BRENNAN’S CRITERION BAR in Bundoran, Donegal has been around for over 115 years at this stage – and it shows absolutely no signs of changing.
It’s all the better a pint spot because of that, too.
Run by sisters Patricia and Nan Brennan, the pub is somewhat unique in that it’s so old school that it completely bans TV, music and swearing.
It had a starring role in The Irish Pub documentary shown on RTÉ
The Boston Globe wrote a glowing feature on it earlier this year
It was a shock to the system for the visiting American writer:
There are not a lot of pubs in Ireland run by older women. There are even fewer where there’s no TV. There are still fewer that won’t allow a song now and then.
And until I walked into Brennan’s Criterion Bar on Main Street in this seaside Donegal town, I was unaware that there was an Irish pub where, beyond the prohibitions on TV and music, swearing is not allowed.
There’s no WIFI, telly or kitchen – just a proper bar with a small room next to it
It’s one of Donegal’s hidden pub treasures
Where the pub grub looks like this
On people wanting them to show matches on a TV, the sisters told The Globe:
We tell them they can go watch the match or the race someplace else and then come back here and talk about it.
You don’t win a reputation over more than a century for nothing
A timeless classic.
