Buck Whaleys

Ah, Buck Whaleys… I only came across this place recently so I don’t know what it used to be like but I like it the way it is at the moment. I’ve only been in the upstairs part, but it feels a bit like you’re sitting in someone’s sitting room… with the small difference that there is a full bar in this sitting room.
The bands playing were pretty good as well and there was a great atmosphere in the place. The pints were a bit dear though, with Lager costing 6 Euro, but the staff were very friendly and fast. I’ll be back.

Hehe– this place makes me smile. While in Ireland this summer, We flew into Dublin and spent the day and night. We made our way around the Temple Bar area and made friends with some locals late night at Temple Bar. They were kind enough to bring my brother, friend and I to Buck Whaleys. I’m not going to lie, I kinda felt cool hanging out with locals and entering the underground club without having to pay a cover because our new friends were VIP. We couldn’t stop laughing at the dance floor– checkered colorful blocks and a variety of people getting nuts dancing. The music was fabulous– cheesy fun-​loving pop music– everything from Britney to Madonna. I’m sure to the regular patrons in Dublin, this place may get old– We had a blast and will never forget that Disco fever dance floor

Not a fan but I’ve only been here twice. The first time was for a Halloween costume party and the place was great. Everyone was up for a laugh, drinks were flowing, the music was excellent and the dancefloor was hopping.
Thinking this was my new favourite spot in Dublin, I went back the following weekend. I had a half price entry ticket that I had received the previous night. It was valid but yet the door staff rejected it and gave no reason. The bouncer actually behaved like such an disinterested ignorant fool that I wanted to leave. But my friends reminded me of how good it was the previous weekend. We paid the 10 euro entry fee and 2 euro cloak room charge only to find the place was deserted inside. And this was at 1am. It was just so incredibly bad. The complete opposite to the previous weekend.
I’m hoping this was just a once off but I got the feeling it wasn’t, so I don’t really have any intention of going back here as there are much better clubs or late bars in Dublin.

Buck Whaley’s, like Cats and Leggs, was an institution of the hard drinking socialite in Dublin. Prior to recent changes to the law, Buck Whaley’s operated, in a basement, under a restaurant’s alcohol license. This meant they could serve wine, and only wine, until five in the morning. These were the days when people would spent € 35 for the sort of plonk that the French would extradite you for drinking. The only food available in this «restaurant» was cocktail sausages and garlic mushrooms by the platter, which rumour has it, would appear for free when the 5 – 0 were nearby
That said, all this extra late-​night partying, overpricing and imaginative interpreting of the law made you feel like a real-​life rock star.
Nowadays, the infamous Buck’s has been reigned in and cleaned up. It shuts it’s doors at three thirty, which is slightly later than most, and serves a full range of beverages at normal (read: exorbitant) nightclub prices. They do now have the coolest dancefloor I’ve ever seen: a multicoloured checkerboard of flashing lights, and have extended operations from basement into the first floor of the Georgian building above.
Buck Whaley’s still gives you the feeling that being truly debauched is possible even if the Celtic tiger has gone extinct, I even saw a few bottles of bad wine being drunk by the die hards, and the live swing band playing upstairs had a demonic glint in their eye.
So three stars for the new Buck’s, not the same anymore, but sill a heck of a lot of fun. If they change the laws back and Buck Whaley’s goes back to being the last chance saloon I once knew and loved I’ll definitely up the score to five stars.

€ 15 in to a nightclub during a recession is absolutely crazy. But… they had cheesey music so I was sold. They now have a full bar licence (it used to be just a wine bar) which is kinda dangerous. But when you’re dancing your socks off it doesn’t matter! Dance floor that lights up from underneath is pretty retro — good fun.
It’s Buck’s second coming.