Every year comes the influx of visitors from America, the UK, Europe, and the suburbs to Dublin’s city centre to revel in the Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations. It’s one of the biggest parties in the world. For some, the day itself is a wonderful celebration of Irishness, but the festivities in the city centre can be a bit too busy to enjoy properly.
Here’s a solution where you still get to enjoy the merriment and revelry of Paddy’s Day, to listen to a traditional session, to eat local dishes, and to not be closed in by the crowds; a trip into the Dublin mountains to Johnnie Fox’s Pub.
Now I know what you’re thinking, ‘I don’t want to be driving on Paddy’s Day or to have to find a designated driver’. Well, the highest pub in Ireland are laying on a free bus from multiple stops in the city centre and back again when you’ve had your craic.
There will be live music all day in the main bar where you can enjoy a selection of Irish beers, whiskey, gin, and whatever else you’re having. It’s a great spot for a drink, but you can’t go all that way without getting a bite to eat. It’s an award winning kitchen serving up Irish favourites like Irish lamb stew, braised lamb shank, bacon and cabbage, as well as probably the best seafood selection of any pub in Dublin.
If you’re looking for a bit of grub, then it’s advisable you call ahead and book yourself a table. But if you’re just in the mood for a few pints, then book a space on the bus and find yourself a perch looking in at the music session.
Take Paddy’s Day as a time to escape up to the mountains where you can still find the atmosphere of the celebrations but without any of the constraints.
The pub itself has been described as a ‘living museum’ of artefacts and ornaments, making a walk around this pub a stroll back in history. How better to spend Saint Patrick’s Day than among locals and visitors experiencing the day and the country for the first time.
The shuttle bus leaves The Gresham Hotel on O’Connell Street at 2.30pm and the ETA at Johnnie Fox’s is 3.30pm. The free shuttle bus home leaves at 10pm. Anyone wishing to stay later than 10pm must pay
€ 5 for the regular 11.45pm shuttle bus returning to the city centre.
The stops for the route towards Johnnie Foxes at 2.30pm are The Gresham Hotel, The Shelbourne Hotel, The Clayton Burlington Road, Donnybrook bus depot, N11 bus stop in Stillorgan beside the Radisson, The Stillorgan Shopping Centre opposite the Credit Union, Dundrum, Balaly Luas stop, and opposite the Beacon Hotel in Sandyford.
