LAST ORDERS FO

It’s a Dublin institution but a new directive from Gardaí will change the landscape forever at one of the nation’s favourite hostelries

ON THOSE rare hot and sunny days that Ireland enjoys so infrequently, the little green in front of The Gravediggers pub in Glasnevin on Dublin’s northside can feel a little otherworldly — an oasis of calm and civility tucked between two of the main thoroughfares into the city.

There might be a dozen people or so, lolling about in front of the two-storey building with its simple granite facade and scarlet red signage. Locals tend to favour leaning up against the window sills, chatting quietly while clutching cool pints of beer, usually Guinness, for which the pub is famous.

Visitors and tourists are more likely to gravitate towards the smart green and either sit cross-legged on the grass or rest on the slightly raised cement border.

It’s the kind of place where young couples stop off after strolling around the nearby Botanic Gardens with their prams, taking the opportunity to have a leisurely drink in the heat of the sun after infants have nodded off for a while.

Or where lone readers lie back, a book in one hand while the other keeps their glass steady as it rests on the ground.

‘Sometimes I turn the corner and it feels like I’ve stumbled into one of those English village greens like you see on Inspector Morse or something,’ says one enamoured regular, referring to the TV show starring John Thaw. ‘Honestly, with those grand gates of Glasnevin Cemetery in the background, you almost expect to see people wandering around in their cricket whites.’

In short, a sunny day at The Gravediggers is often an idyllic scene, one rarely seen so close to Dublin city centre. And it’s one that regulars have guarded carefully for several decades, only too aware that any anti-social behaviour might ruin it forever.

‘It’s the locals who mostly police what goes on outside,’ one longterm regular explains.

‘And the staff keep an eye on things, they’re very strict about people using plastic glasses outside and do regular sweeps, keeping the place tidy.

‘But if there was ever any hint of trouble or rowdiness, it would be the locals who would step in first before it could go anywhere. Everyone knows how lucky they are to have this place.’

Their vigilance, however, may have been all in vain. Two months ago it was revealed that gardaí have put a halt to people drinking outside the pub, which has been run by the same family since it opened 186 years ago.

Of course, drinking outside is illegal right across Ireland. But it is one of those laws that is regularly overlooked, especially on days when there is blazing sunshine. Walk through any town, city or village in the country and you will see people drinking outside pubs.

But the Kavanagh family, which owns and runs The Gravediggers has said, so far, that it will not be protesting the ruling.

‘There’s a law stating that we cannot have anyone outside drinking,’ bar manager Kathleen Kavanagh told a newspaper recently. ‘We’ll be obeying the guards and that’s all to be said about it.’

When contacted by the Irish Daily Mail, the family said it had nothing further to say on the matter for the moment.

The Kavanaghs may be staying silent but their supporters are not. Local Fine Gael TD Noel Rock has asked for some solution to be found.

‘On some of the few nice days we get in the summer, it’s always nice to buy a red lemonade or whatever and sit outside on the grass,’ he said. ‘The venue in my experience is very attentive to the appearance of the locality, ensuring the area is well-maintained and thoroughly cleaned and making sure people aren’t outside beyond a certain hour.

‘I think it’s a real pity and a loss for the city. While I appreciate An Garda Síochána were only doing their jobs in giving these instructions, I believe it is short-sighted and a common sense middle ground should be found here.’

A petition has also been launched last Wednesday by Dublin By Pub, a popular website that chronicles Dublin pub culture.

The online protest tells how: ‘It was recently reported in the news that Gardaí are to clamp down on the tradition of having a few pints outside Kavanagh’s pub in Glasnevin.

‘We wish to highlight the inherent unfairness of this to the authorities and add that the same laws are not enforced outside countless amounts of pubs across the city. The Gravediggers is an institution. A bastion of Irish culture. In family ownership for literal centuries.’

Indeed it is a pub with a particularly rich history and a place that has barely changed in more than a century. The furniture in the bar, to put it kindly, is well-loved. There is no music, no televisions and definitely, no matter who you are, no sing-songs.

It’s a formula that has attracted thousands of tourists as well as a strong coterie of loyal locals. Famous visitors include the late celebrity chef and journalist Anthony Bourdain, who filmed part of his show The Layover there in late 2012 when he visited Dublin. Limerick-born author Frank McCourt, of Angela’s Ashes fame, filmed an episode there for his American PBS TV documentary The Great Pubs of Dublin.

It’s also been used as a set for several period films and television series over the years, including the 1970 Hollywood movie, Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx, starring Gene Wilder. Most recently it featured in the detective series Quirke, starring Gabriel Byrne, and the BBC Victorian drama Ripper Street.

In 2014, Lonely Planet included it on its list of top 50 hidden gems to visit in Europe.

Made up of ‘undiscovered and overlooked destinations and experiences’, The Gravediggers was one of just two Irish spots to make it. While it was ranked at number 46, the Cromane Peninsula in Kerry placed at number five.

Just a few months ago it was crowned the Dublin Pub/Inn of the year at the 2019 Irish Hospitality Awards.

It is, as Dublin By Pub has declared, a well-recognised institution, and one that the family has worked hard to make sure has had a limited negative impact on their close neighbours, some of whom are their friends.

There is no late licence and drinking-up time is strictly enforced. Each year, the family helps out at the Bloomsday celebrations on the green outside, allowing the dressed-up Joycean revellers to use their facilities. Indeed, two years ago, the garda band entertained the picnickers on the lawn, however it’s now thought the recent directive from

‘Everyone knows how lucky they are to have this place’ There’s no music, no televisions and no sing-songs