So, after 13 years, it’s farewell to The Bernard Shaw.
The much-loved Portobello pub will close its doors for good on Sunday 3rd November after a protracted struggle with An Bord Pleanála and local residents over the noise generated by its beer garden.
Added to the mix has been the rate of development in the local area. Planners stated that for the Shaw to continue in its current form “would be inconsistent with the emerging pattern of development in the vicinity” , specifically mentioning the imposing new block that has risen like a villain’s lair opposite the pub. Stand in the beer garden, look up and you’ll see the skyline bristling with cranes as new structures go up all around it.
The venue’s owners Bodytonic have remained tight-lipped over the precise reason for the closure – financial viability doesn’t seem to be an issue, as the Irish Times reported that Bernard Shaw Taverns Limited made a €622,416 profit in 2018 – but this part of Dublin has turned into something of a hostile environment for a bohemian drinking spot.
Sunday will be a sad day, and there’s no doubt that The Bernard Shaw will leave a colossal hole in Portobello’s nightlife, and in its many regulars’ lives. The place never looked like much from the outside – much as they tried to give it some jaunty paint jobs – and it always appeared to be on the brink of collapse inside; all wobbly walls, too-narrow alleyways, steps where you don’t expect them and some of the dodgiest toilets south of Busáras.
But what the Shaw did have was charm and easygoing cool. It looked the way it did because it wasn’t making an attempt to impress anyone, or fit in with the upwardly mobile venues around it. It was a reflection of many of the people that hung out there: scruffy but interesting.
Music was always a huge part of the place, from the permanent soundtrack of low-level house played throughout the day to new and established DJs from Thursday to Sunday nights. I’m lucky to have been able to DJ there several times, the first place in Dublin that would have me after I moved here in 2016.
Then there were the bands that crammed into the tiny downstairs bar or the top-tier touring acts that would make the walls sweat on special occasions. Where else would you be likely to find legendary DJs like Andrew Weatherall, Optimo or Motor City Drum Ensemble playing in a room holding no more than 60 people?
There have been flea markets, art exhibitions, gin festivals, poetry and spoken word, graffiti jams, the Big Blue Bus and so much more. It was a haven for activism – International Women’s Day, Dublin Pride, Repeal The Eighth and other causes found a home there. And it was the ultimate spot for post-work Friday pints – or a Sunday recovery session.
The Shaw was often dismissed as a hipster hangout – not least by councillor Mannix Flynn, an advocate for local residents – but for a generation of Dubs and visitors from around the country it felt like home.
Bodytonic have now bought the former Porterhouse Whitworth pub beside the Royal Canal, on the boundary of Phibsborough and Glasnevin, and – as far as possible – to the Northside.
That’s an exciting prospect, and an apparent lack of residents within earshot should make it a sustainable location for generations to come.
But the fact remains that the Shaw as we know it is dead. Long live the Shaw.
