Water' great way to pass an evening with €5 pints at Tierneys

IS there a more tedious or boring stretch of roadway in the country than the M9 to Waterford? Our designated driver has driven us to every square inch of the island over the years from Dunfanaghy to Dunquin, but it’s the M9 journey to Waterford City that he despises the most.

“I’ll need a Berocca boost before we leave,” he joked when we told him where we wanted to go this past week.

“I’ll fall asleep if I don’t take something. It’s a dreadful boring journey,” he added.

We hadn’t been to Waterford since October 2019 so despite our designated driver’s complaining, the rest of our Commandos were giddy with excitement.

We’ve been enjoying the return to normality and noticing that customers and pubs are still operating in a responsible way, which we hope continues.

With the pub-mobile parked safely near the local pharmacy and the Bank of Ireland ATM raided for fifties, our troops headed for Tierneys pub, a place we’d never been before.

“I can’t say I remember this place, it looks new enough, fresh coat of paint and all that jazz,” the Old Commando said as we approached the front door.

From the exterior, we assumed this was a small cosy bar but we were taken aback when we stepped inside and realised just how spacious and grand it was.

Our Commandos sat in ‘Cally’s Corner’ as the Old Commando placed our order with a blonde haired barmaid on duty.

The Old Commando took an instant shine to her and described her as a “terrific character” with an “infectious laugh”, although using the word infectious is probably frowned upon these days.

Addressing each customer as ‘my dear’ or ‘my love’, she was very welcoming and polite and the Old Commando said she was born for bar work.

The locals certainly seemed to like her just as much as we did.

What did strike us as strange was there was only one person sitting at the counter, even though it was reasonably busy during our stay.

We thought everyone would be making full use of restrictions being removed but perhaps they’ve got used to table service. The pints of stout cost us €5 with the likes of Tuborg and Carling also available on draught.

With the fridges fully stocked, they’ve got their bases covered in Tierney’s.

The red leather bench seating and barstools were in excellent condition and there was a lively atmosphere too.

The Young Commando highlighted that this pub has a Monday Club with live music from 6pm and at least four TVs in the main bar, although with the Premier League on hiatus for two weeks there was nothing of any interest on.

The smoking area is very spacious with green astro turf used as flooring and at least another three TVs in this section of the pub.

Our Old Commando, living the freedom to roam around the pub again, quizzed some locals as to why he couldn’t remember Tierneys pub and one of them told him that it wasn’t always known as Tierneys, the name over the door used to be Freddie Kervick.

The Young Commando inspected the toilets and informed us that there are three urinals, a paper towel dispenser and two cubicles.

But he urged the owners to fix/replace the lock on one of the cubicle doors.

We really liked Tierney’s pub and wouldn’t hesitate to call again some day.

It’s a well furnished boozer with good staff and good porter, a winning combination for Pub Spy.

Rating: Three pints out of Five

One for the road

The Exchange - Waterford City

WE’D been here before five years ago and enjoyed ourselves so we decided to check up on the place and make sure standards are still being maintained.

Maria was the barmaid on duty and she served us without delay. To our surprise, again, there was nobody sitting at the counter although customers were getting served at the bar.

There was an all-male clientele during our brief stay and a lively atmosphere too with five TV’s showing horse racing and golf.

The solid fuel stove was lit and there was musicians setting up their equipment in the corner, it was starting to take off! A framed and signed Waterford hurling jersey hangs proudly across from the counter and there are gaming machines located towards the rear of the pub.

They have a strictly over 21’s policy in ‘The Exchange’ so make sure to bring your ID if you’re dropping in for a pint.

Rating: Three pints out of Five