‘Gentlemen Only – Ladies Served in Lounge’
Following on from their excellent exhibition on Heffo’s Army and the phenomenon of Dublin’s 1970s GAA support, the Little Museum of Dublin is currently hosting an exhibition dedicated to the history of the Dublin pub. Avoiding all cliches, it includes sections on things like the temperance movement in the city historically, the Vintners Association and some of Dublin’s historic public houses which now exist only in the annals of history.
A recent addition to the exhibition is this sign, ‘Gentlemen Only – Ladies Served in Lounge’. Posting it on my Instagram, it led to some excellent comments. Gerry posted:
When I worked as a lounge boy in The Kilmardinny Inn the women picketed the pub as the bar was men only. The husband’s were put out as they could not cross the picket with their wives on the picket line! RTE had it on a news report circa 1974/75 if memory serves me right.
Similarly, Carey remembered:
The Blue Haven in Templeogue in the early 70s had the sign ‘No Dogs, No Women’ pride of place on the front door. My mother refused to allow my father or uncle to go anywhere near it!
Irish Independent, September 1977.
In 1972, when Terry Kelleher published The Essential Dublin, he noted that “No pubs are barred to women though there is an unstated convention that women use the lounge bar if there is one. ” It’s quite difficult to tell just when things changed in Dublin public houses, indeed it seems to even vary between city and county. In his excellent social history of the Dublin public house, Kevin Kearns notes:
Changes began in the postwar forties when women were gradually admitted, lounges created and comfortable furniture installed. These were healthy changes which served to “civilise” the social setting without destroying the original character of the bar area.
Regardless, the sign in the corner of the exhibition is a relic of a different time entirely now, but an important one in telling the history of the Dublin public house.
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 
I greatly appreciate the tone in these entries, at no time do they strive for inflaming grievances, thank you for that!
I know it was not a pub, and I have referred to it before, but it does reflect the attitudes of the era that it was not challenged during the time I availed of it.
Bewley’s of Grafton Street had a men only room downstairs, certainly in the 1960s, It was the same coffee and cherry buns as upstairs but in the company of the city’s business nomenclatura.
Johntarf@gmail.com John 9.05 in the morning, if that suits you. Sent from my Samsung device
When I came to Dublin in the early 70s, many of the bars were ‘men only’. Also, many pubs would not serve a pint to a woman but we’re happy to charge a good deal extra for 2 glasses.