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JOHN MULLIGAN Notable

8 POOLBEG STREET &, GROUND FLOOR & BASEMENT OF 9 POOLBEG STREET, Dublin

Address8 POOLBEG STREET &, GROUND FLOOR & BASEMENT OF 9 POOLBEG STREET
CountyDublin
Licence refS0035

🏭 Heritage-listed building

NIAH building record

Built: c.1870 · NIAH rating: Regional

Poolbeg Street, named after a small pool or inlet on the south side of the River Liffey, was established on reclaimed land between Townsend Street and the present-day quays to the north. This parcel of ground was leased to Luke Gardiner in 1741, and it was he who initially developed houses and shops along this street. This building was a public house in the early nineteenth century, and John Mulligan, grocer, wine and spirit dealer became proprietor in 1853, having previously held premises on Thomas Street. It was rebuilt in the 1880s, with a lounge extending to its neighbouring...

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From the record · Deep research

What the archives say

Independent reporting and heritage records on this pub, drawn from a curated list of Irish news outlets, Revenue Commissioners, NIAH, and the Dictionary of Irish Architects. Every claim links to its primary source.

Listing historyCultural mentionsArchitecture

Revenue's renewed-liquor-licence register lists licence ref S0035 as a Publican's Licence (7-Day Ordinary) for JOHN MULLIGAN at 8 Poolbeg Street and the ground floor and basement of 9 Poolbeg Street, with MULLIGAN'S (POOLBEG STREET) LIMITED as licensee.[1]

NIAH records John Mulligan, 8 Poolbeg Street, as a regional-rated public house with architectural, artistic, cultural, and social interest.[2]

NIAH dates the building to 1870-1890 and records its original and current use as a public house.[2]

The NIAH description identifies a carved timber shopfront, timber-framed display windows, panelled timber doors, and a carved and panelled timber interior.[2]

NIAH says the building was a public house in the early nineteenth century and that John Mulligan, grocer, wine and spirit dealer, became proprietor in 1853.[2]

NIAH says the building was rebuilt in the 1880s and that a lounge extending into the neighbouring building was constructed c.1890.[2]

NIAH links the pub to James Joyce's Dubliners by identifying it as the setting for a scene in Counterparts.[2]

The Irish Times reported in 2015 that Declan Dunne's Mulligan's: Grand Old Pub of Poolbeg Street was launched at the pub by RTE newscaster Eileen Dunne.[3]

That Irish Times report said Dunne's book traced the pub from the 1780s, when the first Mulligan put his name over the door.[3]

The same article said John Mulligan was the last Mulligan to own the pub in the 1920s before it passed to Mick Smith and later to the Cusack brothers Tommy and Con with Paddy Flynn.[3]

Sources  (3)
  1. Revenue Commissioners · Register of Renewed Liquor Licences · 2026-05-08
  2. NIAH · John Mulligan, 8 Poolbeg Street, Dublin 2, DUBLIN · 2015-03-28
  3. Irish Times · "Crowds at the bar as Mulligan's celebrates book launch" · 2015-06-02

PubHub lore

Local notes

Established

Trading on Poolbeg Street since 1854. The original Mulligan's premises was on Thomas Street, established 1782.

Literary links

Mentioned by name in James Joyce's short story *Counterparts*. Joyce is said to have spent long stretches writing at the counter; the room where the *Counterparts* arm-wrestle takes place is still pointed out — known to staff and regulars as 'The Joyce Room.'

Architecture

The pub walls carry posters, photographs and showbills going back to the early 19th century. Among the framed memorabilia: the autographed Judy Garland portrait.

Regulars

John F. Kennedy, then a Hearst Newspaper journalist, drank here in the mid-1950s and was shown Joyce's favoured perch at the bar. Judy Garland, performing at the Theatre Royal, drank here too — her autographed photograph is still on the wall.

Reputation

The journalists' pub of 20th-century Dublin. Staff from *The Irish Times* and the former *Irish Press* drank here alongside Theatre Royal celebrities, dockers and Trinity students.

Memory wanted

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