Nine years later and €4.70 pints in Farrelly’s of Oldcastle still as good as ever

“We really couldn’t find fault with Farrelly’s and it’s definitely on our list to return to. It truly is a credit it to its owner.”

These were the comments Pub Spy made all the way back in November 2013 when we paid a brief visit to Farrelly’s pub in Oldcastle.

It may have taken almost nine years but we finally followed through on our promise to return to the north west of Co Meath.

Located just over one hour from our HQ, we departed late into the evening with the hope of sampling a terrific atmosphere like the last time we were here.

The Old Commando was delighted to be visiting Oldcastle and even produced his notes from our last call.

“I paid €4.10 for a pint of stout that night; hopefully it hasn’t gone up” he said with a grin as we arrived in the square just off Church Street.

“I’d say you’d be lucky to get change from a fiver these days” the Young Commando replied.

“The Government has no intention of intervening for the soaring costs of porter,” he continued.

For the first time in years we were travelling with a full crew of commandos and we felt it was only fair to let the Young Commando place our order and pick up the tab for the first round of drinks.

There was an all-female bar staff on duty when we arrived and it was extremely busy too, but they were well equipped to handle it with a blend of experience and youth all pulling their weight.

Our round of drinks came to €24.20 with the creamy pints of stout costing €4.70 – a 60c increase from 2013; a pint bottle of cider costing €5.50, a glass of wine was €6 for our Female Commando, lager costing €5 and a mineral for our designated driver set him back €3.

“I suppose €4.70 isn’t the worst price in the world considering what some pubs in the Midlands are charging” the Old Commando moaned.

“More importantly, it’s very nice” he joked.

Each of the staff members we encountered were very friendly and there was a brilliant atmosphere where we sat just inside the front bar.

The red leather swivel barstools were in good condition as were the brown leather bench seating. There was a mixed clientele of all ages throughout the pub but the more youthful partygoers were seated in the smoking area, where there was live music at the time.

The fridges and shelves were all fully stocked and we counted at least four TVs where some locals were watching darts.

“Thank God the real stuff is back next weekend,” ourLiverpool-loving Young Commando said.

The hallway leading to the toilets will take you on a trip down memory lane with photos of the Meath senior football teams that lift the 1987 and 1996 All-Ireland titles, and a beautiful photo of all seven All-Ireland winning captains pictured together.

The Oldcastle senior football team that made it to the Keegan Cup decider in 1998 also feature but the Old Commando informed us that game didn’t go their way, losing out to St Peter’s of Dunboyne.

The toilets themselves were in very good condition with a long ceramic urinal and one cubicle.

We really enjoyed our drinks here and are glad to report, nine years on from our initial visit, things are still running smoothly in Farrelly’s bar.

Staff, pints and locals were all 100% and we promise not to leave it another nine years before we call again.

Rating: Four pints out of Five

One for the road…

The Mountain Dew – Oldcastle

THE local bar flies were naming and discussing their favourite films when Pub Spy and the team dropped by for a quick pint, and the Young Commando was only too happy to join in on the debate as he considers himself something of a movie buff.

There were two young barmen on duty during our visit and the mixed clientele were mostly middleaged.

There was a decent atmosphere with two TVs, a dart board, a pool table and a jukebox. Frosted and colour stained glass windows made it impossible to see out or impossible for passers-by to see in, while the black leather seating in the front bar was in reasonably good condition, although certainly not new.

The toilets were both spacious and clean. Our stay was brief but we enjoyed our few pints in The Mountain Dew.

Rating: Three pints out of Five