Dublin, Ireland - Restaurant (Canalettos) and Pub (Smyths)

Canalettos, 71 Mespil Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Ireland

Mid-price Italian restaurant. Level access from street. Toilets are up stairs, no accessible toilet.

Smyths, 10 Haddington Road, Dublin 4, Ireland

A genuine old pub that hasn’t changed too much in at least 30 years. As such it retains the grimy charm of the old school Irish pub. Popular with young and old, it has a great mix of people. No food here other than crisps and peanuts!

There are no concessions for wheelchair access. There is “accidental” access. Level access to both bar and lounge from street. Toilets on ground level. Door about 700mm/28”. No accessible cubicle but enough space to get around. Cubicle doors are about 680mm/27.2”.

Worth a visit for the ‘old time” atmosphere. Check out if the toilets work for you before you have too many pints!

Dublin, Ireland - Restaurant (Langkawi) and Pub (Searsons)

Langkawi, 46 Upper Baggot St., Dublin 4, Ireland

Mid-to-upper price Malaysian restaurant. Great food. Level access from street. A tight turn into the dining room would be difficult for some wheelchairs. Several tables in the front section of the restaurant are up one step. Tables in the back section are on one level.

Toilets are downstairs and are not accessible.

Searsons, 44 Upper Baggot St., Dublin 4, Ireland

Large bar serving lunch and dinner food. Popular bar. Level access from street. Accessible unisex toilet located in middle section. You may need to ask a staff member for keys.

Dublin, Ireland - Pubs (Johnnie Fox's)

Johnnie Fox’s, Glencullen, Co. Dublin, Ireland

This is a popular tourist destination and claims to be the highest pub in Ireland. They serve good seafood meals, has a pub section and also a “Hooley” – a special section which features music and dance and dinner for a fixed cost.

The pub is an old traditional building so access is not easy. However, all doors have level access. Inside there are several rooms and moving between them is not easy due to the amount of furniture (and people). The Hooley room is not accessible from the inside (corridors are too narrow) but there is access from the outside. You will need to ask a member of staff to open the door.

There are no accessible toilets. The normal toilets may be usable for some. Level access through a door (about 725mm/29”) leads to a tight corner. Access to the cubicle is through a narrow walk way (about 700mm/28”). The cubicle is not accessible although the door is wide enough to let a chair in. Urinals and sinks can be reached from a chair.

This location is really not very accommodating, but if you can handle some obstacles is worth a visit if you are short of time in Ireland. It provides some sense of Irish music and drinking culture.

Dublin, Ireland - Restaurant (Siam Thai)

Siam Thai Restaurant, Dundrum shopping centre, Dundrum, Dublin 14, Ireland

It’s not obvious how to get to this first floor restaurant but there is a lift (elevator) accessible from the “town square” open area. Level access throughout.

Dublin, Ireland - The Waterloo

The Waterloo, 36 Upper Baggot St., Dublin 4, Ireland

Formerly a wonderful old style Dublin pub, the Waterloo was refurbished in the mid-90s into a huge drinking barn. Serves a wide range of beers and stouts, and typical (pretty good quality) pub food and wine. Level access from street. The bar, and many of the tables are too high to sit at comfortably in a wheelchair. However, if you carry on straight through to the back of the pub there is a circular room with tables perfect for the disabled drunk. Dedicated handicapped toilet is just behind this room. If the pub is very crowded a staff member can let you into the back from the back alley (a bit of a hike).

If you go, check out the wonderful ceiling just inside the front door. It’s all that’s left of the original pub!

Recommended.

Dublin, Ireland - Milano

Milano, Baggot Street Bridge, Baggot Street, Dublin 4, Ireland

10th June 2008

Mid-priced pizza/pasta place. Milano’s is actually a chain with several branches city wide. The Baggot Street bridge branch has level access from the street and a handicapped toilet. There is enough space to negotiate between tables.

Recommended.

Update: 23 December 2008

It is probably worth adding that this is a very child-friendly restaurant. Dublin restaurants as a rule are not very child friendly, certainly when compared to US restaurants. However Milano's is very welcoming with a great kids menu, coloring pencils, warm staff and so on. 

Dublin, Ireland - Getting there

Dublin, Ireland - Getting There

The vast majority of people who fly into Ireland arrive at Dublin Airport. (A small number also arrive at Shannon or Cork airports). Dublin Airport is, by and large, a third world airport that accidentally relocated to a first world country and certainly is a contender for the worst managed, worst designed airport in the Europe if not the world. Oddly though, it’s not too bad at handling “special needs” passengers and the wheelchair traveler.

The staff that operates aisle chairs and the lift-on/lift-off functions at the airport is well trained and friendly. There is one special vehicle for loading and unloading wheelchair passengers in the event that the aircraft is not at an air bridge. Facilities within the terminal are okay – there are handicapped toilets in the baggage hall and at frequent locations in the gate areas. Lifts (elevators) are tiny, and the route to/from baggage can be torturous and long.

Almost all public busses in Dublin are wheelchair accessible. The privately run AirCoach that services the airport and most major hotels is not. So to get into the city from the airport means taking the public bus (slow but cheap) or a taxi. Handicapped accessible taxis are fairly common and if you need one the taxi rank operator will get one for you.

The center of Dublin is fairly easy to roll around, although not all street junctions have curb cuts. Modern hotels are usually accessible – pubs, shops and older buildings are frequently not. Always call ahead for restaurants and pubs to see if they can accommodate a wheelchair.