Creamy €5 pints went Town well in the upgraded JP’s bar in Cavan

Almost nine years ago Pub Spy and the team of Commandos visited Cavan town and JP’s bar and lounge was their port of call.

Old Commando can remember the visit and he had some pretty fond memories of it too, but he also remarked that we had noted on that occasion that there was room for improvement in some areas.

“Let’s see if they took our advice,” the Old Boy said as we strolled in JP’s front door after the 90-minute journey from HQ.

“Nobody listens to you, so don’t expect miracles,” the Young Commando jokingly replied.

The front bar was familiar to us immediately and we took our seats just across from the counter under the overhead heater.

It was very cold outside so the blast of heat from the ceiling was welcomed by our travelling party.

There were no seats available at the counter as a line of pensioners had filled them all, but we didn’t mind as we had secured the warmest seats in the house.

The Old Commando was dispatched to the bar and he fit in well with the locals as he is of a similar age profile.

Most of the customers at the counter were enjoying a glass or pint of stout with a little short to warm the cockles too.

A blonde haired barmaid with glasses served him without delay and he was full of praise for her when he returned to our table with our round of drinks.

“That’s a lovely woman working behind the bar,” he told us all.

“Would you believe she has four sons? She doesn’t look a day over 35,” he added.

We sipped on our creamy pints of stout which cost us €5 each and following a recap of our notes from 2014 we discovered they’ve increased by €1.10 since then, an almost 30 per cent increase.

“What I wouldn’t give for pints to be still €3.90,” the Young Commando bemoaned.

There are two TVs in the front bar and this is where we stayed for most of our visit. The blue coloured carpet in the first section was very clean and there were plenty of GAA related photographs for the Old Commando to enjoy and reminisce about.

A photo of the 1997 Cavan footballers that lifted the Ulster championship is on display as well as the men from 50 years before that who won the Sam Maguire in the Polo Grounds in New York, captained by local legend John Joe Reilly.

The second section of the bar has a photograph of the latest group of successful Cavan men who had the fortune of winning the 2020 Ulster title — and the misfortune to win it in an empty stadium due to Covid restrictions.

“Do you think there’ll ever be another All-Ireland final played outside Ireland?” the Young Commando queried.

“Wouldn’t it be lovely for ex-pats living in London or New York to have an All-Ireland played there some time in the future?” he said.

“Ye Dubs have trouble leaving Croke Park, I can’t see you travelling to Wembley or Giants Stadium any time soon,” our sarcastic Rural Commando jeered.

The second section of this pub is much more modern and the clientele was certainly that bit younger.

The cubicle styled seating is all in good condition and there are an additional three TVs in this area.

The toilets were in immaculate condition with three urinals and two cubicles along with an electric dryer and a roller hand towel.

The second section of this pub and the toilets were areas we expressed concern about on a previous visit, but they are now the reason that we have upgraded our rating from three pints to four pints.

Whether it was because of our advice or not, we’re glad that improvements have been made.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to JP’s pub and the pints of porter went down a treat.

Rating: Four pints out of Five

One for the road…

Kitty’s – Cavan Town

THERE was a predominately middle aged to elderly male clientele when Pub Spy made a quick visit to Kitty’s pub in Cavan town.

Kitty herself was working behind the counter and the Old Commando was full of praise for the warm welcome he received from the experienced barmaid.

She was friendly to all the customers and knew what drink to prepare as soon as they walked through the front door.

There were two TVs in the bar with horse racing on both during our stay, and there is plenty of seating throughout the bar.

However, the walls just inside the front door need urgent attention as the paint is peeling off the wall.

The toilets are outside with a stainless-steel urinal in one area and a cubicle.

We wouldn’t fancy having to use either in the depths of winter, that’s for sure.

Rating: Three pints out of Five