O'Neill's, Cardiff

Wandering around Cardiff on a Sunday lunchtime, we decided to nurse our hangovers in any pub we could find that was showing the French Open tennis final. So when we walked into this O’Neill’s bar and saw lots of TV screens showing sports pundits chatting away, we thought we were onto a winner. Sadly, it was only after we’d bought our drinks and the punditry made way for action, that we discovered the sport in question wasn’t tennis, but hurling. This perhaps shouldn’t have come as a surprise, as the O’Neill’s chain is the faux Irish bar of choice up and down the country, and this place was more than happy to go along with all the usual Irish clichés, ranging from the music soundtrack to the countless pictures and photos of famous Irish people and places. The single L shaped room is actually quite pleasant in the daytime, with a spacious, bright layout, some smart floor tiling around the entrance and a good mix of comfortable seating throughout. We ended up staying in here for a couple of hours and found it was a pretty good place to relax, although I imagine things would have been very different if we’d called in the previous evening. The real bonus is the inclusion of some real ale, with three hand pumps dispensing Sharps Doom Bar, Brains SA and Bath Gem. I’d like to say I tried them and found them in good shape, but the sore head coupled with the prospect of another night out that evening meant that I stuck to soft drinks in here. It’s certainly a lot nicer than many O’Neill’s pubs I’ve been to previously, but it still lacks something character-wise that even the presence of proper beer couldn’t compensate for. It worked out well for us on our visit and I now know more than I’ll ever need to about hurling, but I doubt I’d return with other better pubs nearby.