A great bar for traditional Irish music, Darkey Kelly’s is located on Fishamble Street, one of the oldest streets in Dublin. Handel’s Messiah was first performed in this street in 1742 and every year on the 13th of April the Messiah is performed free of charge to a public audience. I have never been but definitely will go in 2021. It was also known as the official fish market for Dublin until the end of the 17th century when the city markets were moved to the north bank of the River Liffey.
The pub itself is named after Darkey Kelly, a madam who operated the Maiden Tower Brothel on the nearby Copper Alley. She was burned at the stake for witchcraft. Evidence later uncovered suggests that although she was innocent of witchcraft she still had a dark side to her character. The discovery of five bodies under the floorboards of the brothel she ran in 1761 suggests she may have been Ireland’s first serial
killer ! A proper little madam by all accounts ……..
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