‘Little Whelan’s’ opens up next door to Wexford Street institution

The cosy front bar had been closed since before the pandemic, and reopened last week after undergoing huge refurbishment.

Fans of a quiet pint in the city will remember Bourke’s, the intimate bar attached to Whelan’s with a never-ending speciality gin selection as well as quintessentially Irish features such as bottles of Cadet to be used as mixers.

Previously an off-licence in another life, Bourke’s quietly reopened last week with a new look and the addition of a performance space in the back, adding to the existing three gig venues within Whelan’s – four if you count the front window where weekly blues sessions take place.

With tables and chairs facing the stage and walls adorned with posters of shows gone by, Bourkes is the perfect location for the cosy gigs and intimate music sessions Whelan’s is known and loved for. Headbangers, fear not – larger scale gigs with ample space to dance the night away while holding onto your pint for dear life will still populate the Whelan’s main stage. The silent disco is also an option three nights a week for anyone looking to bop into the early hours of the morning. Like its predecessor, Bourke’s will simply act as a sanctuary from the madness, and the perfect place to put the world to rights over a pint or three.

Open now for all your quiet pint needs.

Images via Duane Doogan 

READ NEXT: ‘It took 3 hours to clean’ Burrow Beach covered in litter following hottest day of the year