The Hi-B

THE Hi-B
108 Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork
Tel: 021-4272758

The Hi-B is the stuff of legend in Cork City, one of the few bars that has neither changed ownership over the last few decades nor been seriously renovated or remodelled. Owned by a local eccentric, Brian O’Donnell, it is at first hard to find: It is right opposite the General Post Office (GPO), in a corner house, a few gloomy stairs up on the first floor on top of Minihan’s Chemist. Once found, however, it can become seriously addictive. In size and interior design reminiscent of a cosy old-fashioned living room it is frequented by all ranks of life: writers, artists, would-be writers and –artists, bankers as well as homeless people, rich and poor all flock in to subject themselves to Brian’s iron rules. No mobiles allowed, no chewing gum, and order non-alcoholic drinks at your own mercy: “For Chrissakes, this is a public house, not a coffee bar!” The sign behind the bar says it all: The whipping will continue until morale improves.

Ask any local and they will tell you stories of the Life of Brian. How about the time when he drank someone’s drink after seeing him pour some coals onto the fire. When confronted and told: “Sorry, you just drank my pint”, he answered: “Sorry, but you just used my coals.” Or how about when he was complaining to a motley crew of his only four guests one night, that it is impossible to make a living in the bar trade these days, yet when a group of ten new customers came in all at once he threw them all out, as he couldn’t face THAT much extra work all of a sudden?

This may at first sound harsh, but truth of the matter is that this is one of the few surviving pub relics left remaining, where you can enter at any given time and are guaranteed to find an ear to listen to. The weirder the stories you can tell, the bigger the welcome you will get from the locals.

Plus: These days Brian is no longer that often in his own bar so the rules have relaxed a little bit over the last few years. The standard classical and opera music in the background is now often replaced by jazz or 50s crooners.

So go in have a few pints, enquire in hushed tones about some of Brian’s shenanigans, but please, don’t take it personal if you end up getting barred on your first or subsequent visit over breaking one of the unwritten regulations. It’s all part of the game and you may even make it into local folklore.

Needless to say: This is my favourite pub in town.