We were up in Ballshannon for the Rory Gallagher Festival.
Herself was reliving her musical youth when she saw Rory in Dublin. The musician kind of passed me by & I was using the festival to visit every bar in Ballyshannon!
This would be an out-of-context visit experienced through the big crowds of festival goers. What the pubs normally are outside of that gig I’ll probably never know. As it was all the bars were packed, had loud music & generally accepted cash only. This is what I found.
1 The Bridgend Bar, East Port
As you can see from the flags adorning the outside of the bar Diageo are sponsoring the festival & their brands dominated at least the beer & cider servings. The whiskey front tended to be the big Pernod Ricard brands. There was little regional variation. It was difficult to spot what was actually available behind most bars due to the crowds & with Bridgend I did spot a Dubliner Whiskey. It actually turned out to be their Honeycomb Liqueur which seemed a popular serve in the town as a lot of the bars stocked it. A bit too sweet for my tastes.
2 Melly’s Bar, East Port
Melly’s Bar is a much smaller & more intimate setting. There was a band upstairs so I remained down at the bar. A rather unusual looking blue labelled bottle I couldn’t identify on the optics turned out to be a large Gaviscon! Perhaps punters would need some later? The selection remained the big brands so a rock ‘n’ roll Jack Daniels made my glass. Not sure if Rory would have approved – but it suited the weekends events.
3 Owen Roe’s, East Port
A large crowd gathered outside this pub to hear the live music being played in the street. The venue itself was rather quieter but still not much of a variety of spirits on show. Paddy was my choice. A solid easy kind of blend. Got chatting away with fellow punters. What bars are all about.
4 The Bull Frog, East Port
Rory had a popular song – Bull Frog Blues – which Canned Heat also did a version of later in the Big Top – but I was unaware of that when I entered this bar. It was very busy inside – a live band were playing out the back – with a queue for the bar. The usual spirits were on show but I did spot Tennents lager. It had run out – as had some others – so made do with a Carlsberg. Mass market sales.
5 The Lantern Bar, Allingham Rd
It doesn’t look much from the outside – but there was a cracking band playing inside! The front space was packed so I made do with the back bar. Couldn’t see the spirits shelves so a solid pour of Powers red label did the job. Can’t beat that ex-bourbon cask only maturation vibe.
6 Dorian’s Imperial Hotel, Main St
I’d pre-arranged to meet up with the rest of my crew in Dorian’s for a meal. For the festival they served up wholesome food in an almost canteen style service which worked extremely well catering for the crowds of music lovers. The only variation to the usual spirits fare was a Canadian Club – which I happily had as an alternative tipple.
7 Finn McCools, Main St
A lovely pub indeed – if you managed to get inside – smack bang in the middle of town surrounded by all the revelry. Decent array of drinks too. Went for a Chica Reposado myself – if only for the alternative taste flavour provided.
8 Dicey Reilly’s, Market St
At last a bar that served the local Donegal whiskey! Both the Silkie & Croithlí ranges were proudly displayed on the spirits shelves – along with Donegal craft beers too. Sadly I was driving on the night & Guinness 0 non-alcoholic was my serve. Does go down well this one! Despite trying to get back during the festivities we never made it. Did call into the next door off-licence which was extremely well stocked with local product too. Definitely a pub to re-visit!
Sláinte
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 