Paddy Jordan's Pub & Restaurant - Ballina
Paddy Jordan’s Bar in Ballina has been in the Jordan family since 1942, when Patrick Jordan, having made his money exporting eggs to the UK, bought the pub for his son, Paddy. The rent was then £3 a week and it had been a coach house built by the nearby Railway Station. To this day, Paddy Jordan is still fondly remembered in Mayo, not only for his well loved pub, but also because he was one of the players who won the All Ireland Gaelic Football Championship in 1950-51 – unfortunately for County Mayo - the last time they won.
The pub is now managed by his son, Peter Jordan, who was born and raised upstairs as one of 8 children. The pub business is firmly in his blood and in 2008 Paddy Jordan’s Bar won the coveted award Best Pub in Mayo. It’s a large and attractive pub with lounge and restaurant to one side and a smaller bar to the other. There is also a lovely conservatory and garden, which makes this popular pub even more attractive in the summer months. Paddy Jordan’s is well known locally for its excellent kitchen, with Chinese food a speciality. They serve bar food throughout the day and there is an adjoining restaurant for evening meals. The pub and restaurant are full of Irish bric a brac - tools, copper kettles, old telephones, whiskey memorabilia, and of course, a corner dedicated to Gaelic football photos and mementos. During the tourist season, there is usually Irish music on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Paddy Jordan’s is also the only pub in Mayo on The Ireland Whiskey Trail. This distinction comes from their excellent selection of Irish whiskeys, about 30 odd last time we counted, including, interestingly some whiskeys such as Jameson 15 Year Old Millennium, a whiskey seldom seen anymore. Peter and his wife Anne will be happy to recommend different whiskeys if you wish to try an assortment and Peter's interest in whiskey has extended to his kitchen. He now offers a Whiskey marinated salmon as one of his house specials, combining what Ballina is famous for with his interest in Irish whiskey.
Ballina is of course famous for salmon fishing. The Moy River, just past Paddy Jordan’s, is Ireland’s most famous salmon fishing spot. What a lot of people forget however, is that Ballina is also a central base for some excellent parkland and links golf courses in the North West of Ireland, which offer very competitive rates. Our insider's tip however is to take a long walk along Enniscrone Beach, only 15 minutes' from Ballina, maybe even a soak in the Victorian seaweed baths there - whatever the season, it will be an invigorating experience (we promise), then jump back in the car and head back to Paddy Jordan's in Ballina. You will be so ravenous when you get there, good food and whiskey will never have tasted so great! And do check out the toilets. If there was a five star rating for toilets in Ireland, this pub would be right up there in the top spot!
Paddy Jordan's Pub and Restaurant - Station Road, Ballina, Co. Mayo
Tel. +353 (0)96 21916
Web: www.jordans.ie
Email: paddyjordans@eircom.net
Local Tourist Info and Accommodation: http://www.discoverireland.ie
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