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TUCKED AWAY IN leafy Glasnevin is one of Dublin’s most iconic pubs. It’s known for serving a mean pint of the black stuff and has welcomed illustrious patrons like Eddie Vedder, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan through its doors over the years.
We are, of course, talking about John Kavanagh’s in Glasnevin. It’s also known as The Gravediggers thanks to its proximity to Glasnevin Cemetery.
Established in 1833, the pub can lay claim to being the oldest family pub in Dublin. Ciaran Kavanagh is the seventh generation of his family to work in the popular watering hole. His late father Eugene was the sixth generation proprietor of the pub and took it over in 1973.
We moved here in 1973 and nobody had lived in the pub since the 1950s. It was kind of dilapidated upstairs and wasn’t much better downstairs. So in 1973, he did a bit of renovation in the bar. He put in new toilets and moved the counter back a little bit. That was really it.
In the last 185 years, not much has changed. There is no television and no music, a rule instituted by Ciaran’s late father.
That kind of started when my Dad took over because he had young kids living upstairs. Before that there were really good sessions with my uncles and stuff. So in the mid 1970s, it became no music and no TV.
Fortunately customers seem to appreciate the lack of distractions.
“They can withdraw from modern society in a way and just kind of leave their phones off, hang out with their friends and just talk,” says Kavanagh.
You might think that there may be some exceptions made for the ‘no music’ rule, but not so. Kavanagh tells a story of a recent night when Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Glen Hansard popped in for one.
I told them a story about when The Dubliners came in here after Luke Kelly’s funeral – they wanted to sing and my Dad wouldn’t let them sing and they all left. He asked me would I do the same now and I said, ‘Yeah, pretty much.’ And they’re two guys I really respect, you know?
Eddie Vedder and Anthony Bourdain aren’t the only notable faces to come in over the years. In fact, The Gravediggers is a veritable celebrity hotspot with famous faces like Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Pierce Brosnan and Roger Moore frequenting the bar over the years.
Indeed, Kavanagh recalls that when Roger Moore came to visit, his brother’s ringtone was the James Bond theme music. So he did what any good brother would do and rang him while he was standing next to Roger Moore.
As a Dublin institution, local delicacies like coddle and colcannon are most definitely on the menu. (In fact, Anthony Bourdain visited the pub on his show The Layover and sampled some coddle, which he described as “f**king awesome”.)
But it’s not just old comfort foods that are on the menu. Kavanagh has worked as a chef with the pub since 2005 and has diversified the offering to include tapas like Irish spring rolls and vegetable pakoras alongside traditional ham and cheese sambos.
The pub is arguably best known for its Guinness and has made a concerted effort to keep prices down over the past few years. This means that punters can still get a pint of the black stuff for €4.60.
The family all agree that Guinness is a Dublin product. We’re well known for it, we sell quite a lot of it. It’s kind of like when you go to Tuscany and you get a nice Chianti as opposed to getting an expensive bottle. You might put your lagers up to €5, €5.20 or whatever. But the Guinness is still at a reasonable price.
At 185 years old, The Gravediggers is still going strong. Kavanagh says that visitors regularly compliment it on its old world charm and unique atmosphere.
Perhaps other pubs would be better served if they adopted a ‘no TV, no music’ rule, eh?
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Fair play to her
Must have heard Donald trump is popular candidate for the presidency and had a heart attack at the thought of him being a neighbour
RIP
What a sad existence.
Have a look at your own life before you make assumptions about others. I’m sure it’s not all rosy in the garden!
My life is fine. What’s your point exactly? 35 years protesting is a waste of time – what did she accomplish?
Like that moron in India who has held his hand in the air for the last 30 years – it’s stupid.
Maybe you just don’t know what it is like to stand for something. It may have been futile but I’m sure everyone who has stood for something has been told by cynics like you that it was a waste of time or futile. Ma
The lady had mental health issues
And what a sad end for those in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
You’re confused Allen. You seem to be implying I said something I didn’t.
I never said you shouldn’t stand up for what you believe.
I never said people shouldn’t protest.
I never said protests don’t work.
I never questioned her integrity.
You get 1 life – hers is over now, and she spent 35 years of it doing this. And for what? It’s a sad existence – she wasted almost half her life IMO.
Neil Holland, it was however her life, and you have no way of knowing whether she considered her life wasted or not, so don;t make any presumptions
I don;’t disagree with you, Larissa – but it’s possible you’re confused too, like Allen.
I never claimed to know whether she considered her life wasted or not. It’s possible that you don’t know what “IMO” means, which was at the end of my last post. It means’ in MY opinion’ – I never claimed to know her opinion.
