Southside Pub Crawl Virtual Cache
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(virtual)
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This Multi-Stage Virtual Cache should take you to many of Dublin City Centre’s finer Public Houses on the South Side of the River Liffey.
This is a virtual cache with roughly 20 stages! However, all the stages are close together, so the whole cache should only take you about 60-120 minutes. (or possibly much, much longer if you decide to sample the quality of Guinness at each stage!). The terrain is flat and you will be walking along concrete for the entire cache, so no specialist clothing is needed. However it might be wise to bring a calculator to figure out the answers at the end. You can visit the pubs in any order, but the order I list them is probably the quickest route to take. The starting point of the cache is not far from most bus routes that go in to the city centre. It’s also very close to the Tara Street DART station. This cache can really only be done on foot – leave the car in one of the city’s many car parks and head off for a stroll!
Dublin has over 700 pubs, so choosing the best is always going to be a difficult task. This particular group was chosen on the basis of many factors, such as history, significance, atmosphere, etc. The idea, and much of the text in this cache page, came from Pat Liddy’s book, “Secret Dublin” (New Holland Press), which is a must for anyone spending a significant amount of time in the city. The route more or less follows that described in the book, but some of the pubs are different. I’m sure I’ve left out many great pubs, but there are also many great ones included. Along the route there are several questions to be answered, all of which will help you reach the final pub (Number 23!) on the walk. Email me the name of that pub to complete the cache. All clues are on the buildings’ exteriors, so you will not need to go into any of them to get the answers (although most are well worth a visit!)
Satellite coverage may come and go in the city centre, but can usually be picked up from open locations, such as along the River Liffey, in Trinity College, Dublin Castle courtyard, St. Stephen’s Green and at street intersections. I’ve left out the names of the pubs to encourage people to use their GPS to find them, but if satellite coverage can’t be gained, the encrypted hints will tell you which pub to look out for. Print out the map so you will know where the streets mentioned in the clues lie. The coordinates listed above for the cache are those for the first pub.
A big thanks to fellow geocacher Shakes for testing this route and clearing up a few confusing issues with some of my original clues! Thanks also to Tolmaion for a few updates on the state of the pubs in 2009. It seems several of my original pub choices have become victims of the recession and have closed or changed hands. I've changed the route a little to reflect this.
1) The first pub is at N53 20.815 W6 15.321. This pub is a small unpretentious establishment with low wooden beam ceilings, and an original old world interior. At this pub, what is the third number on the year in the sign relating to Bloomsday?
ANSWER A =
2) From here, walk to N53 20.771 W6 15.420. Here you will find another pleasant pub that makes a nice location for watching the comings and goings across the road at the various bus-stops. You may well encounter a driver having an after work pint or two. The upstairs room in the pub was a popular meeting spot for the Polish community in Ireland over the last few years and is generally quite fun and noisy when the Polish football team happened to be on TV! Here you must count the number of entrances to the pub and multiply that number by 4.
ANSWER B=
3) From here head over to N53 20.752 W6 15.582. This pub is well worth popping into – as it’s a shrine to authentic Victorianism, with old-fashioned carved mahogany shelf units, counter screens and counters, which are complemented by a collection of brass vessels, bric a brac and framed pictures. This pub is the first of eight stops on the tour in the area known as Temple Bar. This pedestrianised zone can be either a pleasant cultural experience with left-field record and clothes shops, an art-house cinema and a huge selection of restaurants, or a depressing collection of streets full of loud stag and hen parties with many pubs providing manufactured “authentic” Irish atmosphere. It’s best to visit the area on a sunny Saturday afternoon when the place comes alive, with a book market in Temple Bar Square and an excellent food market in Meeting House Square… Outside the pub, look at the lamp which states the pub’s name. How many glass sides are in this lamp?
