Shebeen makes the Michelin grade for pub dining

WITH its traditional thatch and white-wash, the Sheebeen in Westport, Co Mayo, looks the picture of a quaint Irish pub, but its charms don’t stop there.

According to the latest Michelin guide to pub grub, it is one of the best pubs in Ireland to eat in.

The Sheebeen is one of 17 pubs here that feature in the Michelin Eating Out in Pubs 2009 guide to Britain and Ireland.

One pub in Cork, The Poacher’s Inn in Bandon, and three in Mayo have been added to the guide.

Michelin describes The Sheebeen’s cooking as “fresh and simple — everything is homemade, including the bread — with the more interesting dishes to be found among the large selection of daily specials”.

That’s something that owner, Simon Cronin, and his father, Colm, are both proud of.

“We have a very good team and our head chef, Frankie Mallon, put in tremendous work. We have picked up a number of awards in the past 18 months and it is largely due to his efforts. We don’t stand still, we change the menus often,” said Simon.

Hard work has also proven to be the winning ingredient for Barry and Catherine McLoughlin, who run The Poacher’s Inn.

The pub is praised for its “winning combination of smart, comfortable surroundings and wholesome, home-cooked food” and “intimate upstairs restaurant, where cheery, attentive service keeps things ticking along nicely”.

The McLoughlins heard of their award on radio, as they returned from a holiday abroad.

“We are absolutely thrilled. It is fantastic news and we have been getting texts all day. We have picked up a number of awards and we are delighted with them,” said Catherine.

Entries added since last year include three Mayo pubs: Crockets on the Quay in Ballina, JJ Gannon’s, Ballinrobe, and The Sheebeen, Westport. The fourth new entry is the Poacher’s Inn.

The Michelin inspectors found Crockets on the Quay, Ballina, to be “a proper Irish pub” and praised its hearty cooking and “ultra-friendly staff”. JJ Gannon’s in Ballinrobe has a “stylish, seductively lit front bar” and the “fantastic selection of wines by the glass complements an interesting menu of modern classics”.

Northern Ireland accounts for eight entries, seven of which are based in Co Down. The Distiller’s Arms in Bushmills, Co Antrim, is the eighth entry.

Dublin is represented by just one pub — the Cellar Bar in the Merrion Hotel.

lA full list of the pubs in the guide can be downloaded at www.michelin.co.uk