Toners, Dublin

Toners, Dublin, Est 1818. 

Toner's was originally constructed in 1818 and opened as a grocer and wine merchant by Andrew Rogers, who ran it until his death in 1859 - (the lane bordering the side of the pub is called Rogers' Lane). The drawers behind the bar are a reminder of its early days as a spirit grocer. The uneven flagstone floor is a further indicator of its venerable nature. The pub is currently named after James Toner who was the licensee in 1923. He ran the pub as a bar and grocery shop.

When you go to Toners you will find a welcome akin to the friendly traditions of old. A genuine unspoilt Irish Pub with a friendly atmosphere. The floors are all stone, the furniture worn and wooden, the snugs partitioned off by large pub mirrors. The interior contributes massively to a genuine atmosphere with original pub paraphernalia filling the walls and shelves. The decor and flagged floor will take you back in time. Elaborate antique pub mirrors, old brass bar taps and glazed cabinets filled with ancient curios and antiques, all contribute to the museum like appearance and atmosphere of this beautiful premises. The old stock drawers that remain behind the bar still hold some wares displayed in glass cases to the left and right of the door.

Toner's is a Victorian pub with original snugs perfectly intact. The plain and unpretentious snug in Toner's is one of the best loved in the city. It was here that scenes from the Sergio Leone film A Fistful of Dynamite, also known as Duck, You Sucker!, was filmed. The pub is the setting for a flashback scene, where Seán Mallory, an Irish republican explosions expert hiding out in Mexico, remembers why he is on the run from the British authorities. The scene is filmed in slow motion with a score by Ennio Morricone. There is nothing in the snug to commemorate the film, but for fans of the movie there is a photograph of the director holding a gun on the main wall in the bar. In the snug there are a number of photographs of the winning Dublin Gaelic football teams of the modern era along with other contemporary sporting memorabilia. If a visitor to Toners is lucky enough to find the snug available, it would be a travesty not to stop for a libation. Frequented throughout time by some of Ireland’s literary greats, including Kavanagh and Yeats. It is rumoured that Toner’s was the only pub that W.B. Yeats drank in. He was known to nip in, quietly sip a sherry in the snug and leave.

The yard bar (complete with a bird scarer which goes off every eighteen minutes) brought a whole new dimension to the premises when it opened in 2012, and is regarded by many as one of the best beer gardens in the city. The beer garden has been beautifully decorated with the finest antiques, sporting memorabilia, historical posters, prints, mirrors, enamel signs and curiosities. 

Photo: Hollywood actor Peter O'Toole outside Toner's Pub, 1976. Photo thanks to photographer Bryan Wharton.