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A different night out in Dublin
Derya Filiz finds hotel bars a cool alternative to the citys pubs
Celebrating St Patrick?s Day in Dublin has always been synonymous with pubs belting out U2 tracks or live fiddly-dee music while punters swill pints of Guinness. But the flood of hotel openings in recent years has now put Dublin firmly on the map as one of Europe?s designer drinking cities.
The renaissance kicked off when Bono and Edge of U2 bought and refurbished the Clarence in 1992, transforming a former farmers? haunt into an uber-trendy hotel with an eight-sided bar. Other names followed: Terence Conran designed the Fitzwilliam, the fashion designer John Rocha oversaw the Morrison and the upmarket hotelier Four Seasons spotted a trend and last month opened Dublin?s latest design bar, Ice.
?The Clarence was the first of its kind,? explains Colm Houghton, 38, a local drinking at the Clarence?s Octagon bar. ?U2 are like Gods in Ireland, so I suppose that?s why this place is so popular, but it?s got a good vibe and the shape of the bar makes it easy to meet people.? I thought the bar a little pretentious with everyone door-watching ? the open door policy means a broad mix of locals in ripped jeans and tourists in tweed jackets, but all are hoping to glimpse a celebrity.
Undeniably, the Clarence has a great, central location, with the Liffey on one side and Temple Bar on the other, making it a good place for early evening drinks. Then you can stroll through the warren of cobbled streets of Temple Bar, passing buskers, flower sellers and crowds spilling out of rowdy pubs on the way to Fleet Street and my favourite spot in Dublin, the Morgan Bar at The Morgan hotel.
The small, intimate bar blends stone floors with dark woods, has big red and cappuccino-coloured sofas to sink into and wall-sized free-standing mirrors to gawp at.
Paul Fitzpatrick, the managing director, claims to have created a ?relaxed, trendy boutique hotel?. This is a great spot for both twentysomethings and fortysomethings to drink Singapore Slings (?6.80) in the dimly lit bar and bounce gently to happy house music. ?It has all the style but none of the attitude of the other design bars; it?s my favourite place,? says one Dubliner, Anna O?Brien, 31.
Another design-led drinking hole is the Inn on the Green at the Fitzwilliam Hotel on St Stephen?s Green. It?s a short walk from the shopping on Grafton Street, which makes it a great pit stop for weary shoppers wanting to recharge their batteries over a cocktail (?6.30).
You?ll also find cherry red sofas occupied by couples wearing combats and trainers, and the curved pewter bar propped up by celebs. Star drinkers include Liam Neeson, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Jamiroquai and Westlife. But despite the A-list clientele, the bar is relaxed and welcoming. Waiters are ready to light a cigarette before you have taken it out of the packet and serve drinks to your table, although at weekends it gets too busy to wait around.
The ultra-sleek Morrison bar, designed by Douglas Wallace and John Rocha, is the first of its kind to open north of the Liffey on Ormond Quay. With oak-panelled walls, floors and furniture you will need a flashlight to see who?s in there, but in the gentle glow from paper lampshades, the glamorous and beautiful drink champagne (?11 a glass) while comparing Prada shoes.
On Friday and Saturday nights, the bar heaves with a designer-clad crowd enjoying the soulful house music and hanging around the rectangular bar desperate to be served. You?re better off dropping in during the day for decent table service.
?It?s too packed in the evenings and is a much better venue during the day,? says Eleanor Raleigh, 26, from Kenilworth. ?You can flop into a comfy sofa and chill out staring on to the river.?
Head out of central Dublin to the affluent Ballsbridge district, a 15-minute drive, to check out the Ice bar at the Four Seasons. It opened last month and is popular with locals and guests, but never too busy, so you can always pull up a brushed aluminium stool and rest on the marble bar lit by flickering candles.
?We wanted to add another dimension to the Four Seasons image, as our other bar is more sedate and conservative,? says John Brennan, the company?s European boss. It generally attracts the 35-plus crowd dripping with gold and swilling G&Ts on velvet sofas while discussing the contemporary Irish art on display.
But has the influx of design bars in recent years changed the image of drinking in Ireland?s capital completely? ?Dublin has an image of nasty pubs where fat old alcoholics prop up bars ? those pubs still exist,? says Claire Pennington, 28, from Manchester. ?But anyone who?s been here knows that there are some snazzy bars too There?s a bar to suit you ? that?s the beauty of it.?
Copyright 2003 Times Newspapers Ltd.
