Which leads me onto telling you about the Palace Bar, in Dublin, Ireland.
The Victorian-era pub, which was established in 1823, is pretty much untouched. When you step out of the hustle and bustle of what is the Temple Bar area and into the pub's confines it's a bit like stepping back in time. There's a lovely mahogany bar stretching the length of the front room, with a cute little snug at the front, and high arched mirrors along the wall. There's lots of stained glass detailing and frosted lights.
But it is the back room that really makes this pub so special. It is rectangular shaped, with tables and seats arranged around the walls. Look up, and you see the most wonderful glass skylight, through which sunshine pours down, giving the room a very special warm glow. (Or maybe that's the Guinness!)
When you get yourself a drink and take a seat, it's very difficult to leave. The place has a lovely ambiance -- and it practically thrums with history.
Anyone who is anyone in terms of Dublin literati has imbibed here. I'm talking Flann O'Brien, Brendan Behan, Patrick Kavanagh -- and loads more.
But what I really like about the history of this pub is its journalistic connections. According to the pamphlet that you can pick up in the bar, the pub was the "social home of the Fourth Estate" during the 1940s and 1950s. Newsmen, correspondents and compositors of Dublin's three daily papers used to drink here, and many an editorial meeting was held under the patronage of Robert Maire (Bertie) Smyllie, the editor of the Irish Times.
I actually like the sound of "Bertie" Smyllie. He apparently did a lot to champion literary writers and made space for them in the pages of his newspaper. He even set up a books section despite the fact that newsprint was rationed during the war.
If you fancy visiting the pub for yourself, it's at 21 Fleet Street, Dublin 2. Tel: (+353) 1 671 7388. Or visit the official website.
