Jamie Oliver’s Drinks Tube has started a campaign dubbed #ShowUsYourLocal. It’s exactly what that sounds like, they want people to post pictures, words and video about the pub they call their local. I couldn’t possibly limit myself to just one pub so here are three that I frequent regularly. I grew up in Athlone but have lived in Moate for the past eight years, so both are home in a way. In Athlone you would be likely to find me in The Malt House. They have a few taps of Bo Bristle, Carrig and even a cider, McIvor’s as well as a nice selection of bottles. They have a little stove for those cold evenings and even better, a warm welcome from Rob the landlord or Michelle his right hand woman. Both are working in the hospitality game since they were seventeen, how long ago that was differs depending on who you ask. They have supported and accommodated the Athlone Beer Club since it’s inception and recently organised an Irish Whiskey tasting for us with the Kilbeggan Distillery. It’s a pub that I always recommend to visitors to Athlone and I guarantee that you’ll have the craic if you call in.
Moate has a lot of pubs for a small town but there are just two that I visit fairly often. The first is P. Egan’s.
This traditional Irish pub has a lovely relaxed atmosphere. The chat flows naturally along the bar and there’s plenty of room out the back where you can warm yourself beside the old range. Paul, the landlord is a gentleman who takes great pride in his work. He produces the correct glass for your tipple of choice with a flourish and a smile. A visit to Moate is not complete without a pint in Egan’s.
Last but certainly not least comes Don’s. This is the second premises to bear the name. The first Don’s opened in February 2010. In September 2013 Don bought Coffey’s, a Moate insitution and modernised the ‘bar’ side and kept the ‘lounge’s side pretty much as it was thus keeping the old regulars happy and drawing in a new young crowd at the same time.
Don has embraced new Irish beer and has a Bo Bristle tap and a huge range of bottles. There is always a bit of craic to be had in Don’s whether you fancy playing a hand of cards or want some live music to party along to.If you’re really lucky you may even get a sandwich or a pickled egg!
I hope that some of you get a chance to visit these fine establishments if you haven’t already, who knows, I might be there and we can clink a glass. Sláinte!
If I make it to your end of the world I hope to check out these locations. Even as this world shrinks the world gets bigger. The smaller the world seems to get the harder we seem to have to work to make ends meet. What a juxtaposition.
I visited Canada three years ago but we were in Toronto and Montreal. Which are another long haul from your side of the country! It was our last ‘big trip’ for a while as the kids weren’t yet two and travelled free, now we’d have to pay four full fares, so that limits our excursions. 🙂
This country is so bloody big it is hard to see much of it. I have only been to ontario once and as a small infant. Looking at google it would take a 25 hour drive or 2,514km) 1562 mile drive to get to basically the Ontario border from Vancouver BC. I hope one day you make it out west in Canada and you drop me a line.
If I ever make it that far I surely will! 🙂
The scale is mind boggling to us. We can drive coast to coast in 3 hours! ( Galway to Dublin)
To get from Vancouver BC to a small coastal town in Quebec on Canadian highways would take 68 hours and 5,758km. Lol. To get from Vancouver to the Alaska border is around 36 hours and 2,906km. Its no wonder us Canadians so so little of or own country. Its so bloddy big lol. I love Geography when it comes to stuff like this. Ireland has 84,000km squared (rounded) while Canada has 9.9 million square meters (rounded). Not really a fair comparison. But when you put Irelands 6.3 million people to Canadas 36 million people you really see the Crazy vastness of Canada. Believe me its not lost on me!