A different night out in Dublin
Derya Filiz finds hotel bars a cool alternative to the citys pubs
Celebrating St Patrick?s Day in Dublin has always been synonymous with pubs belting out U2 tracks or live fiddly-dee music while punters swill pints of Guinness. But the flood of hotel openings in recent years has now put Dublin firmly on the map as one of Europe?s designer drinking cities.
The renaissance kicked off when Bono and Edge of U2 bought and refurbished the Clarence in 1992, transforming a former farmers? haunt into an uber-trendy hotel with an eight-sided bar. Other names followed: Terence Conran designed the Fitzwilliam, the fashion designer John Rocha oversaw the Morrison and the upmarket hotelier Four Seasons spotted a trend and last month opened Dublin?s latest design bar, Ice.
?The Clarence was the first of its kind,? explains Colm Houghton, 38, a local drinking at the Clarence?s Octagon bar. ?U2 are like Gods in Ireland, so I suppose that?s why this place is so popular, but it?s got a good vibe and the shape of the bar makes it easy to meet people.? I thought the bar a little pretentious with everyone door-watching ? the open door policy means a broad mix of locals in ripped jeans and tourists in tweed jackets, but all are hoping to glimpse a celebrity.
Undeniably, the Clarence has a great, central location, with the Liffey on one side and Temple Bar on the other, making it a good place for early evening drinks. Then you can stroll through the warren of cobbled streets of Temple Bar, passing buskers, flower sellers and crowds spilling out of rowdy pubs on the way to Fleet Street and my favourite spot in Dublin, the Morgan Bar at The Morgan hotel.
The small, intimate bar blends stone floors with dark woods, has big red and cappuccino-coloured sofas to sink into and wall-sized free-standing mirrors to gawp at.
Paul Fitzpatrick, the managing director, claims to have created a ?relaxed, trendy boutique hotel?. This is a great spot for both twentysomethings and fortysomethings to drink Singapore Slings (?6.80) in the dimly lit bar and bounce gently to happy house music. ?It has all the style but none of the attitude of the other design bars; it?s my favourite place,? says one Dubliner, Anna O?Brien, 31.
Another design-led drinking hole is the Inn on the Green at the Fitzwilliam Hotel on St Stephen?s Green. It?s a short walk from the shopping on Grafton Street, which makes it a great pit stop for weary shoppers wanting to recharge their batteries over a cocktail (?6.30).
You?ll also find cherry red sofas occupied by couples wearing combats and trainers, and the curved pewter bar propped up by celebs. Star drinkers include Liam Neeson, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Jamiroquai and Westlife. But despite the A-list clientele, the bar is relaxed and welcoming. Waiters are ready to light a cigarette before you have taken it out of the packet and serve drinks to your table, although at weekends it gets too busy to wait around.
The ultra-sleek Morrison bar, designed by Douglas Wallace and John Rocha, is the first of its kind to open north of the Liffey on Ormond Quay. With oak-panelled walls, floors and furniture you will need a flashlight to see who?s in there, but in the gentle glow from paper lampshades, the glamorous and beautiful drink champagne (?11 a glass) while comparing Prada shoes.
On Friday and Saturday nights, the bar heaves with a designer-clad crowd enjoying the soulful house music and hanging around the rectangular bar desperate to be served. You?re better off dropping in during the day for decent table service.
?It?s too packed in the evenings and is a much better venue during the day,? says Eleanor Raleigh, 26, from Kenilworth. ?You can flop into a comfy sofa and chill out staring on to the river.?
Head out of central Dublin to the affluent Ballsbridge district, a 15-minute drive, to check out the Ice bar at the Four Seasons. It opened last month and is popular with locals and guests, but never too busy, so you can always pull up a brushed aluminium stool and rest on the marble bar lit by flickering candles.
?We wanted to add another dimension to the Four Seasons image, as our other bar is more sedate and conservative,? says John Brennan, the company?s European boss. It generally attracts the 35-plus crowd dripping with gold and swilling G&Ts on velvet sofas while discussing the contemporary Irish art on display.
But has the influx of design bars in recent years changed the image of drinking in Ireland?s capital completely? ?Dublin has an image of nasty pubs where fat old alcoholics prop up bars ? those pubs still exist,? says Claire Pennington, 28, from Manchester. ?But anyone who?s been here knows that there are some snazzy bars too There?s a bar to suit you ? that?s the beauty of it.?
Copyright 2003 Times Newspapers Ltd.
