Barricade Inn

I’m gonna go five stars on this one. I’m not a squatter but I do appreciate this place being somewhat accessible amongst other things. It’s hard to qualify this place as a «squat» per se because it seems cleaner and more public than other squats I’ve chanced upon.
I dropped by for a music workshop that was listed on their site as happening at 7:00, but it actually started at 8:00. When it did commence, it seemed like 5 people or so gathered in to do something that didn’t involve a t.v. or laptop computer. Yeah, you read it here first. Take that, Ethan Kath.
There is a comfortable Miss Havisham’s mansion type atmosphere there (this used to be Neary’s hotel I believe) and the people seemed very easy going. An older gentleman came in with me, and one of the people there seemed to have no problem answering question upon question and tolerated an endless stream of banter… could be an Irish thing? I don’t know. Tea was available. They were polite and I believe that’s a big plus for a place that requires no (as far as today) admission prices or monies for services.
That being said I wouldn’t go here for an indie Starbucks or angry YMCA yoga experience… Do go here to interact with human beings that have probably read more than one non-​fiction book within the span of a year and to experience a sense of community based in anarchist priniples. They also have a shaz load of books so you could probably get away with just getting some tea and looking at a book if you’re a total hermit and don’t like talking to people.