I was aghast when Dublin's Shelbourne Hotel was closed in 2005 for refurbishment. Like many of the people who were regular visitors to the Horseshoe Bar - politicians, journalists, writers, artists, raconteurs and professional drinkers - I thought the place would lose its cachet. In fact, some six months after reopening, following a £55m facelift, I discover that it remains as popular as ever.
On Friday evening, my wife and I left our room to find the foyer buzzing with activity. Aside from the hotel's guests and the casual drinkers there were also scores of black-tied men and gowned women gathering to attend a charity dinner. Pushing through the throng, we bumped into Eamonn Dunphy , the iconoclastic radio broadcaster and journalist who had clearly been enjoying the hotel's legendary hospitality.
When we returned from the theatre hours later both the Horseshoe Bar and the vast new bar, No 27, were overflowing. What joy. The atmosphere was as intoxicating as the alcohol and it reminded me of the Shelbourne I first visited in 1968.
Dublin is much more cosmopolitan nowadays, and infinitely more crowded. It has many more five-star hotels as well. But I think it's fair to say that the Shelbourne remains preeminent. Its famed literary visitors of the past - such as Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, George Moore and Elizabeth Bowen, who wrote a history of the hotel - would surely feel at home in the modern version.
What also makes the Shelbourne so special is that it's a truly democratic club. No fees are required to enter. While many London journalists feel it necessary to pay annual subscriptions to the Groucho or Soho House to ensure they can meet the right people, and avoid the wrong ones, Ireland's hacks can turn up to the Shelbourne for the price of a drink - well, several drinks - and be sure of meeting a convivial companion.
