29 Chichester St, Belfast BT1 4JB
The Garrick is one of the most attractive fronts in the province, with its eye-catching colours of black and gold, swinging sign, and the old self-standing street lamp, all enticing you to come inside. The interior won’t disappoint you either. This famous hostelry is over 150 years old and a great number of those years was owned by Braithwaite and McCann. The host for the last 8 years is the jovial and popular Barney O’Neill (the family also owns the popular Parador Hotel on the Ormeau Road). The interior was completely redesigned inside the last year by Ferguson and Wheeler, the designers, who must be congratulated for a job well done. Look out for the unusual black and white tiled floor, and the high ceiling (which previously was lowered and covered over, but is now restored to its former glory). For my eyes, the piece de resistance is the solid-looking mahogany bar counter, inlaid with marble. The pattern, you will note, echoes the ceiling. The fine mahogany cabinet behind the bar looks old, but Barney assured me it is not: it was specially designed for the bar. The joiner (or craftsman – more in keeping with a bygone age) was Brendan Walls. Around the walls are old advertising mirrors of Corbett’s Whiskey, Bushmills and Old Bells and two fine antique Dunville mirrors. Barney was telling me that the last of the Dunville distilling family is still living – Margie Dunville Stull, in San Antonio, Texas. Every year they exchange Christmas cards. Being a keen golfer, Barney has displayed a number of sporting pictures, namely Fred Daly (the only Irishman ever to win the British Open), with Harry Bradshaw and Seve Ballesteros and members of Balmoral.
To sum up, the Garrick (the name’s a bit of a misnomer) is a modern, ‘old-feeling’ pub, imaginatively restored and carefully furnished and decorated to preserve a cosy atmosphere.