O'Neills Irish Bar, Bournemouth

This pub is at it’s best on Friday nights when the place is packed with workers who are having a pint (or 6) after a busy week and waiting for the live band to start.

The bands tend to be rock based and quite good and gets the whole pub dancing and singing along by the end.

The style of O’neills is a mock Irish pub but I feel it is similar to a few I have been into (and enjoyed) in Temble Bar, Dublin.

If you’re looking for a pint or two after work or meeting up with your friends for a night out O’Neills great for Guinness, but equally other drinks as well. Located in Lansdowne at the top of Old Christhcurch Road it’s a good starting place before heading down the hill to other pubs. Live music most nights means that you can hear a lot of new bands from the area, but don’t expect to be able to hold much of a conversation with mates whilst they’re playing.

O’Neills, a traditional Irish pub? Dont make me laugh!
After visiting the Bournemouth O’neills recently I vow never to set foot in one again.
I visited with my family, it wasn’t busy (no shock there) found a table easily and ordered drinks. We sat down grateful to get out of the awful weather outside. We were just looking at the food menu when the barman who had served us suddenly decided to 'ID’ my 2 sons who are 20 and 16, the 16 year old was drinking coke and had been present when I ordered the drinks. I stated that my youngest was 16 and could therefore perfectly legally drink soft drinks, in fact because we were ordering food could have had a beer!
This fact was lost on him and his manager who demanded that we leave immediately. I remained calm throughout and said we would leave under protest when we finished our drinks which we had been served with and had paid for. Not good enough for the landlord of “Bournemouths warmest welcome…” who then called the police to throw us out. They insisted on filming the whole episode, is this normal in Bournemouth? I just hope they speak to my agent if they intend publishing it!

So is O’ Neills really a traditional pub? All the Irish pubs I have visited encourage and welcome famillies. I think O’ Neills are trying to capitalise on that quaint traditional all singing and dancing Irish brand when really they are just another plastic theme pub and owned by an English firm Mitchells and Butlers.

So a nice family day out turned into a nightmare. We were then unable to get into a nearby pub (Litern Tree) to try and have lunch because they had received a report we were causing trouble so I had to treat them to a takeaway in the wind and the rain!!

I will certainly be causing trouble for O’ Neills but it will be perfectly legal and as public as I can make it!!

AVOID!!

Best,

Paul.

**UPDATE**

After I proved beyond doubt that they were utterly in the wrong they are now ignoring my letters. Never mind the boycott continues to gather apace and just watch that Mitchells and Butlers share price slide. :-)

I lurve this pub, best pub in Bournemouth in my opinion. Go there, catch a live band and chat to some friendly people. Not pretentious like most other Bournemouth bars.