Grogan's Castle Lounge: "It has a special place in a lot of people's hearts. That means a lot to us"

In a city where the wheels of change and progress often seem to turn wildly, Grogan’s on South William Street  – devoid of TV screens and music, but adorned with the artwork of local creatives – can feel like a place where time stands still.

A steady, beloved presence in the heart of Dublin, the pub – also known as Grogan’s Castle Lounge – has been in the same two families since the early ‘70s, when it was purchased by the late Tommy Smith and his business partner Paddy Kennedy.

“The area around here is ever-changing,” says Tommy’s grandson, senior barman Daniel Smith. “We’ve made minor changes – for example, Covid forced us to start taking card, which wasn’t something we’d ever done until 2021. But for the most part, the only thing that changes here is the art on the walls.”

Grogan's senior barman Daniel Smith. Photo: Abigail Ring.

Daniel is the third generation of his family to have worked in Grogan’s – which is now co-owned by his father Donal Smith, following Tommy’s passing in February 2020. From his earliest visits to the pub as a child, to his teenage summer job collecting glasses, Daniel, who’s now aged 27, can recall some of the same faces who still frequent Grogan’s to this day.

“I’ve known a lot of the people here my whole life,” he says. “That includes the staff, of course. Karl, the manager, has been here 30 years, and there’s seven of his family working here. So it’s kind of an extended family. There was a barman Sean Kearney who sadly passed away last year, and he’d been here 53 years. He was here when Tommy and Paddy bought the pub, so they kept him on – and he stayed here his whole life then.

“It’s things like that that make the place special,” he adds. “That’s not something you really get in the trade at all anymore – or in any line of work. How often would you see someone in the one job for 53 years?”

That emphasis on family, community and tradition is matched by a similarly strong focus on customer service – something the Grogan’s bar staff have always been renowned for.

Grogan's. Photo: Abigail Ring.

“I think that was something my grandad Tommy, and Paddy, really influenced,” Daniel reckons. “And, of course, Sean, and Paddy O’Brien – the famous barman who worked here, who came from McDaid’s back in the ‘70s. My dad Donal too, when he came through, and Karl.

“For me, it was an unbelievable environment to learn the trade,” he continues. “I was surrounded by these people who were such professionals, and who, from the time I started here at 14, had it ingrained in me that customer service was No.1. Without that, you’re not going to have any business. It’s paramount.”

The aforementioned Paddy O’Brien is credited with kicking off Grogan’s long-running association with the creatives of Dublin – after the literary crowd from his previous job in McDaid’s followed him down the road to his new posting.

But Daniel notes that his grandfather had a major interest in the arts too.

“Tommy loved supporting artists and literature,” he says. “A lot of the time, he might have bought a painting to give the artist a few quid for a couple of pints – just to give them a dig out. So we’ve plenty of art at home!”

The first painting hung in Grogan’s was in the ‘80s, by Limerick artist Brian MacMahon, a friend of Tommy’s.

“The annual art show – running over 30 years now, on the first Sunday of every December – came about because Brian had started to hang a few paintings,” Daniel explains. “And a lot of other artists who drank here asked if they could hang a few things too.

“We had a great patronage of artists, and still do,” he adds. “It gives them a chance to exhibit their work, commission-free – so every cent the painting sells for goes to the artist. It was a way to give back to them, for their loyal custom over the years.”

Grogan's. Photo: Abigail Ring.

In recent years, artist Orla Mellon undertook the colossal task of gathering and cataloguing all the paintings – over 750 in total – that had been left uncollected at Grogan’s, going all the way back to the ‘80s (all now available to view on grogansfineart.ie). As part of the project, a special art auction was held last October, in aid of Our Lady’s Hospice in Harold’s Cross, where Tommy spent his last days – ultimately raising over €8,000.

Of course, the art-covered walls aren’t the only unique thing about the Grogan’s. Despite the many distractions of this screen-centred age, the art of conversation still reigns supreme amongst the pub’s motley clientele – including everyone from well-known local characters to first-time visitors to the city.

“The big thing is having no TVs, and no music,” Daniel states. “You come in, sit at the bar, and you might plan on having one pint. But then you get chatting to a stranger beside you, and the next thing you know, you’re having the best craic you’ve ever had.

“When you walk into bars with TVs, there could be ice hockey on – and you have no more interest in ice hockey! – but you’re still sitting there watching it, because that’s just human nature,” he adds. “It’s part and parcel of it. There’s no TV and no music, so you just have to talk to the people beside you.”

Grogan's. Photo: Abigail Ring.

Was there ever any pressure to scrap that no TV/no music policy over the years?

“There was probably a stubbornness here, with a lot of things!” Daniel remarks. “It was never going to change, and that was just the way that it was. And it’s been the best thing we ever did – to not do it. It gives us that unique element.”

In addition to its long-established reputation for expertly pulled pints of Guinness, Grogan’s is also famed for its simple, yet sensational, toasties – made with Irish cheddar and traditional deli ham, available throughout the day and night.

“Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, they used to do soup as well,” Daniel reveals. “And back 30 or 40 years ago, long before there was any ‘health and safety’, they used to do egg salad sandwiches – and, by all accounts, they’d boil the eggs in a kettle under the counter. You wouldn’t get away with it nowadays!”

Thankfully, the magic of Grogan’s has long outlived the era of egg salad sandwiches. In his own life, Daniel continues to be moved by the deep connections people from all walks of life have formed with the place.

“I was in Laos last year, doing ‘tipsy tubing’ – where you float down a river in an inflatable tube and go to a few bars,” he recalls. “Me and my mate got chatting to this couple, who lived over in Edinburgh. We got talking about pubs in Dublin, and I said that I worked here. They couldn’t believe it. He got his phone out, and showed me that they had a framed picture, hanging up on their living room wall, of the first Guinness truck after Covid, doing the delivery here. And that was a picture I had taken, and put up on Twitter.

“So you can be on the other side of the world, and still manage to make a connection,” he continues. “It has a special place in a lot of people’s hearts. That means a lot to us.”

Grogan’s, 15 Willian St S, Dublin 2
Tel: (01) 677 9320
Follow Grogan’s on Facebook & Instagram (@groganscastlelounge),
and X (@GrogansPub).

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