Jonny Mc Hales Pub

One of the oldest pubs in Castlebar is John McHale’s pub, located on New Line. The pub is known for its sale of a Meejum of Guinness, which is slightly less than a pint. It once officially had ‘the best pint of Guinness in Ireland’ according to a national tabloid. The number of times I’ve gone back and forth to Ireland over the years has varied, but whenever I’m back in my home town in County Mayo, especially at Christmas, I always have a night out with friends at John McHale’s pub on Chapel Street Lower in Castlebar. It’s just a real old-boy pub. Very unspoiled. The front used to be a shop, so you can sit at the old counter, or at the bar. But what it’s famous for is serving a “meejum” of Guinness. Rather than a half or a pint, you get a measure somewhere in between. I would usually have just one or two – I’m not a big Guinness drinker – but my husband is now a firm devotee of the meejum. I held my book launch at the Castle bookshop in Castlebar last year, and we all crowded down to McHale’s for a few pints afterwards. The old boys sitting at the bar quite enjoyed telling the English lads how you could only tell the perfect pint of Guinness by the sound it makes when you hit it with a one euro coin. All the English boys were there hitting their meejums with coins, while everyone else was just laughing. It’s definitely not a romantic place, and definitely not a place for people interested in the “high end” experience. It’s just perfect for anyone looking for good night out and a laugh with friends in a proper, classic, Irish pub.