The Emerald Green Isle is supposed to be the influence here, but sports bears a stronger presence, so the only hint of Irish culture you'll here get is from the Guinness tap.

The Venue
As it's up one of Bournemouth’s ridiculously steep hills, the busyness of the city centre doesn’t touch St Michaels Road. The only reason people come up here is for the hotels and a few of the local pubs.

The Shamrock Bar in particular seems to have the strongest draw, with customers filling up the seats inside or, when the weather's good, sat outside enjoying their evening pint. Is it the lure of Irish charm? The decor destroys this idea as there is almost no Irish influence, unless you include the green chairs.

Instead, the walls are covered with sports memorabilia, from signed shirts to posters and pictures, making this place look like a classic sports bar.

The TVs are always set to whatever match is on, and a long sign states which match will be shown next. Everything else has been kept basic, with cheap wood furniture inside and metal seating outside.

The People
Middle-aged locals, who don't want to walk down the hill and then up it again just to have a pint, make up most of the crowd.

The Shamrock Bar can get very busy in the evenings with groups of friends congregating here to catch up and watch whatever match is on, so the atmosphere is always lively and relaxed.

No one worries about appearance or decorum, the customers are here to have a laugh and get into the spectator spirit with friends and strangers within one small place.

The Drink
With blokes and birds making up most of the clientele, a decent pint is the preferred option for most customers.

Fosters, Kronenberg, Strongbow and John Smiths (to name a few) are available on tap for around £2.80 a pint unless you come between 5pm and 7pm, Monday to Friday, then it's only £2, which makes happy hour a popular time here.

There is also a basic wine and spirit list, with bottles from £10 and 25ml measures from £2 to £3, but the choice isn’t impressive.

The Last Word
The Shamrock Bar has all the warmth and fun of an Irish pub due to the camaraderie of the sports spectators which makes this an enjoyable drinking spot.

venue information venue map view bournemouth review write a review