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Sunday World

You won't be Horsing into the pints in Delgany's Horse & Hound with pints at a pricey €6.50

Wicklow boozer is a great spot with an amazing atmosphere but it is very much on the expensive side Nine years ago Pub Spy paid a very quick visit to the village of Delgany, Co Wicklow, but before that we can't remember when we made a visit. We were long overdue a good knees-up in Co Wicklow and we were interested to see how things might have changed over the past decade. As it turned out, very little has changed in the area with the exception of a few new houses, and the small village remains exactly how we remembered it. The streets leading to both pubs are very narrow and parking can prove hazardous at times. We managed to get parking close to the Horse and Hound pub but we left the fate of the pub-mobile in the hands of our Lord as we said a novena and blessed ourselves that we'd come back to find it in one piece. There were two barmen on duty when we arrived and the contrast between them couldn't have been any more stark. The barman with a beard served us immediately and he was certainly the chattier of the two. The second barman disappeared shortly after we arrived and we didn't see him again. There is a large selection of drinks available on draught such as Guinness and Heineken Zero, Murphy's, Wicklow Wolf, Tiger, Birra Moretti, Orchard Thieves and Coors to name but a few, but we were shocked when we had to pay €6.50 for a pint of Guinness. 'It's a good job they're building all those houses down the road 'cause the current locals will be bankrupt if they keep forking out that kind of money for a drink,' the Young Commando said jokingly. Once he had recovered from a suspected stroke and managed to lift his jaw off the ground, the Old Commando sampled the creamy pints and although he was far from impressed by the price, he did at least enjoy the taste. He enjoyed the second and third pints too. There was a mixed clientele of mostly young to middle aged people when we arrived but the longer we stayed the busier it got, and the crowd arriving was getting younger as the night was getting longer. The atmosphere was very good and we were very content as we sat beside the modern cylinder shaped stove which was burning logs of timber and keeping us nice and toasty. A votive candle was placed on each table. The red velvet barstools at the counter were old but in good condition, and the same could be said for the bench seating and timber flooring. While the furnishings certainly aren't new, they suited the surroundings and it's the type of boozer the Old Commando wishes there was more of. With the exception of the stove and the TVs, there's probably nothing modern about the place. They serve food here in the front bar and there is also a large restaurant section behind the front bar downstairs, although it didn't seem to be open during our visit. There are plenty of hunting photos hanging through this pub, which was established in 1790, and they have advertised a live traditional music session every Wednesday from 9.30pm. Our Young Commando inspected the toilets and he reported back to us that they were very clean with three urinals and three cubicles. We enjoyed our few expensive pints in The Horse and Hound pub in Delgany, and thankfully the pub-mobile was in one piece when we got back to it. Rating: Three pints out of Five One for the road: Wicklow Arms – Delgany We've already bookmarked a return visit to this pub. As best as our memory tells us, we had never been to The Wicklow Arms pub in Delgany before but it made an instant impression on us. Established in 1856, this spacious boozer is in wonderful condition with high ceilings, a brilliant atmosphere and a predominately female clientele. The yellow velvet barstools were in good condition and plentiful, as was the green velvet wall seating. We counted five TVs located throughout the bar. A young barman named Josh served us and there were two waitresses on duty during our stay. They were serving food in one section at the far end of the pub and our stomachs were grumbling each time the wait staff passed our table. As expected, the toilets were immaculately clean with two cubicles and four urinals. We were extremely impressed by our surroundings and fully intend to return for a longer stint. Keep up the good work. Rating: Four pints out of Five