Leitrim had us reeling in the beers with €4.20 pints in Biddy’s of Manorhamilton

“Larry Cunningham was right, Leitrim is lovely,” the Old Commando said as we arrived in the small town of Manorhamilton in the north of the county.

“Larry who?” one of our Commandos replied. “Probably another GAA player,” he continued.

It had been a few years since we were in the area and the Old Commando was delighted to be back.

The town itself was relatively quiet but luckily enough, probably due to the World Cup, Biddy’s Bar was enjoying a brisk trade when we stopped by for a few pints of the black stuff.

An elderly barman was pulling pints when we arrived at the counter and he took our order immediately while engaging us all in conversation.

He seemed to be on a first-name basis with plenty of the customers but he caught us off guard when the Old Commando asked him how much he owed him for our round of drinks.

“God I couldn’t tell you, I haven’t worked here in years,” he said jokingly.

“I’m just minding the house for herself, she had to pop down the road for a little while,” the friendly barman said.

We ended up paying €4.20 for our creamy pints of Guinness based on the pricelist at the front door, and the Young Commando couldn’t believe a pint of Heineken was just €4.50.

There are multiple options available on draught such as Carling, Rockshore and Coors, and the fridges were all fully stocked.

The Old Commando was thrilled with €4.20 for a pint of Guinness and believes that’s the cheapest price we’ve had so far this year.

He thinks he may have been charged €4.30 for the second pint but given how cheap it still is, he wasn’t bothered arguing over 10c.

He sat at the end of the counter discussing the 1970s and 1980s with the barman as they reminisced about everything from GAA to the Government in those days compared to the lot today.

“The Government back then was a friend of the publican,” the Old Commando said. “And they never would have allowed a doctor to close them for two years,” he maintained.

There was a mixed clientele in the bar with groups of men huddled around the one TV watching the football while we noticed two or three female customers enjoying a drink.

The red velvet bench seating was in decent condition as were the barstools at the counter.

There was a very good atmosphere among the locals as almost all of the customers were seated in the front bar.

The second section of this pub looks to have been purpose built or renovated to three snug type spots back in the ‘Covid days’ and it also has a dart board, while the third section was a smoking area.

Our Young Commando was lost without the use of WiFi and we pointed out to him that there is a sign at the front door advising customers to pretend it’s 1995 and talk to each other.

The timber flooring and tiled sections at the counter were both clean and there is a fireplace in the corner of the bar but despite the presence of a bucket of logs, it was not lit.

The toilets are quite basic but they were clean, containing a stainless steel urinal and one cubicle.

By the time the barmaid had returned to action we were a few pints deep and scrutinising the price had become irrelevant to us.

Whether it’s €4.20 or €4.30 it’s still extremely good value and we enjoyed the company of the “retired” barman that was helping out.

Perhaps he might do a few more shifts over the Christmas?

Rating: Three pints out of Five

One for the road…

McGloin’s, The Angler’s Rest – Kinlough

THE warm open fire greets you as soon as you arrive in McGloin’s bar in Kinlough and we were never as glad of it as the cold wind was taking its toll on us.

A chirpy and chatty barman was on duty and served us soon as we arrived at the counter. He was certainly enthusiastic.

There was a mixed clientele in the bar — mostly middle aged to elderly — but it’s the type of place where everybody knows each other.

The shelves were well stocked and the wine-coloured leather barstools were in good condition.

We noticed a framed blue GAA jersey hanging across from the counter — the Old Commando assumed this was for Melvin Gaels? An FC Porto flag is also on display.

The toilets were in decent condition but the paper towel dispenser was empty.

Rating: Three pints out of Five