< previous page The Old Still Bar - Bandon   The Old Still Bar in Bandon is absolutely unique amongst the many thousands of pubs which Ireland is famous for.  It is the only pub in Ireland located in a former distillery.  Indeed, the fine Georgian building in which the Old Still Bar now stands, used to be the offices of  Allman’s Distillery, one of Ireland’s most successful distilleries of the 19th century.   This traditional Irish pub is probably about as far removed from any signs of tourism or any tourists as you could possibly get in Ireland.  The site of the old Allman’s Distillery is located on the outskirts of Bandon,  a small rural town, not far from Cork city and on the edge of the spectacular coastline and popular tourist destination which is West Cork.  Where this former majestic distillery once stood, now stands a very small industrial estate with an assortment of small engineering workshops and farmers’ supply stores.  The cattle mart, located opposite the Old Still Bar, and the local workers have been this pub’s main clientele ever since it first opened in the 1960’s.   The building which houses The Old Still Bar thankfully survived some of the earlier demolition of the distillery, as it was for many years a national school. It was bought and refurbished as a pub, by the current owner’s father,  Denis Murphy.  Louis and Nora Murphy now manage the pub, Louis on a part-time basis, as he is also a local farmer.  It doesn’t open until about 5pm, except on Mondays (which is the day of the local cattle mart) when it opens at 11am, or Sundays when it opens from 12.30-2pm and then again at 5pm.   You may want to take a short stroll to see the few remaining buildings from the old distillery, before stepping into the Old Still Bar, for another link in the story of this lost distillery.    There’s a lovely old framed print of Allman’s Distillery over the fireplace, but much more interestingly, the Old Still Bar has another absolutely unique piece of Irish distilling history - the last known remaining bottle in Ireland of Allman’s whiskey.  As if the history of the old distillery and its closure weren't sad enough, this last bottle nearly disappeared too in tragic circumstances.  In 1971  there was a devastating fire in the Old Still Bar, and the bottle was only salvaged afterwards.  Unfortunately, the heat of the fire had popped the cork, and what should have rightly been one of Ireland's most interesting bottles of whiskey, is now only a half empty bottle with a singed label.  True to the simple nature of this pub however, you will not find the bottle in some glorified glass case on prominent display.  Just ask Nora or Louis if you can take a look at it.  They’ll quite simply pull aside a couple of bottles of Jameson and Powers from the bar shelf, and pull out  what probably used to be Ireland's very last bottle of Allman's whiskey for you to admire.   Don’t expect an extensive selection of different whiskeys here, there's maybe just four or five to choose from and you won't get food or Irish music sessions in the Old Still Bar either.  There also won’t be any tourists, unless you happen to bump into someone else lucky enough to have come across this web page.  This pub, like the distillery that was once housed there, is like a throw back to a forgotten Ireland.  But, if you want to sit in a quiet corner in a genuine Irish pub, or have a quiet chat with a lovely landlady or some locals about whiskey, or maybe an old Irish distillery, the weather or simply the state of the nation, then the Old Still Bar may just be the place you’ve been looking for.   The Old Still Bar - Distillery Road (opposite Bandon Mart),  Bandon, Co. Cork   Tel. + 353 (0)23 41168     Local Tourist Info and Accommodation: http://www.discoverireland.ie