Johnnie Fox’s rocks!

Johnnie Fox’s, Dublin. Copyright Rebecca Ellis 2012.

One of my favourite tourist attractions in Dublin is Johnnie Fox’s, the highest pub in Ireland. It’s up in the Dublin mountains and so is quite a drive out of the city centre, but in my opinion it’s well worth it!

I first visited the pub when my sister and brother-in-law came to visit over the summer, and we decided to make a night of it by getting the shuttle bus from outside the Shelbourne Hotel in St. Stephen’s Green which will take you there and bring you back for only 10€. After a large meal, we ended up listening to the live music from one of the side rooms whilst we got progressively drunk off bottles of white wine, and so perhaps didn’t take full advantage of all that was on offer – although we still had a LOT of fun.

 

Some of the tasty food on offer.

On my second visit last weekend, I got to take it all in a little better. I went up there during the day with some friends who were visiting from the UK, and it had a completely different feel from the slightly raucous night we’d experienced during the summer. We sat around a large table at the back of the pub next to an open fire and ordered hot ports and whiskeys whilst we caught up on what was going on in each other’s lives. It was the perfect venue for a girly reunion. The sawdust-covered floor and the wide range of traditional Irish paraphernalia all added to the cosy atmosphere. One of the girls even found a photo of one of her Irish relatives who had been sent over to New York from Ireland decades ago to play a historic game of Gaelic football, which was pretty amazing.

 

Some of the knick-knacks at Johnnie Fox’s.

Johnnie Fox’s is the kind of place which appeals to tourists and Irish people alike, so I would definitely recommend it. They have traditional Irish music playing every night as well as their famous Hooley nights (dinner and a show), and as I discovered on Saturday they can also offer a more peaceful experience if you just fancy a quiet drink.

For more information, including details of the shuttle bus, check out the website at http://www.jfp.ie.

Happy Arthur’s Day!!

Before I moved to Dublin I had never come across Arthur’s Day, and had no idea what it was about. In fact, the day was created in 2009 to celebrate 250 years of the black stuff (that’s Guinness to you and me!). The day tends to involve a lot of Guinness-drinking, musical performances, a toast to the late Arthur Guinness at 17:59 (a reference to the year the Guinness Brewery began business) and general merriment.

As I missed Paddy’s Day, I’m hoping to make up for it tonight by heading into town and seeing what’s on offer. According to the Guinness website, pubs all over Ireland will be celebrating and several live acts will perform in undisclosed locations, including Amy MacDonald, Ellie Goulding, Example, Tinie Tempah and Mumford and Sons amongst others. You can also click on your local area on an interactive map to see which pubs are holding events and hints about where live broadcasts will be taking place.

I have a bit of a soft spot for Tinie Tempah, so if anyone comes across him on their travels don’t forget to tweet me @dublin_diaries! I’d also love to see your photos of your night out and will post the best on here.

Happy drinking!