(Crider) Cobbles and Draught

Photo Courtesy of montecasino.co.za

Far estranged from Temple Bar and Grafton Street on the North side of the River Liffey, Cobblestone Pub possesses all the authenticity one would expect to find in a true Irish watering hole.  Before they even reach the entrance, visitors are greeted by live traditional Irish music coursing through rustic yellow walls.  Though the building stands adjacent to the Jameson Distillery, the Observation Tower, and several retailers, Cobblestone Pub has maintained the old countryside atmosphere since the 17^th century when the Smithfield Square was predominantly a farmers market where horses would be paraded for sale.  Its stones look weathered by four hundred years of wind and rain and its dimly lit interior recounts an age when fluorescent lighting didn’t exist.  Even the beer garden inhabits a roofless building that appears to have been bombed, its debris replaced by a few tables and umbrellas.   

Photo Courtesy of William Murphy

With its run-down look, the pub may as well be in the middle of a farm town, but thank God that it’s only a twenty minute walk from central Dublin.  After the ten days that I’d been in Ireland before discovering the Cobblestone Pub, I was growing tired of walking past bars and hearing not a single melody of Irish roots music, but countless covers of American pop songs blaring from neon-lit doorways that make Dublin sometimes feel like an elongated Bourbon Street folded over itself across a hundred square blocks.  Finding the Cobblestone Pub produced the same elation for me as walking onto Frenchmen Street for the first time.  Every night of the week one can stomp his feet to one form of traditional Irish roots music or another, and there is no age limit for the performers.  Eight year old children are as welcome to show off their fiddle skills as an old man with his bagpipes. 

Photo Courtesy of Derek Speirs

Never mind the shady areas one has to pass through on the way to the pub; Cobblestone is well worth the risk of being mugged, which is greatly reduced when traveling in a group anyway.  The usual patrons consist almost entirely of locals and the bartender has the no nonsense air of a badass, suggesting that he would kick you out of the establishment if you so much as smiled at him.  He obviously takes his job seriously, though, and is impressively punctual in delivering drinks to the bar, regardless of how many pints of Guinness need to settle.  If ever he has a moment to breathe, he busies himself by keeping the place clean, recovering empty glasses without a moment’s delay.  While he appears more focused on distributing alcohol than chatting with patrons, the clientele make up for his silence by immersing themselves in conversation, always excited to shoot the breeze with whatever foreigner has stumbled into the pub.  I was definitely satisfied by my visit to Cobblestone Pub and look forward to my next venture to the northwest side of the Liffey.   
Cobblestone's website: http://www.cobblestonepub.ie/