Neil, she may well have done exactly what she wanted with her life. You don’t have the monopoly on the metrics on how people should spend their lives.
Eh, Eric – see my post directly above yours.
Not the smartest people around here, are there? Going around in circles repeating myself.
Owen: “It’s her life – you don’t know what she wanted from it!”
Me: “Yes, I know. I just said that in my opinion, it’s a waste.”
Allen: “It’s her life – you don’t know what she wanted from it!”
Me: “Yes, I know. I just said that in my opinion, it’s a waste.”
Larissa: “It’s her life – you don’t know what she wanted from it!”
Me: “Yes, I know. I just said that in my opinion, it’s a waste.”
Eric: “It’s her life – you don’t know what she wanted from it!”
Me: “Yes, I know. I just said that in my opinion, it’s a waste.”
Neil thats pretty narrow minded. Is life based entirely on accomplisments? Maybe she met a lot of people, saw a lot of interesting things, felt very fulfilled and at peace with herself for doing something she thought was right. Saying that, what she did is stupid is a pretty stupid thing to say and it may be a waste of time for you cause you hold different values. She died and the fact you read an article about her over 3000 miles away and a lot of people seem to care that she died is an accomplishment in itself. That may be more that will be said about u when you die. RIP
Hear, hear James. As you so rightly point out this lady will be remembered – how many internet smart arses will be?
“how many internet smart arses will be?”
I just got talked down to for “presuming” stuff about people, and then you go and presume you know what internet smartarses do in the real world. Weird. I guess you know them all in real life and their accomplishments.
here we go again so dont make presumptions, dont have an opinion, Neil did not refer to her as considering her life was wasted or not, but it is his option that it was, and he is entitled to ,express it, it not another judging or hate phobia crime for you to police, For what its worth i think it was wasted, i assume you have the same option on priests and other practitioners of organised religion, you express them freely enough, without others lecturing you on your presumptions
At least she stood for something…How can anyone build a weapon that can take out millions of people at a go? Human Wickedness
What do you stand for
Must check out how much a nuclear shelter costs now that the one person who single handedly saved us all from a nuclear apocalypse is gone.
You’re a dumb fvck.
Owen your a bit of a potty mouth, whats wrong have you got a limited vocabulary, can you not express yourself without resorting to expletives
We can stop hiding now lads, she’s gone…..
From the first US Atomic Bombing Hiroshima “Little Boy” on 6 August 1945
to the broadcast of US TV film “The Day After” on 20 November 1983 is 1998 weeks.
1998 weeks = 666 weeks + 666 weeks + 666 Weeks.
Ah Frank and his numbers!!!
Where have you been man? It’s been depressingly number free around here of late.
Sure everyone knows about the whole atomic bomb/”The Day After” 666 sum. It’s one of the first things we all learn in school.
Huge Respect, The hypocrisy of US Foreign Policy is A Nuclear weapon in the hands of an Ally is a “deterrent” yet in the hands of an advisory is reason enough to invade. If only more had the same courage as this Lady, the world would be a far less hostile place. Similarly Middle Eastern States which are resourceful and have dictatorships are deemed inhumane and in need of Democratic overthrows, whilst other stronger and perhaps even more inhumane Middle Eastern States whom ally with US policy are deemed progressive and an ally. Donald Trump’s ascension in my opinion is the best thing to happen to this world, because he has brought to the masses the lunacy of continuing to abide to US Foreign Policy. I Love America and its people, just not its batshit foreign policy. Hope for humanity’s sake Bernie Sanders wins the next election and restores some form of sense to this ever changing fragile world of ours.
Having mental health issue does not null & void a protest or the strong moral code behind it. People who say this as if it does are actually madder than she was.
Yeah were all mad. Im getting out of the rat race going to live on the streets and when i die of alcoholism and hypothermia at least ill have an obituary in the journal with people who never knew me saying rip for green thumbs
Mad old crone who gives a rats.would she not have been better getting a job or somerhing
She’d have been better off doing almost anything else. There are very very few 80 year olds in the U.S in winter that have to spend their days without the benefit of central heating.
“In a statement, the Peace House organisation said:
“She manned the White House antinuclear peace vigil the longest. She stayed there through thick and thin and was dedicated to a cause that sometimes seemed to be like an unhealthy relationship.””
So even according to her own best advocates she was basically nuts. This is the story of a mentally ill woman who should have gotten help but didn’t, because she was an immigrant and instead of a family to look out for her all she had was a bunch of anti-nuclear fantasists. Very sad. RIP.
What,s the story on the guy outside Balldonnell aerodrome banging the drum, anyone got any background on what his agenda is ??
Rest in peace, Connie. OM AH HUNG BENZA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUM
Love her hair, who really owns it?
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