Situated at the south approach to Blanchardstown Village, one cannot fail to notice this beautiful and very unique looking pub and restaurant.  This totally reconstructed classical premises which has retained all the essential features of the traditional Irish village pub seems to radiate an invitation to locals and travellers alike to come in and experience old time hospitality at its very best.  First licensed in the mid 19th  century when the canal barges commuted between Dublin and Richmond Harbour on the Shannon, this repository of social history dispensed its hospitality to an age long since past.

Blanchardstown Village punctuated the commuter routes used by the cattle drovers and market gardeners making their way on foot or by horse and cart from the adjacent counties to the big markets in Dublin.  Travellers and traders alike moved their goods between Dublin and the Shannon in horse drawn canal barges travelling at an average speed of 4 mph.  Local villagers worked mainly for ‘The Big Houses’ in service or in the very successful Blanchardstown Mills which also had retail outlets in Dublin.  With such a wide spectrum of social classes using the facilities, Old Irish pubs tended to partition their premises into the bar, the lounge and the snug many of which have survived to the present day.  Prices of beverages very often varied within the pub depending on just where the customer decided to drink.  The Bell has earned  itself an unparalleled reputation for the high quality and variety of its food and drink, well worth a visit for lunch, dinner or ‘just a jar’.