Hi-B Bar (Hibernian), Cork, Ireland
There’s a certain charm to bars on the second floor. They’re off the beaten track, thus more likely to be populated by locals. You have to make an effort to climb up that flight of stairs, so you know the patrons are a dedicated, thirsty crew. I’ve had very few bad second-floor bar experiences and many, many excellent ones.
The Hi-B (Hibernian) in Cork followed that rule to the letter. Unassuming-yet-simultaneously-garish entrance, unassuming-yet-historic decor, fantastic conversation. On our visit, an interjection to an ongoing chat about the Wars of the Roses got us into a conversation with a nutritional scientist who later eloborated at frightening (yet, charming) lengths about GMO‘s and the evil machinations of the food industry. In other words, the kind of casual discussion with a stranger you can only have at a real pub. Most frequently, at a slight elevation.
Visited: December 30, 2006
