The Q Bar
Famous at the moment mainly due to the habit of the dj stopping his playlist to ask completely bolloxed twenty-something females to cavort on the dance-floor with a hula-hoop for prizes. A good night on Friday night. Eighties heaven! Just don't expect any substance, the place is a shameless cattle-market, and three cheers for the Q bar for that!
Sam Sara
The original (and some say still the best) haunt for the readers of that most profound of philosophical publications, Cosmopolitan magazine. I'm not going to say anything else about the place, suffice to say it comes as no surprise to this blogger that the bar shares it's name with a Guerlain perfume......
Morrison Hotel
A pretty decent club exists beneath the Morrison hotel on the North Quays. Buggered if I know what it is called, none of us can remember. But it's a nicely done out place, and you always have the potential for getting arrested due to the fact that the license is a residents only job*. Oops, I've just been informed that the place is called Lobo's. Anyway, it's the perfect place to end the night if you've been thrown out of the VIP lounge of Raynards for failing to recognise celebrities.
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Ron Blacks
In between Cafe Insane and Sam Sara on Dawson St. This is the blokes bar of the three. Decked out like somewhere James Bond would sup, this is where all the serial Cosmo readers hunt for males. Equipment to bring with you? Your mate's borrowed BMW keys, a Dunhill lighter, a suit that fits, bad (but new) aftershave. I would also advise watching Wall Street, Rogue Trader and Boiler Room (in that order) before going, so that one may behave in the way that the Cosmonites will respond positively to.....
Cafe Insane
Or Cafe en Seine is the name directly above the door. Simply put, this is Chintzville. It's a gigantic bar, don't get me wrong, and it's the place to go to meet the roving packs of secretaries (anyone have a collective term for them??). But it is most defintely a girly joint. Also the most expensive bar in Dublin. Why do we go there? Still trying ot work that one out myself.
The Luas
When the Dutch found out that the Irish government were spending billions of euros of European dosh on installing a tram system from scratch in Dublin, they fell about laughing. It's going to take ten years to install (like that will come in under budget and on time). The technology is dated. Not event he Dutch would install it again given the choice. But the real thing that pisses me off is that the government are taking full credit for supplying the public transport system to the targetted areas when they were the ones responsible for ripping out the overground train service in the first place. Most of the money being spent on the Luas is going towards the repurchase of land they sold off in the first place when they ditched the rail system...........
Excise Bar
Hmm. Where do I start? The place sucks penile warts really. It's cold (both in atmosphere and temperature) and tends to fill up in the evenings with dissatisfied, neurotic people that are there solely to be 'seen'. Not deliberately going out of my way to slag the place, but can't really help it. The only good thing about the place is that it's close to the Harbour Master ;-)