Whiskey Fly Bar

The Elfin float. The Mermaid. The Dolphin Cuttyhunk. Brown's Phantom. The Whiskey Fly. In the early 1900s, these were common items, the words part of the everyday vernacular of fishermen. Today, though, these terms...and the items...are quite rare. One look inside the Whiskey Fly Bar gives the feeling of an immediate transport to the time when fishermen gathered around a huge stone fireplace to warm their freezing hands by a sweet turf fire before sauntering to the bar to quench their parched throats with a pint or two while they spun tales about their good fortune with the Mermaid, the Elfin, or the Brown Phantom. Around Dunfanaghy, these kings of Ireland retreated to the Whiskey Fly Bar where, above their heads in shadow boxes, hung handcarved replicas of the spotted brown trout and a reminder of the Angler's First Rule: Return all undersized catch immediately.

In 1925, another reminder hung beside it: a decree by the Minister for Lands and Fisheries banning the use of ring nets for catching herring. Shortly thereafter, a framed newspaper clipping occupied an empty spot on the wall. 1925 Railway Disaster in nearby Owencarrow left 16 children orphaned.

Now, other rareties adorn the walls of the Whiskey Fly Bar, as well. Photographs. Outstanding photographs by Stanley Machett, the award winning photographer and instructor of the Photography Weekend Workshops in Dunfanaghy.

And of course, a big screen TV for those who still love to gather and spin tales, maybe not so much about the Mermaid or the Elfin, but about the latest GAA plays.

It might have started as a fisherman's bar, but today, the Whiskey Fly caters to everyone who enjoys a little nostalgia, a breath-taking garden view, the luxury of fine photography, and the comfort of good food and drink.

Hours: Monday thru Saturday 11:00 - 12:00, Sunday 12:00 ‘til

Bar food served 12:00-5:00 daily

Menu and prices:

Chowder €7.25

Soup €4.25

Haddock €12.95

Sandwiches €7.95

Mixed drinks €4.25

How to get there:

From Dublin: N2/A5 through Omagh to Lifford. Then N14/13 to Letterkenny. N56 N to Dunfanaghy (about 15 miles)

From Belfast: A6 to Derry, then N13 to Letterkenny, then N56 15 miles to Dunfangahy.

Address:

Whiskey Fly Bar

Arnold's Hotel

Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal

www.arnoldshotel.com

T: 074 913 6208

Written by Joy Davis - Summer of Travel 2007