By Jack Leahy
It’s the age-old student night out problem: you want to pre-drink at the Pav, but your UCD
friends want to stay in the Student Bar. A scuffle ensues and you all end up in the Pav, but
not everyone’s happy about it. A very specific form of sectarianism has intervened to sour the
atmosphere and, accordingly, the entire evening.
But fear not! There is a solution. Sitting peacefully on Frenchman’s Lane – 15 minutes from
Front Arch, near Busáras – an ambitious project known as The Cave has arrived to provide an
alternative, neutral pre-drinking venue for students across Dublin.
It’s actually quite a difficult place to describe; it’s like a club, but much more relaxed. In what
is a fairly small venue, they somehow manage to seamlessly accommodate room to eat and
drink, space to sit and talk, and even an area for quiet reflection if that’s what you’re into.
Few have taken up the third option, but it’s certainly a workable idea.
My friend and I attended on the opening night, which was very poorly advertised; only one
non-invasive Facebook event was created and there are no irritating friend requests from reps
and mails about drink deals. Nonetheless, we found The Cave sufficiently attended that the
owners may consider the night a success. Having been welcomed by the manager, a group
of students at a nearby table invite us to play Jenga. At first the proposition comes across
as absurd, but it is quickly communicated to us that this is the kind of place where ‘pretty
much anything sound goes’, as long as you’re enjoying yourself.
The Cave’s student-friendly nature is propounded in both its advertisements and its prices.
Three Jaegerbombs for €9 is better than club prices, but that’s not where the magic lies: a
delicious hand-made burger, plenty of fries, and a pint for €8. Fantastic. I can honestly say
I’ve never had a better burger in my life. Much like the absence of vague threats and knee-
length skirts, you certainly wouldn’t get that in Howl at the Moon.
So why is this place so cool? For one thing, it’s run by students. Brian, the guy in charge of
running the place, is a regular student like the rest of us, balancing The Cave with training
for rugby and studying. It’s becoming increasingly rare to see full-time students involved in
running student nights, the result of which is that we rarely get what we really want from
our many nocturnal urban excursions. Brian understands what students want from a nights
out, and his product facilitates those of us who want to have a chat and a quiet one while
providing for our friends who want to dance to Stromae and the Smiths.
The lack of advertising may mean a few empty nights for the next few weeks, and while it’s
absolutely worth it, the location will struggle to attract students from Trinity and UCD.
It has a lot going for it though and between the friendly staff & clientèle, student-orientated
pricing and one hell of a good vibe.
