I’ll have a pint, please, luain
Guinness World Records originated in Ireland and so it’s appropriate that some of the institutions awarded with a mention in the book are Irish. “Europe’s oldest pub,” for example, is Sean’s Bar in Athlone in County Westmeath. Its friendly barman is Timmy Donovan. He is very proud of the place where he works:
Timmy Donovan (irish accent): The pub itself dates back to 900 AD. We’re dated, that’s our official Guinness Book of World dating. We’re dated by the National Museum and certified by the Guinness Book of World Records, right back to 900. Luain was the very first person here in 900. And I showed you the walls down there earlier on, that’s what the whole building is actually made from, it’s called wattle and wicker, which is interwoven hazel trees held together with horsehair and clay. And that’s what the whole building is still made from. It’s the original building dating back to 900 AD, it’s just been plastered over over the years, that’s all, but it’s the same old wattle and wicker inside all of the walls. And if you see, there’s a slope on the floor: that was the original drainage system, where the water flowed in the front, flowed out the back and they put down sawdust to soak it up, so that’s the tradition of the sawdust on the ground.
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what’s in a name?
Sean’s Bar is named after two of its previous owners, but the original barman was a fellow called Luain, who also gave his name to the town:
Timmy Donovan: The very first person to have the bar here was Luain, and that was in 900. And the reason Luain situated the bar here was, you have the River Shannon out the back here, which Lough Rea. Now Lough Rea is a huge lake, it’s 13 miles long by 8 miles wide. And then it funnels into the River Shannon here at Athlone. So you have to come the whole way around the lake, and the very first crossing is directly at the back door. And that’s why Luain situated the bar here. And he guided people across the old ford. That was in 900, and a settlement then built up around the pub. And in 1100 they built the first wooden castle to guard that settlement. And that settlement became known in Irish at the time as Atha Luain, meaning the Ford of Luain, or the Place of Luain. And today, Atha Luain is actually the Irish for Athlone. So the town took its name from the bar, dating right back to 900 AD. People often say about Athlone: Athlone is the town that was built around a pub!
our rivals
So how does a pub actually get intothe Guinness World Records?
Timmy Donovan: And you, basically you submit all, all your details, they come to visit you, sit down with you, they’ll research it thoroughly, and then they come back and give you what’s called their official Guinness Book of World Record dating, and ours is 900, with the letter “Congratulations, you’re the oldest pub in Ireland.” And not only that now, we’ve gone from that to the oldest pub in the British Isles. The nearest pub, there was two of them disputing it in England. Only one is recognised by the Guinness World Records over in England. And while I was dealing with them I went back to that pub, and it’s a pub in Nottingham, and it’s based in the caverns beneath Nottingham Castle, and it’s called the Trip to Jerusalem, lovely, lovely pub. Its official Guinness Book of World Record dating was 1080, and our official Guinness Book of World Record dating was 900, so we have it pretty well nailed. We’re also with the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest pub in the world in existence. It’s continuously been a bar here since 900, right through. We have most of the owners all documented right back to Luain himself.
The Irish are famous for their traditional pubs, although at first glance the oldest pub in Ireland doesn’t look special. Sean’s Bar is situated on the banks of the River Shannon in Athlone, County Westmeath, in the heart of Ireland. Painted blue, from the outside it looks like a typical Irish pub. Go inside and it seems typically quaint and cosy, locals and tourists drink side by side. Look down, however, and you will notice that the floor is covered with sawdust. This is rare these days. The expression ‘spit-and-sawdust pub’ signifies an old-fashioned bar – and Sean’s Bar is certainly very old! the NormansOn the wall of Sean’s Bar there is a letter from the Guinness Book of World Records certifying that the pub is the oldest in Ireland. This was discovered in the 1970s when the wall, made of wattle and daub, was examined during renovation work and found to be more than a thousand years old! After further research, they found that there was a pub located here in 900AD, and that it was run by a man called Luain who guided travellers across the river. When the Normans built Athlone Castle in the 12th century, they may have stopped by Luain’s for a pint! a beer flightModern visitors to Sean’s Bar can enjoy a drink on the terrace and live music every night. It is the only pub in Ireland where you can learn how to pull a pint of Guinness “properly,” and receive a Pull Your Own Pint certificate for your efforts. Sean’s also serves its own craft beers. The best way to sample them is to order a “beer flight,” a special selection of lagers, ales and stouts. www.seansbar.ie |