An original “craft bar” before the modern term was invented, McGettigan’s is a true original & was part of a select group of pubs permitted to bottle its own stout and whiskey by no less than Arthur Guinness and John Jameson. McGettigan’s really is a little bit of history on tap. Dublin in the 20th Century. The city of Yeats, Joyce, Synge and O’Casey. In the early part of the century you couldn’t go into a public house without bumping into one of them (apart from the famously pub shy Yeats). Roll forward to the 50’s and 60’s and it was the era of Behan, Kavanagh and Flann O’Brien. Larger than life characters, synonymous with famous Dublin Pubs, there’s no telling how many immortal lines were inspired in the surrounds of these Dublin bars. And it was around this time that James McGettigan opened the doors at 17 Queen Street. As the man says, he wrote his name over the door and that name has stood for genuine Irish hospitality ever since. The ultimate guarantee of honesty is to put your signature on it; Something James McGettigan has been doing ever since 1964. And that signature received the ultimate recognition, when McGettigans were part of a select few permitted to the bottle their own Guinness, with the bottles bearing the famous Arthur Guinness signature as well as the legend “Bottle by J&B McGettigan.”
It’s 1964. Bob Dylan is singing The Times They Are A Changin’ on the radio… and the world is changing. Décor is mid century, cocktails are bang in fashion and fashion is all about sharp suits, short skirts and clean lines. Against all of this young James (Jim) McGettigan, fresh from seeing the world working the bars in the world famous QE1 ocean liner, James sets up the original James McGettigan’s Bar in the Queen Street, Dublin. It’s also the era of Hollywood royalty, and when Liz Taylor & Richard Burton drop into McGettigan’s, the most famous couple in the world enjoy the same warm welcome and authentic experience that has become standard for all patrons of McGettigan’s throughout the years. So whether you’re strolling the streets of Dublin’s fair city, or the sidewalks from New York to Dubai, just look for the signature and you know you’re right at home. We’ll have the usual waiting for you.
