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The Old School House

4.2 (39 reviews)
ModeratePubs

The Old School House Photos

THE OLD SCHOOL HOUSE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Live music
Casual
Good for dancing

Recommended Reviews - The Old School House

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Reviews With Photos

The bar area
Kelly M.

Visited recently and had a fantastic meal along with a few pints. First, Swords is a very charming area to walk around. The Old Schoolhouse is equally charming. Really beautiful bar, near decor and niches of different dining areas. Service here was pleasant and cheerful. Servers clearly work as a team and do not seem to be dedicated to certain tables. We had multiple servers stop by to ask if we needed anything and different ones took our order, got us beer refills, brought our bill. The food was really fantastic. HUGE chunk of fresh cod with a light beer batter in the fish and chips was rounded out by quite nice chips and mushy peas. We also had creamy tagliatelle with mushrooms and bacon. It was also a HUGE portion and absolutely delicious. Go early or make a reservation!

Guinness pie
Rachel I.

A fun place that I can't tell if it's touristy or just has a lot of character. We stopped by as we were staying near swords on our last night and didn't feel like venturing in to Dublin and I'm glad we selected this place! I had a hearty Guinness pie and pint and it really hit the spot. Others were opting for their great deals they had on steak and fajitas that night and it smelled good! Overall the vibe was pretty fun with lots of whiskey decor and screens showing the World Cup. The outdoor area was even heated there!

Outdoor area

We stopped in while staying at a local Air BNB. The pub is tucked off the high street and provides ample outdoor seating that is covered on demand. We enjoyed the smoked cod and wedges and a burger with chips. Both were good. Service was a bit slow.

Sophie R.

This was one of my favorite memories of Ireland. This place has such a fun, lively vibe about it! The inside is one of those kind of kitschy cluttery funky affairs, and you would never guess how large it is inside! I saw one reviewer had commented that the decor is dated and could use a make over which I suppose is true, but I liked it just the way it was. Has loads of character! It was definitely busy when we went and it took a little time for us to be noticed by a server. They could probably benefit from having a hostess to organize and seat people. But otherwise, I can't complain. The food was definitely tasty, and the airy patio full of potted plants and colorful bursting flower baskets overlooks a stunning old church on an hill. There is a beer garden on the upstairs deck as well but I didn't get a chance to head up there. The food is your standard pub fare. I had a fishermen's pot pie which was filling and tasty with large chunks of fresh fish. I would love something like this to be in Rhode Island!

Cool beer good food
Gary F.

Well what a place a hidden gem in swords packed most weekends huge place always a good older crowd wit a mix of some responsible youths. Always a place ud gladly get lost in. Looks can be decieving tho from the outside u walk in and realise how big it is with 3 smoking areas. Thats what i found anyway even tho im a non smoker. 2 floors huge place and a restaurant upstairs aswell which i hav graced and had a steak. With some huge onions rings hidden under a massive sirloin wut mash and pepper sauce that ud want to eat wit a spoon. The bar menu tho is not to be dissed tho the portions are huge the food is amazing and the saff are fast and polite. The beer is always freezing cold. Only real bad point wud be there are some very cramped walk ways and not as many heaters as ud expext in the smoking areas. Can be too packed some nights wit no where to even stand lwt alone but that said just goes to show how great it is as its a huge bar id say one of the biggest in swords and even tho its off the main strip of swords its name has travelled. Its a great spot for a big meal.wit ur mates or upstairs for a quite meal with your better half. An all rounder in my eyes. Also one other bad points . Akward steps going into the lads toilets kind of akward after a few beverages ive seen them claim a few too many lads on the rip. The place had a great vibe always packed . Live music the works.

Irish T.

We went there on a very busy day when there was a match on. From the moment We got there the staff were extremely friendly and attentive, food was beautifully cooked and reasonably priced. I had been wanted to check this place out for a while and was not disappointed,would definitely recommend!

My daughter and grandchildren at our son wedding
Paul K.

What a pub great food great beers staff are so cool the place to be my self and the wife love the food the drinks are nice and cool the staff are so friendly we would have No hesitation in recommending it to all Of our website

At the bar at the start of the night
Sydney E.

This place was a GREAT BUZZ came here with friends. I danced and drank the night away and if I could, I would do it every Friday night. The band was poppin and the dance floor was hoppin!!! I even had to go out back in the garden to cool off because everyone was jammin. This bar was perfect!

Chicken enchilada

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11 months ago

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10 months ago

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10 months ago

Good food and good drinks and good service and excellent quality service nice local food

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9 months ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Great local restaurant / bar. Live music weekly. Very good chowder & fish. Great vibe and environment.

