A lively atmosphere and very impressive pints at just €4.60 in the Mighty Quinn’s of Drumlish

IT has been so long since Pub Spy and the team paid a visit to Drumlish, we’d almost forgotten it existed.

In fact, apart from Pub Spy himself and the Old Commando, none of our crew had ever been to Drumlish.

“I couldn’t tell you when I was last around these parts,” the Old Commando said as our pub-mobile made its journey past the Pro-Trans warehouse and towards Drumlish village.

“Without a doubt it’s at least 11 or 12 years ago – and that’s at a minimum. It could be even longer than that,” he continued.

Our designated driver parked our new electric wagon outside Quinn’s pub and the Commandos headed straight for the counter in high spirits.

A young barman was on duty and while he did serve us immediately, the Old Commando would like to offer him some advice if he plans to stay in the pub-trade – put away the mobile phone! “The barman/barmaid has always played an important role in Irish people’s lives and that’s in danger of been eroded by these mobile phones,” he moaned as he walked back towards our seats.

“Put away the phone and talk to your customers – it is part and parcel of the job,” the Old Commando stated.

The creamy pints of stout were impressive, however, and costing just €4.60 our Commandos were quite content to keep a steady supply flowing.

It’s a terrible shame a huge price increase is coming in two weeks time. Carling, Orchard Thieves, Coors, Birra Moretti and Smirnoff are all available on draught and the shelves and fridges were well stocked.

The vast majority of the clientele were male, and mostly young to middle-aged.

The atmosphere was very enjoyable and there are three TVs spread throughout the bar, with live football and horse racing all being broadcast.

A framed and signed Kilkenny hurling jersey hangs just inside the front door, a Leitrim car registration plate hangs just above the entrance, along with a list of football fixtures for Bolton Wanderers FC.

We had to double check our maps to make sure we were actually in Longford.

A pool table is located directly between the front door and counter and a large solid-fuel stove to the left hand side of that which is flanked by a large chest of fuel – Eamon Ryan’s worst nightmare all in one box.

There is plenty of seating throughout the pub, including cream-coloured velvet barstools and it was mostly in good condition too.

The timber flooring looks to have worn over time but it was clean and there is also a gaming machine in the far right-hand corner of the pub.

Our Young Commando was struggling to sit quietly as some Manchester United fans were gloating about their imminent return to triumph and he asked to be excused, so we dispatched him to the toilets to give them a thorough inspection.

“I’ll try not throw up while I’m out there,” he said as he traipsed away, looking rather downtrodden.

Upon his return, some 20 minutes later, he told us there was little to report other than the toilets were clean with one cubicle and three urinals.

This pub was only established in 2005 so it’s very possible it wasn’t even open the last time we were in the village, but it seems to be going well. It had a steady trade during our stay and we enjoyed our few (relatively) cheap pints down in Quinn’s pub in Drumlish.

We will certainly call again some day.

Rating: Three pints out of Five

One for the road…

Olde Village Inn – Drumlish

THE front bar is where it was all happening during our visit to Cassidy’s Olde Village Inn, with an all-male clientele ranging from middle-aged to elderly.

Despite it being relatively busy, there was only one conversation taking place as all the locals sat around chatting.

Our group of Commandos must have stood out like a sore thumb. Bernie was the barmaid on duty during our visit and we found her very welcoming and friendly.

Fosters, Coors and Rockshore are all available on draught and the wine leather barstools were all in good condition, although the bench seating was torn in parts.

A cosy turf fire was burning away as the locals huddled around it, and it’s sad to think this may become a thing of the past if the Green Party continues to decimate rural Ireland.

The TV about the fireplace was turned on but muted and the timber flooring was in good condition. The toilets checked out fine.

Rating: Three pints out of Five