‘No shifting at the bar’

It was dark and dirty and it smelled weird all the time, but there was something truly special about the ‘old Bróg’ of the ‘90s and early ‘00s.

Now, having watched their favourite watering hole go through multiple transformations to become the trendy bar it is today, old school ‘Brógonians’ have not forgotten the glory days of one of Cork’s most iconic pubs.

A recent post on social media asking the simple question, “Who remembers the old Bróg?” has received an influx of colourful comments from people eager to reminisce and to share their stories of the legendary haunt.

“I remember putting my last euro into the poker machine, drew a royal flush, €100 in euro coins. Drank like a king, although I definitely didn't need any more drink. Night of my life,” recalled one lucky punter.

Another said: “The smell of sweat couldn't hamper the brilliant atmosphere and indie music! Always jammers on a Saturday night with DJ Val.”

Although the old Bróg was the epicentre of Cork’s alternative drinking scene, nearby fast food joints and nightclubs played a big role in the madness too.

“Start the night in the old Bróg before hopping into Freakscene just before midnight. Then round off the night by stumbling into the Istanbul. Good times,” said one commentor.

The old Bróg was well-known as a place for budding romances too with many the long-term Leeside relationship able to pinpoint its origins somewhere within its walls.

“Proud to say I met my fiancée and partner of ten years there on a classic old Bróg night!” commented one of the fortunate ones.

Another said: “Just mentioned it to the wife on the weekend when I put on what I described as the most Bróg song imaginable: ‘Bullet with Butterfly Wings’. The floor seemed to get stickier the moment it started playing.”

With trendy pubs and clubs popping up all over the city, the old Bróg managed to retain its reputation for relative leniency and would often be the last port of call for people who couldn’t get in anywhere else.

“There were times I got let in there when I could not have told you my own name. Those bouncers were for decorative purposes,” remembered one such Brógster.

With its Monday Night Quiz, its questionable €3 pints before 11pm offer, and its numerous signs with slogans like “No shifting at the bar” and “The DJ will play the Pixies at a time of his choosing”, the old Bróg was truly a thing of rare beauty and, although it’s hard to recognise the old girl today, we all know what happened there all those years ago.