Top 10 Dublin bar secrets

Dubliner Pol O'Conghaile takes you on a clandestine crawl of his favourite drinking holes:

Guardian Newspaper  Tuesday 7 August 2007

“Dice Bar: Huey from band the Fun Lovin' Criminals' was an original investor so the Dice Bar's gritty New York City feel isn't surprising. Blacker-than-black with a kiss of red, the funky DJs, robust beers (many from a local microbrewery) and a clientele spanning boho, metal and carpetbaggers from the D7 area of town provides a unique overall feel – as if the East Village and Smithfield met in a tattoo parlour. The location adds brio – on one occasion while this author was imbibing, a local kid cycled his bike through the premises. Nobody batted an eyelid. That's the Dice Bar: sexy, salt-of-the-earth and then some.”

Dublin's 12 Best Bars  - Dubliner Magazine

Musician, DJ and rock critic Rory O'Keeffe reveals his favourite bars in Dublin

THE DICE BAR
The Bar at the End of The Universe

The Dice Bar is not the sort of place you want to spend every evening in (unless you really hate your body): the lighting is red, the paintwork is black, it's very dark. But they play the best music in town, and they pour excellent beers from a local micro brewery. Besides, the Dice Bar has a wonderfully woeful location: on the far side of Smithfield, on a street with little or no passing trade, so although it's packed every night, the tosser quota is absurdly low. So please ignore this recommendation. I mean, you could be anybody...