The Yacht

The Yacht was my favorite European pub experience. Before i went to Ireland, everybody said that Temple Bar was the place to go for fun in Dublin, but Gogarty’s and the like got old pretty quickly, because I knew that very few Dubliners actually visited. Thankfully for me, I was staying in the Ringsend/​Irishtown neighborhood instead of a more central hotel or hostel. Thankfully as Dublin was the last stop on my trip, I had gotten over feeling out of place in ‘local’ establishments long before and decided to stop in. Fantastic place — it feels like a living room, hell it probably is one. The first night the original British Who Wants to be a Millionaire which was a great throwback. Went back the second night and after we told the bartender what we paid for Jameson in Temple Bar, he offered us 18 year vintage for less. That may or may not have contributed to me walking in to the wrong gender’s bathroom later in the night. Fantastic place with friendly bartenders and patrons, great place for a true Irish pub experience.

Bill and Monica — great people

This has to be one of the greatest pubs in the city. Someone’s livingroom converted to a pub; This pub certainly has character. That character is «everything is too small» — for example, only the slimmest of patrons can actually fit inside the toilet and the cubicle door can’t close all the way, despite being a venetian blind.
There’s way too much furniture in the place — on a normal night, expect to see some stools stacked on top of tables to make room for the regulars. You’re pretty much required to do some minor interior decorating before you can get enough space to sit at a table.
There are locals and they do eye up new young’uns whenever you first arrive but they’re lovely. Just try to keep up with them and you’ll be grand.
A cheap pint, too. Make eye contact with the barman and he’ll put on another round of whatever you had last. Then he’ll drop it down to your table for you.

I walk in and the first thing that strikes me is a big guy called bill, no really, the first thing I notice is that this place is small, carpeted, clean and smells like… well, a pub, not horrible, not stale, just that smell i associate with pubs from years ago… without the smoke of course.
This then to me is one of the few perfect pubs in the city… or would be if it wasn’t for that bleeden TV in the corner… really, why pubs insist on having them, they are a blight, a blight I tells ya!