“Come on; stall down here, we’ll get cans in, head to a pub, and then hit Dancehall Styles,” I say. “Grand, but meet me up in The Flowing Tide for one first” he says. Do we make it to Dancehall Styles? Not a chance. The Flowing Tide on Abbey Street has the ability to put the goo on you for a night on a bar stool. It’s a great spot, just off O’Connell Street but it somehow manages to avoid the majority of the ‘five-around-one-pint-of-stout” tourists that places like The Oval and Murrays seem to attract in abundance. Pints at a nice price too, at €4.15, unusual considering. The barman is a gent too, though I remind myself not to get on his bad side.

The Flowing Tide, by Sarahjoh, from Flickr
I was here one afternoon with my brother, ingesting a couple of quiet ones before we legged it down to Connolly to catch the train home. There was just the two of us and the barman, swapping small talk and watching the wrestling on telly, laughing and cracking jokes about it, when all of a sudden, two thirty-something blokes, straight from the office, and pretty hoi-polloi, strode hurriedly in. Without looking at the barman, one nasally whined “Hoi, stick on two Heino and the last race at Cheltenham, good man.” Christ. The barman, without taking his eyes off the telly said “Nah, lad, we’re watching the wrestling.” The two “Heinos” didn’t know where to look, eventually said “you can cancel the Heinos,” turned heal and left. I didn’t know where to look either, I nearly spilled my drink with laughter. So, moral of the story, don’t cross the barman with the moustache…
Anyways, great little spot; with the theatre across the road, you often get well known faces dropping in- Mick Lally (Miley from Glenroe) is a regular, though he’s a little worse for wear these days to be honest. But he wasn’t there tonight, just myself, jaycarax and a few locals. A couple of pints later and it was obvious that neither of us would have the energy to make it to see our friends in Worries Outernational. What we could do is get the grub in and head for another couple of quiet ones elsewhere.

Sin É, from properpint.com
So, after a quick stop off in the Peoples Kitchen on Capel Street (worth an article in itself- good asian food at half the price,) we headed as far as Sin É on Ormond Quay, pleasantly surprised to find that on Sundays, they do €3 pints of Guinness. I was hoping there wasn’t a reason for the pints being €3, but other than them being served in non-branded glasses (a bit of a pet hate,) you couldn’t complain.
Sin É: I really don’t know what to make of it. It tries to attract an “in” crowd, but bars like that are generally, well, a bit crap to be honest, but this place does well in that the staff are proper spot-on, the music is always good, and the punters are sound too. It’s frequented by Irish and non-Irish alike, a lot of backpacker types, alongside a couple of locals propping up the bar. Nice place it has to be said I guess. We stayed for a couple of their nice €3 pints before I realized the night was getting on and I had work bright and breezy in the morning. A right pain in the arse as we had just settled ourselves into some nice seats just inside the door. Ah well; not a bad evening, nice and cheap, not to be scoffed at in these times, the pints and the food came to less than €30. Well worth a try again sometime!
Haha! Will never forget the two Heinos! Am I mistaking in thinking the bar man turned on the race once the two heads left?
I don’t recall to be honest, I think he changed over the station either way! Christ, I nearly swallowed the pint glass…
“other than them being served in non-branded glasses (a bit of a pet hate)”
I hate branded glasses! I want to drink my pint not advertise it. If it’s in a branded glass it should be cheaper. They get them for free. Plain glasses… Yer only man.
It’s not the brand I want when I’m drinking the pint either but a lot of glasses, like Heineken, Carlsberg, Coors Light etc., have widgets sand- blasted on their bases designed to agitate the gas in the drinks and keep their heads for longer. Guinness glasses don’t have this and that’s why I prefer my Guinness to be served in a Guinness glass! If, on the odd occasion, I’m drinking lager, I couldn’t give a toss!
i know the barman in question,he does an outstanding job.I have been drinking there for years.He deals with drunk muppets day in day out.has to deal with drug dealing scum.puts up with verbal abuse.how many of you have been threatend,in your work place.I wouldent find any of you working behind abar.you wouldent last aday.very easy to sit in an office behind atype writer,and slate some one.isnt it. whats wrong was the wine not chilled just right. I drink there during the week and weekends,the only time wrestling is on is at night,past the horses bedtime I think?????.You shower of sad idiots would want to get yourselves alife. and let the pros get on with theirs. dont forget to post your comments.sados
Dear Hamshank…
I guess the time of your comment says it all, but anyhow, I’ll bite. I’ve been a barman since I was fourteen years old unfortunately, some twelve years ago now so; I wouldn’t last a day? I’ll let that one slide. Best off you re-read the article whilst sober- Did you not get the fact I called it a “great spot” and gave it a gushing review, even pausing to call the barman in question a gent? And as for wine? Don’t make me projectile vomit. Pints of plain for me only thanks!
Yours sincerely,
hXci.
PS. I wrote this in a hungover state lying in bed with a can of Karpackie. No office or typewriter in sight!