented by very sad violin music. The rest of the exhibition was a weeks worth of viewing, and expressive pieces that told us truths about China. We were educated with hard hitting expressive modern peices. The final pieces I viewed were some Mao propoganda graphics. I think this exhibition at the Hamburger Kunsthalle was one of the most outstanding of exhibitions I ever visited and i would of course always be interested to know what goes on in the Kunsthalle.