So who was Oliver St John Gogarty?

Oliver St John Gogarty (1878- 1957) an Irish physician and surgeon who was also a poet and a writer, one of the most prominent Dublin wits, and for some time a political figure of the Irish Free State. Gogartys kindness and benevolence was warmly lavished on the poor of Dublin. Perhaps his most daring exploit was his escape from his executioners during the Civil War in December of 1922 - the description of which is best left to his close friend W.B. Yeats: "Pleading a natural necessity he got into the garden, plunged under a shower of revolver bullets and as he swam the ice-cold December stream promised it, should it land him to safety, two swans". True to his word, the swashbuckling Gogarty fulfilled his promise to the Liffey not far from the pub which now bears his name. Gogarty was a one time friend of James Joyce, and their relationship is often described as the odd couple.

But, it was as a socialite and an avid imbiber that the city remembers him best. Possessing an umbilical-like affinity towards Guinness, he once described it as follows: "Like dark sleep, it knits up the revelled sleeve of care, and, what is an achievement, it wastes the time that might, if we were not drinking, be devoted to scheming, posing, hypocrisy, and money making". Accurate and superb - isn't it?

The Oliver St John Gogarty Pub (Established 1835)

The first owner of what is now called Gogartys was Philip Lawlor who acquired the first licence here in 1835. The house was then known as No. 79 Fleet Street and remained so until 1850. Within ten years though Philip had gone to his eternal rest, leaving his widow Bridget in charge and to contend with Moses Checkley's Eating House next door at No. 78.

The youthful Henry B. Kavanagh's name was seen above this door in the 1850's and before long Henry had established the first family hotel on Fleet Street. It was an immediate winner with the public but also attracted a stream of fellow liquor sellers such as Esther Dunne, Provision Dealer, next door at 57, Maryanne Smith at 55, Wm. Pallas, Grocer and Spirit Merchant at No. 53, and James Byrne at No. 54.

By the 1890's both the hotel and Henry B had vanished; we now had Matthew Brady, Tea, Wine, and Spirit Merchant drawing the water from the well. Matthew was followed by the Walsh Brothers who remained until the late teens when the Ryan Brothers, who also traded at 79 Thomas Street and 149 Francis Street, arrived here. Pat Ryan was still here in 1922 when Gogarty's idol Michael Collins was shot at Beal na Blath. The blood stained latch key of Gogarty's house at Ely Place, where Collins had sheltered many times during the War of Independence, was found on Collins' limp body. On receiving it back, Gogarty called it a symbol of Ireland's shame.