Shenanigan’s

Superb. I found this courtesy of some article in the Echo. I had a tentative pre-​night out pint or two there one Friday night and was just in love from minute one. I’ve even been in there in the daytime and someone had their Scooby Doo Great Dane in there, I blag you not. I get on with dogs so me and Scooby had a great time while I watched some game in the Rugby to pass a nice idle hour or two. Ale is just the OK side of pricey but I like it. Well worth an hour of my time when funds and time permit. A hidden gem this is. Walking distance from Moorfields so always going to work on that level for me too :)

Irish pubs have got the right idea. Obviously, by that I’m not referring to those godawful boozy gulags that plague any city centre (I’m presently thinking of the Irish American Bar by the way). No, they can all burn in heck for all I care. Sorry about the language.
I am of course talking of places like Shenanigans. This is a delightfully shabby pub cluttered with all manner of bric-​à-​brac that (like the Oxford and Pig & Whistle) stands all alone in an area of wasteground. «Yeah sure, knock the whole street down. See if I care. Just don’t touch the pub!»
It’s a massive shame that ‘Irish pub’ can often be interpreted as a byword for ‘painfully fake and tacky’ but if they were all as inherently groovy as Shenanigans, the world would be a better place.

Never mind that the faded old sign hanging above the door says The Rising Sun, that’s just part of the ragged charm of Shenanigan’s Irish Bar. It’s a small, ramshackle kind of place but with a statue of the Virgin Mary hanging over you at the bar, you’ll feel in blessed hands getting hammered here.
I’m not sure what it is about Irish bars that feel the need to display the collection of odds-​n-​sods that have been gathered over the years but this place also has plenty of them filling the spaces on the walls. The strange addition of a display case in the corner filled with china plates and jugs next to an old fashioned stove only adds to the sensation that the bar was converted from Ma O’reilly’s home.
However there is not just a strong Oirish contingent who come here as I have often noticed a good Polish representation here which adds to the lively mix of nations who like a drink! Situated near plenty of Liverpool’s clubs this place makes for an unconventional start to a good night out.