VIKINGS, Victorian Boozers & 12 PINTS… WATERFORD Got Wilder With Every Stop

Join me on the full Waterford Historic Pub Crawl – 12 legendary pubs through Ireland’s oldest city, founded by Vikings in 922 AD.

🍺 From a Victorian spirit grocery where Michael Collins held secret revolutionary meetings, to Ireland’s longest-serving publican’s time machine of a bar, Waterford punches far above its weight as a pub crawl destination.

This route is taken directly from Historic Pub Crawls Through Ireland 📖

🍺 THE ROUTE:

🏛️ The Grattan Bar – 1 & 2 Bridge Street, X91 YD52 | Named after Irish politician Henry Grattan, who secured legislative independence for Ireland in 1782; home to one of Ireland’s best pints of Guinness; the Christmas tree erected in 2013 has never come down

🥃 An Uisce Beatha – 8 Merchants Quay, X91 PR27 | Gaelic term meaning “the water of life”; a nod to Ireland’s ancient love affair with whiskey, first recorded in early Irish monastic writings

☘️ Tully’s Bar – 37 O’Connell Street, X91 AY62 | A Waterford staple since 1989; home to a legendary snug called “Human Resources”

⏳ Thomas Maher’s – 20 O’Connell Street, X91 HR22 | First opened as The John Britain in 1886; Tom Maher served as publican from 1929 until his death in 2003 at age 92 – one of Ireland’s longest-serving; one of the last pubs in Ireland to operate a men-only counter (lifted 2010); makers of the world-famous pre-mixed Whiskey Mac

🏪 J. & K. Walsh Victorian Spirit Grocer – 11 Great George’s Street, X91 VH93 | Established 1899, virtually unchanged since; operated under British rule for its first 22 years; Michael Collins held secret War of Independence meetings here; features the original reverse-painted Jacob’s Buttercrackers glass sign; still serves Guinness in a traditional tankard

⚓ The Gingerman – 6 Arundel Lane, X91 X327 | Origins in the early 19th century as a merchants’ trading house frequented by sailors and dockworkers; wooden beams uncovered during 1990s renovation; renowned for Waterford’s finest pint

🍎 The Hub – 27 Michael Street, X91 DK84 | Overlooks the historic Apple Market, a major medieval trading hub; sheltered by a striking steel and glass canopy installed 2014–2020; packed with Viking Triangle and pop culture memorabilia

🗺️ Geoff’s Café Bar – 9 John Street, X91 WP98 | Formerly a grocer and spirit counter; taken over in 1977 – the year of the first Star Wars film; famous for its labyrinth of rooms, mismatched furniture, vintage signage and cosy nooks

🍸 Davy Macs – John’s Avenue, X91 V3YR | Housed in a stone cottage tucked down a tiny alleyway off the Apple Market; Waterford’s first dedicated gin bar since the early 1990s

🗽 Jordan’s Bar – 123 Parade Quay, X91 CP89 | Also known as The American Bar; licence first issued over 300 years agol; acquired its nickname acknowledging the waves of Irish emigrants booking boat tickets to America from its counter; located in Waterford’s Viking Triangle

🎵 Katty Barry’s – 2 Mall Lane, X91 EA38 | Named in 1973 for Kathleen Barry, a beloved local fisher who graced the quayside from the 1940s until her death in 1982.

⛵ The Three Shippes – 18 William Street, X91 KX20 | Takes its name from the three ships on Waterford’s coat of arms – a symbol of a historic 16th-century naval victory when Irish forces seized three enemy galleys.

⏱️ CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro – Waterford, Ireland’s Oldest City
01:01 🏛️ The Grattan Bar
01:56 🚶 Meeting the Owner
05:12 🚶 How do you pronounce An Uisce Beatha?
05:32 🥃 An Uisce Beatha
06:33 🚶 Vulcan Street & the Irish weather
07:08 🚶 Four seasons in one day
07:16 ☘️ Tully’s Bar
08:10 🚶 Just a few yards to the next one
08:30 ⏳ Thomas Maher’s
11:19 🚶 Why I write these books (London, New York, Ireland)
12:28 🏪 Behind the scenes at J. & K. Walsh Victorian Spirit Grocer
16:55 🏪 J. & K. Walsh Victorian Spirit Grocer
18:02 🚶 Tankard vs jug debate & the market square
19:20 ⚓ The Gingerman
20:47 🚶 Meeting the pub’s owner
22:49 🚶 Sunburnt in Waterford & a surprise fan recommendation
23:52 🚶 When the crawl surprises even me
23:56 🍎 The Hub
25:51 🚶 Making up routes on the fly
26:17 🗺️ Geoff’s Café Bar
27:20 🚶 A labyrinth of rooms & unannounced pubs ahead
28:02 🍸 Davy Macs
29:29 🚶 The Viking Triangle, crystal & the medieval sky
30:34 🚶 Medieval Remnants
30:56 🗽 Jordan’s Bar (The American Bar)
32:20 🚶 The squiffy building & into the Viking Watchtower
33:12 🎵 Katty Barry’s
34:30 🚶 No stopping now!
35:22 🚶 Equipment dying after 2,000 videos
35:51 🚶 After a year of pub crawling…
35:59 ⛵ The Three Shippes
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