Eoin Butler: writer, journalist and Mayoman of the Year
Tripping Along The Ledge
Pub
Published: Evening Herald, March 2010Break for the Border
It’s Thursday night in Break for the Border, a sprawling open-plan bar on split levels. There are pool tables and waitresses in hot pants. Rock and roll blasting from the speakers. Yee-haw! Why the hell haven’t I been here before?
Aidan wants to play pool, but I refuse. I hate pool. Besides, he always beats me. We grab a table. Read the rest of this entry »
Published: Evening Herald, January 2010DAKOTA
We call him Pothole. He’s the son of a well known Dublin businessman and he fancies himself something of a man about town. Pothole’s nickname derives from that fact that his personality is so grating, his manner so repugnant, people will go to almost any length to avoid bumping into him. Read the rest of this entry »
ARLINGTON HOTEL
Transformer robots… High School Musical dolls… Selection Boxes and bottles of Jameson… When it comes to Christmas shopping, my great aunt Geraldine likes to get the job done early. Her annual trip to Dublin is the stuff of legend. And, let’s just say, her shopping prowess is only half the story.
It’s lunchtime. The shopping bags have been discarded. And the Westport train doesn’t leave until six. Auntie Geraldine, though, is putting the G&Ts away like they were on special offer. Read the rest of this entry »
Published: Evening Herald, December 2008Hogan’s
It’s Saturday night and Aidan is down in the dumps. I’m not sure what his problem is. But no doubt he’s going to fill me in. He’s not a man to bottle these things up, that’s for sure.
“Would you say I’m getting fat?” he asks, eventually.
I look him up and down.
“You are fat,” I reply. “I’d say you were getting fatter.” Read the rest of this entry »
Published: Evening Herald, August 13 2009P. MCCORMACK (THE WHITE HORSE INN)
I’m feeling a little nauseous. Granted, that’s not saying much. But on this occasion the Anheuser-Busch Corporation bares no responsibility for that state of affairs. The management of my local Abrakebabra franchise too can hold their heads up high.
Hell, even that crazy, obese Scottish lady on my street – who has recently taken to wearing white see-through trousers over a skimpy white thong – is, for once, quite blameless. Read the rest of this entry »
Published: Evening Herald, July 23 2009HARTIGANS
It’s six o’clock on a Thursday evening and Hartigan’s – an old fashioned, family-run boozer on the doorstep of Stephen’s Green – is filling up with after-work drinkers. I’ve heard a few stories about this place. But this is my first time over the threshold.
With its rough-and-ready decor, bizarre zig-zag layout and curious blend of customers, Hartigan’s actually reminds me of nowhere so much (and I realise that this may be a pretty obscure reference for 99% of readers) as Julian’s of Midfield. Read the rest of this entry »
Published: Evening Herald, May 28 2009THE OCTAGON BAR
I have climbed the highest mountain. I have roamed through the fields. A mighty nettle stung me and then I got chased by a bullock. But, sure, I got here in the end is the important thing. Read the rest of this entry »
THE INTERNATIONAL BAR
It’s funny the thoughts that run through your head sometimes. We’re holed up in the men’s jacks of the International Bar. Austin’s is about to cough up his sordid little secret. The one that’s eating him up inside. But all I can think about is the smell of Chinese food… Read the rest of this entry »
THE DAWSON LOUNGE
‘Probably the Smallest Pub in Dublin’, boasts the Carlsberg sign outside The Dawson Lounge.
Dublin pubs are places where men can go to drown sorrows and nurse grievances. So it is only right that the smallest put should this afternoon be the venue for two of the city’s pettiest citizens to air their shallowest grievances.
“Arjen Robben,” I announce, out of the blue.
“What about him?” asks Aidan.
“If I had an identical bald twin, I think that’s who it would be.” Read the rest of this entry »
Published: Evening Herald, December 2008ASHLING HOTEL
Someone once told me that the longer the pause a person leaves after telling you they need to ask a favour, the bigger the favour they’re likely to ask. A short pause signifies a small favour, such as “Can you pass me that newspaper?”
A longer pause signifies a bigger favour. “Can you lend me this month’s rent?” perhaps, or “I’m going to need that last parachute.” Read the rest of this entry »