ANSWER C=
4) From here, move on to the junction of N53 20.742 W6 15.711, where the next two pubs are located. One pub is famous for its live traditional Irish Music (as the outer side wall proclaims in huge letters!) and is named after a poet/musician/senator friend of James Joyce. Both pubs are worth a visit for some authentic Dublin pub atmosphere. Stand between the two pubs and look at the street numbers of both pubs (both street numbers I'm looking for here are odd numbers), and subtract the lower number from the higher number. Add 2 to this figure to get Answer D
ANSWER D=
5) At N53 20.725 W6 15.775 you will find a New York style pub and restaurant, which is an important live music venue. Look at the top of the building and count the number of letters in the surname mentioned on the black sign “A ????????????? & Sons”
ANSWER E=
6) Move on to N53 20.762 W6 15.803 to find a small traditional pub which hosts famous music and comedy evenings. Here you are looking for the first number in the telephone number of the company who supplied the pub’s alarm.
ANSWER F=
7) At N53 20.740 W6 15.844 you will find a pub which used to be a nice quiet place but has now fallen victim to tourism and is a shadow of its former self. It looks nice from the outside, though… Here, find the second last number of the company that painted the pub’s signs. Note there are 2 companies who have painted signs on the pub. The one you are looking for is called Sign Design.
ANSWER G=
8) At N53 20.734 W6 15.880 you will find a pub which is popular with tourists due to the traditional Irish music and dancing which take place there regularly. I find the atmosphere there a bit manufactured, though. Outside, look for the name of the nightclub attached to the pub. Take away 3 from the answer to get H.
ANSWER H=
9) At N53 20.706 W6 16.008 you will find the Hotel, Nightclub and pub owned by the rock group, U2. Look to the left of the building and find the year that Dollard’s, next to the Hotel, was founded. What’s the fourth number of the year?
ANSWER I=
10) At N53 20.712 W6 16.021 you will find a pub which brews its own beers and stouts. It is well worth a visit and you’ll probably find some form of live music going on there. Find the number of wooden bird-houses on the outside of the building.
ANSWER J=
11) At N53 20.698 W6 16.074 you will find two pubs, both of which are quite unappealing. The one to the north is slightly better as it is often a last resort on a particularly late night out, when every other pub seems to shut down. Find the number of the postal district that these pubs are in. For those unfamiliar with Dublin’s postal system, this is listed on a blue and white street sign nearby.
ANSWER K=
12) At N53 20.673 W6 16.041 you will find a much more attractive pub, with welcoming atmosphere and a fine collection of comfortable inviting couches that envelope anyone who sits in them. Stop here for a rest -you’re halfway through the pubcrawl! At this stage you’re probably tired from the walking, or too drunk to care, depending on how fully you’ve experienced each pub! Outside the pub look across the street towards an ancient sign for a hotel that once existed. How many letters in the middle word of the Hotel name?
ANSWER L=
13) At N53 20.656 W6 15.984 you will find another traditional pub with much wood decorating the exterior and interior of the pub. It’s a nice place for a quiet pint. What is the street number of the pub?
ANSWER M=
14) At N53 20.630 W6 15.872 you will find a pub where the bright exteriors are reflected by some of the more flamboyant characters you might encounter inside. Across the road, in Dame Lane, you will find an ancient neon sign advertising hair care. How many yellow letters make up the last two words of the question beneath the neon face?
ANSWER N=
15) At N53 20.626 W6 15.821 lies my favourite pub in all Dublin. It’s a traditional pub which looks like it has not been updated in many, many years. Stop off here for a Guinness and a toasted sandwich. Outside, find a sign for Pay and Display Parking. In the sign, what number is represented by the two Xs “07:00 – XX:00”
ANSWER O=
16) At N53 20.585 W6 15.830 you will find a hotel which has a hidden treasure of a bar upstairs. It’s a relaxing, unknown room with many ancient looking books and comfortable chairs. Outside, look at the canopy above the hotel entrance. Count the number of letters on the front of the canopy and divide the answer by 2 to get answer P
ANSWER P=
17) Next up is a pub which hosts various well renowned music and comedy nights in its upstairs room. At N53 20.586 W6 15.716, this pub is quite small, but retains a nice traditional feel. What is the street number (an odd number) of the pub?
