Morten Andersen takes the view that the best place to watch a match is often the place that takes its beer seriously, and 57 The Headline proves the point on Clanbrassil Street. It is a craft-led gastropub that puts 24 taps behind the bar and turns the screens on for the rugby without becoming a screen barn.
The Headline sits at 57 Lower Clanbrassil Street, on the southern run out of the city towards Portobello and the canal in Dublin 8. Under new ownership and a full renovation, the gastropub built a reputation on a friendly room and a serious beer list, and DesignMyNight counts 24 taps weighted towards Irish and international craft beer.
The room is a comfortable middle ground between a beer bar and a local. Booth seating, a long counter and good light make it a place to settle in rather than stand and shout, and the screens come out for the bigger fixtures rather than running all day. Rugby is the natural draw here, and the pub fills for international weekends, when the craft list gives the match-day crowd more to choose from than the usual stout and lager.
What to order starts at the taps. Work the Irish craft end of the list, take a guest IPA or a stout from one of the smaller breweries, and let the bar staff steer you to whatever has just landed. A pint on this list sits around the six-to-seven-euro range for the craft pours, dearer than a macro lager but the reason to come. Morten's note: order a half of something dark and a half of something hoppy before kickoff, then commit to the winner.
Who it is for is the beer drinker who also wants the rugby, and the local after a better pint than the corner pub offers. It is right for an international rugby Saturday, a relaxed craft session or a kitchen plate before the game, and wrong for anyone after cocktails or a club finish. For more of the south-city beer and sport scene, our guide to the best sports bars in Dublin sets out the routes.
Best time to go is an hour before an international rugby kickoff, when the booths fill and the taps get a workout, or a quiet midweek evening for the beer list without the crowd. A weekend afternoon match is the sweet spot. Avoid a late Monday if you want atmosphere, since the Headline is a beer-and-match room rather than a late bar.
Regulars rate the rotation on the taps, and the kitchen holds up alongside the beer, with Tripadvisor reviewers pointing to the burgers and the relaxed service as reasons the room keeps its local crowd. The renovation under new ownership is what turned a tired corner pub into a south-city beer destination.
57 The Headline is the Clanbrassil Street gastropub that lets you watch the rugby with a proper pint in hand, a 24-tap craft room that takes the beer as seriously as the game. For a match with a beer list worth reading, it is the Dublin 8 call. For the wider city, start with our Dublin bar guide, and for another characterful Dublin sports room see Slattery's Rathmines nearby.
Sources: DesignMyNight; Tripadvisor reviews; The Irish Times.
