Donaghmede Inn

I have one very simple rule in life: «Never drink in a pub that is tacked-​on to a suburban shopping centre». It is a rule I formulated while spending my formative years drinking in the Donaghmede Inn. A recent return visit to the premises showed that the passage of time has not unlocked any hidden charms.
Sullen bar staff, atrocious pints, a soulless layout that could have been the prototype for Wetherspoon’s, and a clientele who– despite the fact you spent the first 20 years of your life in Donaghmede — sneer at you as if you were a cross between a debt collector and a police informer.
Back in the 1990s, it seemed strange that an area the size of Donaghmede had only one bog-​standard pub to service the community; now, it just feels bizarre.
Donaghmede deserves better!

When a pub is located within the unappealing confines of the Donaghmede Shopping Centre, you should get some indication of the type pub that it is going to be (i.e a shit one).
The Grange/​Donahies/​Donaghmede area is a strange one. For a place with such a large population (think mile upon mile of suburban housing estates) the locality only has one pub (two if you include the O’Tooles’ clubhouse, which I won’t). This doesn’t leave the people with a huge amount of options as to where to go for a pint.
Apparently, many decide not to go at all at all, as not that many people drink in the D Inn. And if you’ve ever been in this pub, you might understand why.
Exclusively locals, a lot of them rough, all of them men. It wasn’t too bad during the day when I went there, but there’s frequently trouble at night. The staff are all ignorant assholes who talk to each other and maybe one of the lads at the bar while ignoring your frequent attempts to get their attention.
Aslan played there a couple of years ago. That’s the type of place we’re talking about here, people.