It may be just me but I think it’s cheeky beyond belief that the people behind Bad Bobs 2.0 in Temple Bar have recently proclaimed a part (!) of their pub as ‘Temple Bar’s Oldest Pub’. With a lick of paint and some Ye Olde knickknacks in the window, they hope to fool and no doubt pull in some of that Yankee dollar.
I took this picture during the week of the ‘The Snug Temple Bar’:
‘Temple Bar Snug’, October 2013. Credit – Carax
As you can see, they got a painter to recreate an old-style Dublin boozer sign above the door. For added measure, they even have the ‘Licensed To Sell Tobacco, Ales, Stouts & Spirits’ blurb. To make it even more of a joke, you can’t get into the ‘The Snug, Temple Bar’ without going through the main Bad Bobs entrance!
‘Temple Bar Snug’, October 2013. Credit – Carax.
But as we know, before it reopened as Bad Bobs in March 2013, the Purty Kitchen was just another bland, crappy tourist trap. Nothing historic about it whatsoever. It’s been through countless name changes and been sold and bought by various business groups over the decades.
This is what it looked like exactly a year ago. The part of the pub on the on left hand side (beside the two people) is now the self-proclaimed oldest pub in Temple Bar. What difference a year makes.
The Purty Kitchen, October 2012. Credit – William Murphy (Infomatique)
The premises, situated between 34 and 37 East Essex Street, has been known as Nugents (1960s), The Granary (late 1970s) and Bad Bobs (1984-2006). It was bought in 2006 for a whopping €12 million by Conor Martin, a publican who owned The Purty Kitchen in Dun Laoghaire. At the time, it was the property of Liam and Des O’Dwyer of the Capital Bars group who are behind Cafe en Seine, the Dragon, the George, Break for the Border and a number of hotels. It was renamed Bad Bobs in March of this year.
There’s no denying that the address is historic. An Irish Times article from 8 November 2006 stated that there has been a pub on the premises since 1728. But during that time there has been numerous name changes, auctions and buy outs. There’s no doubt that interior as been gutted and renovated three or four times at least.
Finally, where on earth did they pull that 1694 number from?
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Come Here To Me! 
look on the bright side, a shabby looking building got a paint job, some people have jobs and some tourists spent some money, cheeky yes but at least a tacky looking templebar looks a little less tacky, maybe if they focus on the red paint they will ignore the drunks,beggers, homeless, drug addicts and vomit
1694? They dreamed up The Snug at six minutes to five last Friday afternoon.
Well, as I recall the Norseman, est. 1690 or something like that, rebranded itself as Farrington´s, est. 15-something…
Cheeky, but a nice way to go but let’s be honest, it is happening all over the city from Dublin’s oldest pub the Brazen head which some say only dates anywhere from1613-1775 and almost none of the current building is of anywhere close to that period. but Essex street and the building date back to this time which at this time was on the River bank and it was the place for lots of Taverns, who knows but when I asked I was told with research there was a pub there from that date
no..it is just you. this is the oldest pub in temple bar..how do I know..sure doesn’t it say so over the door..so stop being so cynical and admit you don;t know everything about the city’s history.
The reason they chose 1694 is probably pretty simple actually – Farrington’s currently says “Est. 1696” so they needed to be before that, 1728 be damned!
To put them in good company, it’s a bit like the fight among a few Oxford colleges in their claim to be the oldest… best not to look too deep into it!
[…] The Granary at 34-37 East Essex Street opened in the late 1970s and was then turned into Bad Bobs in 1984. In 2006 it was bought over and renamed the Purty Kitchen but but was renamed Bad Bobs in March 2013. More on the building and Bad Bob’s recent claim that it is the oldest pub in Temple Bar can be found here. […]
[…] a bit like ‘The Snug‘ bar, attached to Bad Bob’s, which is the self-proclaimed ‘Temple Bar’s Oldest […]
L Duggan: This to me, is a place of bad memories, like Twink comming in the door… and being told to say Hello! I always swore she was a man, was hard to tell given what I grew up with! We owned The Granary…. recessions, this is my second!!! Still we are dealing with inbred itiocracy it seems….Do not give in! Do not give up! Do not Pay! I never will!
The *ullshit Price…
Poverty is a life lived righteously!!!
[…] by rebranding their exterior to claim that they first opened in 1798. Bad Bob’s in Temple Bar did something similar a few years […]