Five Reasons To Love Grogan's

1. Close Family Ties Since '73

In a world of flash-in-the-pan trends and feigned authenticity, it’s rare to find a pub as deeply – and genuinely – rooted in family, community and tradition as Grogan’s Castle Lounge on South William Street.

Although the building has been home to a pub since 1899, the Grogan’s we know and love today has existed since the early 1970s, when it was purchased by Paddy Kennedy and the late Tommy Smith – at a time when the now-trendy area was predominantly known as a rag trade district.

Over half-a century on, despite the dramatic changes to the surrounding area, it remains in the same two families – and is more popular than ever. Following Tommy’s passing in 2020, and Paddy’s decision to take a step back at the fine age of 90, Grogan's is now run by the former business partners’ sons: Eoin Kennedy and Donal Smith.

“We’re an intergenerational, family-run pub, and we very much intend on keeping it that way,” Eoin tells us. “There are members of the third generation on the way too, with Donal’s children, Lorna and Daniel, having worked behind the bar as well.”

But it’s not just the Kennedys and the Smiths who are carrying on that family-oriented tradition at Grogan’s.

“Our manager, Karl Bradshaw, has been with us for 32 years – and there are six Bradshaws working for us as well at the moment, who are a huge part of what we do,” Eoin resumes. “The family involvement is very important to people, because that brings a lot of the atmosphere. It’s not just another internationally-owned, chain pub.”

2. Long-Established Bar Staff Who Go Above & Beyond

From the pub's early days, legendary barmen like Sean Kearney and Paddy O’Brien helped Grogan’s build a reputation for impeccable customer service.

Sean, who had been working in the pub before Paddy Kennedy and Tommy Smith bought the business, stayed on for an impressive 53 years, before he passed away in 2024. Paddy O’Brien, meanwhile, 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 in the early ‘70s.

“We’ve had some incredible characters over the years,” Eoin reflects. “That attention to detail, and that warmth of welcome – that came from them.

“And Karl Bradshaw really carries that on,” he says of Grogan’s current manager. “I think he belongs in that pantheon of greats, with Paddy O’Brien and Sean Kearney. He’s the beating heart of Grogan’s, no question. He just has this incredible desire to provide proper hospitality to people, and have a bit of craic and banter with them – while making sure that everyone feels welcome. Honestly, I think he epitomises everything good about Grogan’s."

Karl Bradshaw

3. The Art On The Walls – And The New Gallery Upstairs

You won’t find TV screens in Grogan’s – instead, the walls are adorned with the colourful artwork of local creatives. As Eoin explains, it’s a tradition that stretches back to the ‘80s, when the very first piece, by Limerick artist Brian McMahon, was hung in the pub.

“It just took off from there,” says Eoin. “Both Paddy and Tommy were hugely into art, and this was a way to support people who were trying to make a living. Since Donal and I took over the reins, we’ve tried to enhance that connection with the arts.”

Which is exactly what they’ve done with the opening of The Gallery at Grogan’s, in a space above the pub. As with the artwork downstairs, every cent from the paintings sold in The Gallery goes to the artists, with Grogan’s taking zero commission.

The new upstairs space – which launched its first exhibition, Connection, in September – also includes a studio, which has been used by artist Orla Mellon for the past year. But they plan to open it up to other artists too – with the launch of a brand new bursary, the Grogan’s Art Award, offering one artist access to the studio space for a year, in addition to a €10,000 award. Further details are expected to be announced on Grogan’s social media in the coming weeks.

“That, again, is to further strengthen our support for the arts – and our support for living artists,” Eoin remarks. “Living artists need that support now, probably more than ever. We want to keep doing things like that – and keep Grogan’s as a place that’s welcoming to artists of all kinds.”

4. The Importance of Conversation

The art-covered walls aren’t the only unique thing about the pub. Despite the many distractions of this screen-obsessed world, the art of conversation is still alive and well among visitors to Grogan’s.

“We don’t have televisions, and we never will have televisions,” Eoin asserts. “And we don’t have music blaring away in the background. Our clientele have always valued that.

“It’s a fairly eclectic mix of characters – from artistic backgrounds, political backgrounds, musical backgrounds,” he continues. “All kinds of people. It’s a place of conversation. Quite a number of tourists would come into us actually, for that reason – and within minutes, they’re chatting away to someone. As we often say, it’s a place to reconnect with friends – and a place to connect with new friends, as well, in a nice, natural, convivial atmosphere.”

Part of what makes that atmosphere so natural is the fact that Grogan’s aren’t in the business of presenting themselves as “a pristine, identikit Irish-y pub.”

“Even the fact that we have a carpet in the lounge – that’s a rarity these days!” Eoin laughs. “Obviously there are some things that need to change a little bit over time. Just this week, we put in new awnings and screens outside, because Castle Market can be a windy spot in November, and we wanted to make people more comfortable.

“But the core things will absolutely remain the same,” he adds. “That comes down to the decor, and everything being a bit idiosyncratic. The big thing for us is not losing our personality. The place will always look a tiny bit wonky – but that’s kind of nice too!”

5. The Famous Pints & Toasties

Clearly, there are many reasons why Grogan’s continues to attract visitors from across the city and far beyond – from the warm, old-school welcome, to the unique, arts-oriented atmosphere. But there’s no denying that the expertly-pulled pints, as well as the simple yet sensational toasties, are a vital part of the appeal.

In fact, the toasties have become famous in their own right – regularly featuring on lists of essential Dublin must-dos.

“The toasties are a big part of the experience that people come for,” Eoin nods. “It’s become incredible, the amount of people who come in and go, ‘I want a pint and a toastie – because I’ve heard that’s the thing to do in Dublin.’

“With the toasties, it’s a case of simple things done well,” he continues. “We’d be very particular about what we put into them. Even though they’re very simple ingredients, we’re using very high-quality ingredients, and plenty of them. And people really, really love them!”

Grogan’s renowned pints of Guinness also remain a huge draw.

“We’d be one of the biggest pubs in Dublin for Guinness – it’s a huge part of what people like about us,” he notes. “But we have seen a big growth in Beamish over the last couple of years, particularly among younger people. We’d sell a lot of Murphy’s too, and premium lagers, like Birra Moretti.

“We can’t ignore people’s trends, and there are changes in the drinks offering that we’ll respond to a bit,” he adds. “There’s definitely a huge increase in the amount of people looking for 0%, for example. And we want to be responsive to what people want.

“But we also feel really strongly about keeping the core things that people love about Grogan’s in place,” he concludes. “We want to keep doing the simple things well – and keep looking after people, in the way we always have.”

Grogan’s
15 Willian St S, Dublin 2
Tel: (01) 677 9320
@groganscastlelounge

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