Johnnie Fox's is not in Dublin, it is around 30 minutes outside the city. We had to drive there and the ride was very enjoyable. We went through the nice part of Dublin and into the countryside. The countryside had rolling hills and it was green, just like you would expect from an Irish countryside :)
The pub has been around since the 1800's and it started out as a family farm. The pub grew in fame with many famous Irish heroes visiting. The famous Irish liberator, Daniel O'Connell, was a patron of the pub.
Johnnie Fox's has also been a part of Irish culture by promoting Irish traditional music. In the 1950's, artists would meet at the pub and record music that would be broadcast throughout the country. Today, artists still meet there and the pub has special music concerts for guests.
The pub still has the feel of being a farm. The building looks like an old, cottage farm house. Inside, it is very homey. It has wooden floors covered with hay or saw, which definitely adds to the farm feel. It is dark inside, with the lights dimmed low to give a homey/intimate feel.
Our group was led to a back room. By our table was a fire place that was burning. My co-workers started to tell me that instead of wood, they use turf to burn in fires. I asked what turf was, and they said that is was some sort of condense earth/turf/moss. Right by the fire there was a whole pile of it. It looked like a thick, mud brick. All I could think of was that I believe Bear Grylls used turf when he was in Scotland to build a roof for his shelter. My co-workers also said that turf was going to be band soon from use because it is a health hazard, or something long those lines. I thought that it was sad that a natural resource was going to be band after centuries of use.
I loved the room that we ate in. Like I said, it had a fire place and it was filled with history! The room and the restaurant as a whole, seemed to be stuck in the 1800's. On the ceiling, there were all these tools that were used for various chores around a farm. One of my co- workers told me that one of the tools, the pole that had a hook at the top, was used to lead bulls with rings in their noses.
I thought of my grandma while I looked at all the various tools. Her dad was a blacksmith and I remember that when we were in Poland at a dinner, they had a blacksmith working in the courtyard. My sister and I were eating with another family and my grandma came over to tell us to take a look at the blacksmith. The comment was just addressed to my sister and I, but soon our whole tour group went over to check it out. It was priceless.
The walls of Johnnie Fox's were littered with very old photos and articles about various aspect of Ireland's history. Close to our table were articles and pictures of the famous rebels and revolutionaries of Ireland.
Not only is the pub famous for preserving Irish culture, it is also famous for its food. I ordered an Irish Stew, which had carrots, potatoes and lamb. It was really good. It was hearty and it was the perfect meal on a chilly day.
My co-workers ordered an appetizer and most of them got the mussels, which they all said was really good. For an entree, most of them got the lamb, and again no one had any complaints.
We did not get dessert. The dessert menu was small, with only cheesecake and a couple other options to choose from. It did not have a good variety of desserts to choose from; most of the options were some sort of cake. The waitress did mention some ice cream that had a certain type of liquor in it.
I would highly recommend that people visiting Dublin go to Johnnie Fox's. The atmosphere is very relaxing and welcoming. Your eyes will never be bored with all the historical items to look at. These items will also keep your conversation going.
The food is good as well. My co-workers had eaten there multiple times and raved about the food. Everyone in our party left happy.
If you have time, I would recommend that you walk around the area. I was not able to, but the surroundings are beautiful with fields as far as the eye can see. I wish I was able to walk around.
I would say that the only draw back is the drive. It is around 30 minutes from the City Centre of Dublin. For a tourists who isn't driving, it can be difficult to get to. At dinner we were able to find that they offer a bus service for 5 Euro.
To learn more about Johnnie Fox's, you can visit their website: www.jfp.ie. Here you will be able to see photos of the famous pub!
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