OUR STORY AT NANCY HANDS
A Traditional Irish Experience Like No Other
Nancy Hand’s – Step Into The Story
We serve quintessential Irish dishes made from locally sourced ingredients, alongside a selection of modern international plates that complement our extensive list of wines and beers.
Just a stone’s throw from the Guinness Brewery, we champion Irish — pouring what many call the best Guinness on this side of the Liffey, and serving pub favourites like seafood chowder, homemade burgers, fish & chips, and our signature beef and Guinness stew. We also proudly stock beer and spirits from across the island of Ireland.
Whether you’re visiting for lunch in Dublin or planning a relaxed dinner, our menus are built around flavour, quality, and warm Irish hospitality.
Music and culture are at the heart of what we do. We host traditional live music every week at the bar, bringing together some of Dublin’s best local musicians and if you’ve got a voice or an instrument, you’re always welcome to join in.
Nancy’s is well known for our lively quiz nights every and the venue offers a unique setting for group bookings, private events, and celebrations of all kinds.
The First Of Her Kind
This pub and its name dates back to the public house era in Dublin towards the end of the 18th century, but you may ask who exactly is Nancy Hands?
A woman of Irish folklore? A rebellion hero?
Nancy was the first female owner of a public house ever, in both Dublin and Ireland. This strong leader ran the pub in a time where religion was everything in Ireland, and holy hour was ingrained in society with all establishments closing from 2pm-4pm every Sunday after mass. However, Nancy had her eyes set on money, and although she had to adhere to the rules of the church, Nancy found a way around the two hours of having no business.
A Canny Operator
Located at the front of the building you’ll see a stampage box, this antique sits gently into a hole that was carved out by Nancy where during the two hours of religious solace, she would serve pints out through the tiny hatch to thirsty customers, where all people could see was Nancy’s hands, hence the name of this bar.
Throughout her tenure as landlady, Nancy lived on the top floor of this building, and you will find Nancy and her heritage dotted throughout the bar, including a stunning stained-glass panel of the infamous woman herself.
A Pub Steeped in Irish Folklore
History is not only steeped in the 150 year old building itself, but with the furniture and antiques inside.
Our beautiful staircase is from Trinity College, where Oscar Wilde famously studied, and the staircase was also featured in the movie ‘Educating Rita’, starring Michael Cane.
We have two huge clock in machines from Odlums bakery, one of the first ever clock in machines to be manufactured, dating back to the 1900’s, where 300 employees started and ended their day by dialling in their number on this one of a kind machine, and guess what, it still works today!
On the ground floor of the bar, we have an old code machine that was once used in 1923 for communication between a ship leaving Dublin and its home port. Another one of our antique treasures that still works to this day, please ask our staff to show you how!
As your delicious food leaves our kitchen, you will notice the unusual surroundings, these were vault openings from a Dublin bank in the 1940’s.
Where Every Corner Tells a Tale
On every wall you will see original Guinness advertising posters and paintings, depicting several of the classic Guinness ads including the famous toucan, and the slogan ‘My Goodness, My Guinness’. We cannot have Guinness artefacts without having some original beer pumps used over a century ago.
The exterior and interior of Nancy Hands brings you back to the 1900’s, complete with stories in every corner, and furniture that sparks the imagination of curious souls. With a wealth of history behind its doors, we eagerly await your visit to tell you more…`
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