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Photo of John M.
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4 years ago

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12 years ago

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11 years ago

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8 years ago

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11 years ago

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16 years ago

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8 years ago

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9 years ago

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12 years ago

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10 years ago

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8 years ago

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9 years ago

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11 years ago

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10 years ago

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11 years ago

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8 years ago

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6 years ago

Great food, gotten delivery a couple of times during lockdown and it was amazing every time

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9 years ago

Good service and price. I like going there to have some lunch. Love interior as well. Oh I had chowder before and it was delish!

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12 years ago

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9 years ago

Nice beer garden to sit in for summer time with some pints, one of my favourite locals, staff are quite friendly

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10 years ago

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11 years ago

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17 years ago

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15 years ago

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The Old School House Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - The Old School House

In the early 1900's this was a schoolhouse in Swords, as you can probably tell just by reading the name!

Mentioned in 4 reviews

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People searched for Pubs 6,044 times last month within 10 miles of this business.

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The Lord Mayors

The Lord Mayors

4.0(10 reviews)
0.2 km
€€

I had a 6 hour layover in Dublin and I wanted to pop into an authentic Irish pub for a pint of…read moreGuinness.I took a cab to the Swords Village about 8-10 minutes from the airport. I was dropped off in a lovely little village and happened upon The Lord Mayors during my walk. My friends and I were greeted by a very friendly waitress. I had my pint of Guinness and a yummy order of BBQ wings. My friends ordered Irish Creams and bar food as well. The service was excellent and the bar was quite cozy.

For an American traveling to Ireland this was "exactly" what we wanted from a stop at a pub…read more Friendly service, while the menu was strictly pub/bar fare, it was excellent, good portions, tasty and served hot. I got a kick out of seeing what appeared to be 1/2 liter beer/ale glasses but then it WAS a pub in Ireland. The prices were what I considered excellent as well. A bonus was the table full of what I would guess to be local musicians playing "traditional" Irish music, accordions, lots of guitar, a guy with 8-10 various flutes, tin whistles etc, another gentleman had various harmonica's, a drum (Bodhran) player and one of the guitar players had an Irish bouzouki - mandolin - lute kinda thingy that sounded beautiful. In all there were at various times from 9-12 players in all. The session was wonderful, playing the typical goodbye to love forever mixed with foot tapping let's be happy variety of tunes. Growing up listening to Irish music, I felt very much at home sitting there and it fit perfectly with the overall atmosphere of the pub, more like a gathering of friends not seen in a long time verses the euro-centric chic feeling of other places we happened across. If in Swords you could do a lot worse I'm sure, while not an expert on the Irish Pub scene, as I mentioned earlier this was an Irish American's mental image of of a night in Dublin.

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The Lord Mayors
The Lord Mayors
The Lord Mayors

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Gilbert & Wright Malahide

Gilbert & Wright Malahide

4.5(8 reviews)
4.6 km
€€

Went to Gilbert & Wright in Malahide and have to say I would not be recommending it ever again…read more Buying my first glass of wine I was stared at by a second bar girl who asked me was I going to pay for my wine. I had already paid the girl that had served me?! On my second glass of wine and needed the toilet, while leaving my glass with a little wine in it. On arriving back from toilet my wine was gone. Mentioning this to the lounge boy he politely informed me he would check what had happened. A few minutes later and I get a visit from what this pub calls a 'manager' (name witheld) and apart from him being enraged, he simply denied that my wine was ever taken, then proceeds to shout over me and act in a very confrontational manner, squaring up to me while roaring into my face. This 'manager' guy at Gilbert & Wrights would not even allow me to politely articulate my issue. His default mode was shouting full denial into my face. Not wanting to get barred from here, I felt I had no other option but to forget about my wine and go purchase another glass at the bar. This review is not about a wine glass, it's about Gilbert & Wright's response to my very polite comment about their removal of my drink. For to be treated in this manner by their raging 'manager' is inexcusable and I will not be returning here any time soon. Gilbert & Wright Malahide please get your act together and stop insulting your customers. AVOID Gilbert & Wright Malahide at all costs.. AVOID !

Superb place to go for a few cocktails and music. Frequently has live music or dj. Great staff and…read morevery friendly bartenders. Nice place to visit after a lovely dinner nearby. Been here severalllllll times and never been disappointed. More suited for 25 plus crowd.

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Gilbert & Wright Malahide
Gilbert & Wright Malahide
Gilbert & Wright Malahide

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The Old School House - pubs - Updated May 2026

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