69) The Oval of Middle Abbey Street, D1

Located beside Eason's. Made unmistakable by its oval shaped façade over three levels with its two pillars and lamps by its entrance. Once had a reputation as the go-to bolthole for pissed-up reporters and dipsomaniac editors (not least in Ulysses, where Professor MacHugh mentions it in Aeolus). Impressive array of sculptured heads depicting the heroes of 1916 and others. The building was completely destroyed during the 1916 Rising and remained closed for 6 years until it was finally rebuilt. A large sign over the bar iterates this factoid. The middle level has an unusual shrine to the movie The Quiet Man, a bizarre but recurring theme for many Dublin pubs – doubly bizarre since the film is set in Connemara, Galway, and the capital never so much as puts in an appearance nor plays any part in the plot.

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