O'Riordans, Brentford

I'm Irish and I usually avoid "Oirish" pubs in England where at all possible, since the essence of a true Irish pub comes not with bicycles hanging from the ceiling, or fake St. Paddys Day celebrations, or even a decent pint of stout; rather, it comes from the atmosphere and the crowd. And for that, the key is a good Landlord.
In Ireland, you don't get so many chain pubs, with Accountants in charge of poorly paid and motivated staff. Instead, many of the pubs are genuine Freehouses, so that for a publican to succeed, he/she must know what they're doing.
Brian, the guy in charge of Capt.Morgan's, is a "proper" Irish Landlord - knows his customers, keeps his staff right, rolls up his sleeves when it's busy and never forgets a face.
Captain Morgains is a bit out of my way, so I originally only used to pop in for the televised sport, but now I'd happily make a detour to call in for a pint at other times.

5 Dec 2006 19:36