ANSWER Q=
18) At N53 20.536 W6 15.753 you will find another traditional pub that I like very much. It’s quite compact, so don’t try to visit it on a weekend evening. Instead, drop in earlier in the day and you’ll probably get a seat. Outside you’ll probably hear a busker covering a Van Morrison song. I think the Irish Tourist Board employs them to cover Mr. Morrison 24 hours a day. What street number is this pub?
ANSWER R=
19) At N53 20.444 W6 15.667 you will find a pub which is quiet and comfortable (there’s a room upstairs if downstairs is full). It is often frequented by actors from the various theatres around town, so if you’re a theatre buff you might spot someone you recognize. Look at the outside front wall. How many decorative grey vents (shaped a little like a flower) are there along the bottom of the front of the pub?
ANSWER S=
20) At N53 20.465 W6 15.568 you will find a pub which was converted from a house and internally still maintains the layout and many of the features of a house. What are the first two numbers of the year that this pub was established?
ANSWER T=
21) N53 20.512 W6 15.559 is the site of a pub immortalized in James Joyce’s “Ulysses”. In the book, Leopold Bloom stops in for lunch at the ‘Moral Pub” as he calls it. To get the answer for this pub, add 1 to the street number of the pub
ANSWER U=
22) This is the penultimate pub! It’s at N53 20.427 W6 15.513, and was converted in 1994 from some dull insurance offices into a large café-style bar with excellent interiors and expensive posh coffees. Have a quick look inside, but move on to the final destination for a well earned Pint of Plain! How many times is the number 41 painted on the front of the sign of the bookseller to the right of the pub?
ANSWER V=
23) All you have to do now is use your answers to find the coordinates of the final pub! This can be done by adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing the answers you found along the way. In the following problems,
+ means to add the values
- means subtract the values
x means multiply the values
/ means divide the first value by the second value
For the problems with brackets, figure out the answers in brackets first before completing the rest of the problem -
ANSWER 1 = B+C+E+G
ANSWER 2 = {([K*K*K]+H)xD} - (Q+U)
ANSWER 3 = M/(S+J) + A
ANSWER 4 = (FxIxLxV) - (N+O+P+R+T)
Insert your answers into the following coordinates to get the coordinates of the last pub.
(N53 ANSWER 1 . ANSWER 2) (W006 ANSWER 3 . ANSWER 4)
Once you’ve figured this out, head to this pub and note its name before stopping off for a well earned few pints, providing you can find a seat! NOTE: - you are definitely looking for a pub here, NOT A CAFE!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
1) Zhyyvtna’f, Cbbyort Fgerrg; 2) Puncyvaf, Unjxvaf Fgerrg; 3) Gur Cnynpr One, Syrrg Fgerrg; 4) Byvire Fg. Wbua Tbtnegl; Gur Nhyq Qhoyvare, Natyrfrn Fgerrg; 5) Rnzba Qbena’f, Pebja Nyyrl; 6) Un’Craal Oevqtr Vaa, Jryyvatgba Dhnl; 7) Gur Grzcyr One, Grzcyr One; 8) Svgmfvzba’f, Rffrk Fgerrg Rnfg; 9) Gur Pynerapr, Rffrk Fgerrg Rnfg; 10) Gur Cbegreubhfr, Rffrk Fgerrg Rnfg; 11) Gur Pmrpu Vaa, Rffrk Tngr; 12) Gur Sebag Ybhatr, Cneyvnzrag Fgerrg; 13) Oebtna’f, Qnzr Fgerrg; 14) Gur Trbetr, Trbetr’f Fgerrg; 15) Gur Fgnt’f Urnq, Qnzr Ynar; 16) Gur Prageny Ubgry, Rkpurdhre Fgerrg; 17) Gur Vagreangvbany, Rkpurdhre Fgerrg; 18) Tebtna’f, Jvyyvnz Fgerrg Fbhgu; 19) Arnel’f. Pungunz Fgerrg; 20) Xrubr’f, Fbhgu Naar Fgerrg; 21) Qnil Olear’f, Qhxr Fgerrg; 22) Pnsé Ra Frvar, Qnjfba Fgerrg;