The Chancery is by far the best early house in town. It’s also the scaldiest place I’ve ever been. It’s a crapshoot whether you’ll get in – often they have a «regulars only» policy which means they exclude anyone with a full set of teeth and doesn’t look like life has completely ruined them. If you prefer to keep rape as a fantasy, you might not want to risk the Chancery, but if you’re looking for material for your Basketball Diaries, it’s a great place for a drink at 7am.
Alexandra M.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Dublin, Republic of Ireland
The Chancery is by far the scariest pub that I’ve been in. I walked in here after my friend dared me to. We had seen some of the people who smoke outside and we knew that inside it would be tough. Of course, I wouldn’t go in alone so I dragged her a long. What a scene! I felt a million eyes on me when I ordered at the bar. It was 4pm and a lot people were wasted. They weren’t falling all over the place but their faces were red and there was some cackling. The pub was predominately filled with middle-aged men and most of them sat there, looking intimidating as they clutched their pint. No one talked to me but they did stare and because the space is small I was self-conscious. I think most of the people who drink here are regulars and have a secret knock. I heard from someone that this place serves alcohol around the clock and is popular with people who work night shifts. I don’t know if I’ll be coming back soon. The Chancery didn’t strike me as woman friendly pub.
Cathal C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Dublin, Republic of Ireland
The Chancery on Inns quay probably got its fancy west-Brit name from being the haunt of all the barristers and legal types from the Four Courts. Don’t let its poncy name put you off, though; The Chancery is a pretty decent boozer. It’s not often that I’m down that part of town of an evening, but The Chancery is a pleasant enough spot of a weekday, and has the added benefit of being far enough from the centre of town that it isn’t continually besieged by droves of tourists. Where The Chancery really comes into its own, though, is as an early house. There were a number of early house licences issued to provide for the imbibement needs of workers whose jobs obliged them to work very early in the morning, such as fruit and veg merchants and milkmen. It was reasoned that industries such as these, and for some shift workers, should be facilitated by earlier opening hours at a select number of pubs. While a not of these premises no longer avail of the early opening provisions of their licence(often due to the fact that there is not sufficient demand for them to do so), The Chancery is open bright and early at seven every morning(apart from Sunday when all pubs must stay closed until noon, early licence or no, out of respect for our lord or whatever). While many of the remaining early houses stick strictly to the spirit of the early licence arrangement and only allow in regulars or respectable looking folk at ungodly hours of the morning, The Chancery is also one of the few places that will allow in dishevelled-looking revellers who are obviously still on the sesh from the night before. Consequentially, going to The Chancery early on a Saturday can be a strange but entertaining experience, as there is no telling what type of deranged individuals who require drink at eight in the morning you will meet on your visit. You always come out of The Chancery with enough tales of the bizarre to dine out on for the next few months. So if you land in Dublin early in the morning with nothing to do until the shops open, or you’re on the way home from a house party with no desire to go to bed, pop into The Chancery on the quays, who knows what madness awaits you.
