Gateway Bar

It has been about a 10 days since Laura and I stumbled upon Gateway, and we are still incredibly happy with our experience there. On our two week vacation we stopped at Dublin, London, Cork, and Galway. Cork has been our favorite city because of the people we met there, most of which were met in Gateway.
We found Gateway completely by accident. We were leaving Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral when I noticed an imposing wall half cloaked by modern buildings. We walked up a long alley to find Elizabeth Fort and stopped to take a few pictures. Outside the fort was a small pub (Gateway) which we decided to stop in for a beer and bathroom break. Alan was behind the bar and, after a few questions about the area, he proceeded to tell us a little about the history of the pub and produced pages of documents of the history of the pub, including researched lists of the owners heading back centuries. Gateway claims to be one of the oldest pubs in Cork if not Ireland, once you learn a little of the history it’s hard to disagree. After our «quick stop» dragged out to an hour plus before Laura and I left. We only had three days in Cork and we wanted to make sure we got a long breadth of experiences there.
Somehow, fate dragged us back to Gateway… twice. We met Colm and a bunch of the regulars. They were very friendly and we talked for hours about everything from Southern food, Guinness versus Murphy’s, politics, and sports. We were there until closing, which after a day of hiking around the city should emphasize how much we liked the place and the people. Of all the places we visited on our trip Cork felt most like a place we could call home. And I think it is due in no small part to our experiences with Colm and Alan.
Gateway is a traditional Irish pub. Plenty of beer, friendly and curious locals, and a calm atmosphere. They treat you like family, even if you are only there for a couple days. I cannot recommend Gateway more highly for Irish hospitality.

A little off the beaten path but aren’t those bars always the best?!
A social bar for sure with just a few tv’s and plenty of standing room for a pint and a rousing chat with friends.

The Gateways is Cork’s oldest bar — there’s a plaque on the wall outside to prove it. A fairly authentic version of a modern Irish bar — no pretension, just a friendly, chatty atmosphere with tables and chairs packed in and standing room too. Good fun.