Seamus's – Dart boards and dark beers
A homely new Irish pub by The Meadows.
Who is Seamus? The people behind this new pub near the Meadows seem to be happy to create their own mythology. They say it opened in 1968 (actually it opened in 2025.) Before opening, the website claimed Seamus had travelled from Longford with “dreams of dartboard domination”.
Actually, the pub’s owners travelled from much closer to home: The Dropkick Murphy’s bar just off the Cowgate. In the spring, they gave the former International Bar a refurb, turning it from a typical one-room corner bar into a pleasant and welcoming pub.
This self-styled “old man pub for all ages” seems to be algorithmically honed to my tastes. I enter on a rainy Sunday afternoon to a lovely relaxed atmosphere, with enough people to create a buzz but without it getting manic; a good soundtrack made up primarily of Irish artists but with a few classic tracks thrown in from further afield; cards and board games available; wooden panels, stools around barrels and modern red banquette seating.
As for the “dreams of dartboard domination” – I had them as I came through the door. What I didn’t realise was that the darts setup has a fun techy twist. Scores are automatically calculated, à la Flight Club. Cameras are trained on the board and the player, with the match broadcast on a screen to the rest of the pub (happily no one seemed to pay much attention as I was comprehensively beaten).
Then there’s the beer selection. Oh, the beer selection! This must be the only pub in the city with a stunning six stouts on offer. Guinness obviously but also Murphy’s, (rare to see in Edinburgh) and Beamish (even rarer). Of the non-Irish stouts on offer, there is one from Camden Brewery and two local ones: A Stewart one, and the inimitable Extra Black from Campervan. The selection here is heaven, if that’s your thing.
“An old man pub for all ages” pretty much covers it, as a slogan. The crowd is pretty mixed in age, probably skewing a little younger. The pub shows sport on a couple of screens, and a few patrons come in to watch the GAA when I am there. I’ll be interested to go in again at a different time and on a different day to see how it differs in atmosphere. Whenever it is, it’ll be soon – with both eyes firmly trained first on that stout selection, followed by that elusive triple twenty target.
Where is it?
Where next?
Blue Blazer is just nearby and well worth a visit for some interesting cask beer choices and a great, usually calm atmosphere.
The chaser – A pub reopening
The Edinburgh pub miniaturist Kiwikaboodle recently posted his model of Seamus’s on Instagram. Like all of his miniatures, it’s mightily impressive.
Thank you to reader Neil who got in touch to let us know about the Grey Horse in Balerno. It’s been closed since the start of last year, but is now in the process of being done up with a view to reopening soon.
It will be run by Amy Buchanan who was in charge of The Colinton Inn, a really lovely and welcoming pub which I reviewed last year. The owners are locals John McArdle and Gillian Wilkinson. McArdle says his late father was a regular there, and he bought the pub partly in tribute to his dad. They are looking at getting it open in the next month or so.
The Finch, formerly the Bullfinch, has also recently reopened in Leith. I’ll be paying it a visit soon, but from the photos it looks like it has had a fairly extensive refurb inside. The Bullfinch was already one of my favourite pubs, and I didn’t think it needed much work, but the new interior looks to be much more of a modern style than before. Happily, there still looks to be plenty on offer at the bar.
Is it obvious that the 1968 date is imagined, or are they just hoping to hoodwink people?