Mrs RM took me on a short tour of Belfast’s Primark and the Liverpool FC club store, which revealed a bustling and modernised town centre with a pleasing amount of cranes. Cranes are a great sign in a city. A year ago she’d stayed yards from Mourne Seafood Bar, sharing its outside area with this… Continue reading KELLY’S CELLARS – BEST GUINNESS IN BELFAST ?
Author: retiredmartin
Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.
MORE ORNATE LOO STOPS ON THE ORMEAU ROAD
Eurovision night, Belfast. We walked the length of Ormeau Road, wondering why no-one makes graffiti about Plum Porter rather than politics. A mere 20 minutes after leaving the Oak Lounge, one of our number needed another comfort break. Luckily, the Quinno Guide to Belfast told me that the Hatfield House was a large, rambling pub… Continue reading MORE ORNATE LOO STOPS ON THE ORMEAU ROAD
HIDDEN CASK IN THE ERRIGLE’S OAK LOUNGE
Yes, it the approved Retired Martin family loo stop on the Ormeau Road, just across the road from Northern Lights. The Errigle is one of only half a dozen four (4) outlets for your actual cask in Belfast, and is also as good an allrounder as you’ll get. Giant Guinness fonts and tasteful seating in… Continue reading HIDDEN CASK IN THE ERRIGLE’S OAK LOUNGE
A CULTURAL INTERLUDE IN BOTANIC BELFAST
After hogging our prized booth at the Crown we left Matt and Emma to watch the FA Cup Final, a minor tournament for teams that aren’t the Champions of England. I don’t THINK they took the party bike.. Mrs RM and I took a cultural interlude through the University quarter and the Botanic. The museum… Continue reading A CULTURAL INTERLUDE IN BOTANIC BELFAST
THE LAST BOOTH IN THE CROWN LIQUOR SALOON
Obviously, the Crown had opened when I rejoined the (non-existent) queue at 11:45. Grrr. All the booths will either have been taken or reserved (boooo !) by now. No ! I grab the last one, dashing the hopes and dreams of Martha from Michigan and Helmut from Hanover. And they really did look angry as… Continue reading THE LAST BOOTH IN THE CROWN LIQUOR SALOON
In an unexpected turn of events, I take Mrs RM’s advice.
11:35. No sign of movement in the Crown. The gaggle of foreign tourists seemed to be blaming me, who’d been waiting outside the historic entrance for 28 minutes already. “Let’s go in the pub next door while we’re waiting for the pub” said Mrs RM. Robinsons Bar, also known by the more traditional Fibber Magee… Continue reading In an unexpected turn of events, I take Mrs RM’s advice.
WAITING FOR THE CROWN TO OPEN
They couldn’t work out how to get up early on Saturday morning after a night out on Bangor, though, so Mrs RM and I headed out to Great Victoria Street with a plan to queue at the door for 11am opening and nab a booth. No-one else ? Oh, well take some pics. A few… Continue reading WAITING FOR THE CROWN TO OPEN
COCKTAILS IN TEA POTS IN THE RABBIT ROOMS
Nearly forgot, I did have a beer in Bangor (N.I.). but the Rabbit Rooms is one of a host of inviting little places where you can here fiddly music, eat Strangford Lough mussels and drink Guinness £2 cheaper than in Dublin. OK, it’s no Crown Liquor Saloon, but the beer range is very typical of… Continue reading COCKTAILS IN TEA POTS IN THE RABBIT ROOMS
BANGOR (N.I.) IS AN ENERGY
I have to add (N.I.) to any posts about Bangor (N.I.) or Patrick from Bangor (N.Wales) will wonder why I didn’t visit his wonderful pub. This Bangor is Belfast’s seaside town, the Margate of the west, with its street art, kiddie “funpark”, urgent warnings to repent, and micropubs. OK, not micros (yet), but lots of… Continue reading BANGOR (N.I.) IS AN ENERGY
A NAGGING DOUBT ABOUT DONAGHADEE
Fairley’s in Coleraine was my final Northern Irish tick. Like the aforementioned Hillside in Hillsborough, it had recently been booted out of the GBG in a “booting out ceremony” in Dundonald, due to the crime against nature of not serving real ale. But what if it DID start serving cask again, hmm ? Like, a… Continue reading A NAGGING DOUBT ABOUT DONAGHADEE
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