Student Special: Embracing Your Local Pub As The Ideal 'Third Space'

Early opening hours. Late closing times. Cheap pints. Quiet snugs. On paper, the storied “old man’s pub” seems the ideal place for a post lecture debrief, a presentation run-through, sharing notes or proofreading essays. And yet, despite ticking all the boxes, these humble establishments do not get as much recognition among students as they deserve. My mission is to change that!

With the shortage of “third spaces” around these days, your local boozer could prove to be the ideal reprieve from the overcrowded college library or your uninspiring bedroom desk. “The Third Space” is considered a place completely separate from work (the first place) and home (the second place). The term was introduced by Ray Oldenburg in his 1998 book The Great Good Place. The third space is a casual and inviting refuge that promotes community engagement and work-life balance. Or that’s the theory!

Examples include a library, a local coffee shop or – in Ireland’s case – the pub. In general, we use third spaces to help us balance our busy schedules, and to get away from stressful environments, whether to socialise, study or relax. What’s interesting is that, if you’re trying to get stuff done, high stress environments are a bad place to start! And that includes trying to study in a library full of catastrophising students during exam season. A study conducted by Harvard University found that students, whose pre-exams cortisol levels increased while in communal student areas, performed worse in tests, compared to the quality of their classwork.

Visiting local pubs also helps students integrate into the local community. As a student, it is easy to see yourself as a member of the college community, and therefore separate to the surrounding locality. But who wants to become aloof? Spending time in local pubs helps foster a wider sense of community, connecting students – especially those who have moved away from home – to the area in a new way.

Photo: Miguel Ruiz

So, while Ireland’s range of trendy bars has skyrocketed, sometimes what you really need is a cosy haunt, with a patterned carpet and a killer ham and cheese toastie. Pubs like this can be spotted along the main street in every country town – but in cities they are sparser and so you have to look.

Grogan’s Bar on the corner of South William St in Dublin is a very special place where the conversation is everything – and they do what many describe as “the best cheese toastie in the capital.” Also highly recommended is the Liberty Belle in Dublin 8, which I remember visiting one afternoon to celebrate finishing an end of term presentation.

We were met with construction workers, sat at the bar on stools that seemed to have their names on them. They were surprised to see students in the bar so early and joined us at our table, buying us a round to congratulate us – albeit there was the customary slagging for ordering a cider and a vegetarian toastie. Small moments like that really make a difference to how you feel about a place.

Every college town in Ireland has its equivalent of these classic pubs. I spoke with students from colleges around the country and got their recommendations...

• For Limerick students, classic pubs like Mother Mac’s and Mickey Martin’s are worth checking out. The Commercial is also ideal for getting an afternoon study session and pint in, before catching one of the many gigs and events there.

• In Cork, Callanan’s, typically of a traditional pub, doesn’t have televisions or loud music. If you want to take it to the next level, the Hi-B has famously banned phones entirely, so the temptation to open Tiktok is less than zero!

• For Galway students, the Hole In The Wall comes highly recommended. Nestled in the heart of the city, just off Eyre Square, the pub has been in business since the 1870s. The charm of the bar remains, even after an extensive facelift. What’s more, it’s only a 15-minute walk from the University of Galway.

Read the full Hot Press Student Special Part 2 in our new issue – out now: