THE FOURS CORNERS OF HELL, DUBLIN
In 2002, The Woods Band released a critically acclaimed album called
‘The Four Corners of Hell’. The title comes from the local name for the
junction of Kevin Street ,
Clanbrassil Street
and Patrick Street .
It was so named as at one time there was a pub on each of the four corners of
that intersection. In fact in 1960, you could start a journey at Harold’s Cross Bridge
and walk the mile to Christchurch Cathedral and visit nineteen pubs. If you
walked the same ‘Olden Mile’ today the people who preach responsibility in
alcohol would be delighted as only five pubs would be entered.
The oldest licence is that belonging to the presently closed Man of
Achill that dates back to 1760 or as it was known then as ‘Ye Olde Grinding
Young’. Many great bar names have
disappeared over the years since1960, The Bunch of Grapes, Larkin’s, Nash’s,
Biddy Mulligan’s and the Tap.
The Four Corners of Hell were Quinn’s at Clanbrassil Street and The
Coombe, Kenny’s on the corner of Patrick Street and the Coombe, Lowe’s on the
corner of Patrick Street and Kevin Street and O’Bierne’s on the opposite
corner. Many of the pubs were demolished to make way for progress when in the
nineties Clanbrassil Street ,
named after James Hamilton, Earl of Clanbrassil, was widened to cope with
growing volumes of traffic.
One of Dublin ’s
major tourist areas is around St. Patrick’s and Christchurch Cathedrals and the
terminus of the Viking Splash Tours. Patrick
Street in 1960 boasted six pubs now there is none.
In 1960 J.A. Maguire’s, The Tap was located at 12-13 Patrick Street on the corner of Dillon Place .
Number 21was Michael Ryan’s on the corner of Hanover Lane . Number 25 was A. Brennan’s
later known as Birchall’s between Hanover Lane and Dean Street while at 36 was T. McDonalds and finally down to the Corner of
Hell with Kenny’s (Once known as Pat McManus’s) facing Lowe’s the last pub to
disappear in 2005 when then called Nash’s and owned by the famous English Channel
swimmer Pat Nash it was demolished.
With Farrell’s pub currently closed, New Street is also devoid of pubs when it
once boasted The White Horse Bar, the New Inn and O’Bierne’s on Hells Corner.
1960 2005
Upper Clanbrassil Street
No. 1 Patrick Doyle Leonard’s Corner
Café
(Once Known as Christy Carr’s)
No 29 Cyril McDermott McKenna’s
(Once known as The Fiddlers Green)
No. 30 The Poplars CLOSED
No. 35 Carroll Brothers The Harold House
Lower Clanbrassil Street
No. 30 William J Barrett GONE
No. 56 Thomas Keogh The 57 Headline
No. 67 T MacDonagh’s GONE
(Also known as Biddy Mulligan’s & Pearse Bar.)
No. 91 J Fitzpatrick GONE
(Once known as The Bunch of Grapes)
No. 108Larkin Brothers GONE
No. 116 McAuleys
New Street
No.
35 James Kavanagh Farrell’s
(Once
known as Donlon’s)
No.
45 Pat McAuleys GONE
(Once
known as The White Horse Bar)
No.
65 The New Inn GONE
No.
1 O’Bierne’s GONE
No. 12 J.A. Maguire GONE
(Once
known as Dunne’s)
No.
21 Michael Ryan’s GONE
No.
25 A. Brennan’s GONE
No.
36 T. McDonald GONE
(Once
known as Donnelly’s)
No.
49 Pat McManus GONE
No.
50 JD Quinn’s GONE
(Also
known as Lowe’s & Nash’s)
No. 7 W. Lowe’s GONE
Bride Street
No.
33 John Corry GONE
No.
85 Sinnott Brothers GONE
(Once
known as Finnegan’s)
No.
87 Thomas Kenny GONE
No.
101 Sean O’Connor’s GONE
(Once
known as The Napper Tandy)
No.
102 P. McColgan’s GONE
No.
104 Mrs A O’Bierne’s GONE
Gone but not
forgotten.
67 Lower Clanbrassil Street was a private residence owned by the Luby family in late 50's never a public house to my knowledge when growing up tyere.
ReplyDeleteBoth Dunne's pubs were situated at 7 Dean Street and 72 New Street.
ReplyDeleteKavanagh's New Street is Kavanagh's again and fully open and trading.