Photo by Kym Balthazar
While he’s frequently spotted around Ventura County, particularly in Ojai, Colin Farrell spends a good amount of timing dreaming of his homeland. “When I’m not in Dublin, I miss the people, the pubs, the canal, fish and chips—curry sauce on the side—cheese and nachos with jalapeño peppers in the UGC (movie theater) in Tallaght. And I miss the seasons; I miss the grayness, the leaves on the ground,” he muses, clearly enamored of Ireland.
Born in Castleknock, Dublin, Farrell has gone on to cement a place as one of the most popular celebrities in Hollywood. But his heart, it seems, remains in the green country. “My family and my friends there are my life, and that’s the truth,” he explains. “My dad runs a health-food store. My sister runs clubs and restaurants and my brother runs a drama school for kids…Being Irish is very much a part of who I am. I take it everywhere with me.”
If you’re keen on visiting, take some tips from Colin—and be prepared to put your liver to the test. “If you want trendier restaurants and minimalist furniture, stay at the Morrison Hotel,” he advises. “It’s got a busy lobby bar, and there’s a nightclub downstairs called Lobo, which is always kicking. Another would be Le Meridien Shelbourne, which has a great old Dublin ambience, or The Merrion.”
For dining, Colin’s partial to The Chili Club for Thai Food, Dobbins for a more general European menu or a good steak, and—to see and be seen—The Trocadero, a hotspot for film and television actors. “If I could eat at one place in Dublin, though, it would be Abrakebabra, this dodgy kebab restaurant,” he says. “There are about eight of them in the city. At 3 a.m., I like to top off the evening with a lamb kabob.”
The international media has had a field day with Colin’s 3 a.m. behavior, which often involves more than a kabob. The raucous bad boy from Dublin freely blows smoke in the face of what’s considered proper behavior for public figures. “Dublin is quite small and contained, so it’s great to find little streets and pubs,” he says. “Like anyone my age, I like to go out. It’s no biggie. You can’t just go home and sit on the couch, can ya? You won’t get a better drinkin’ town in the world than Dublin.”
Colin can often be found at Kehoe, a pub just off Grafton, the main shopping street. “It’s really old and a bit dank. The seats have cigarette burns in them,” he shrugs, “but it’s not rough at all. It’s just a very old Dublin pub. They do a great pint of Guinness, which is always very important. Smoky atmosphere….I’ve been drinking at Renard’s for years. They have three different floors, nicely decorated.”
Lest we forget, Colin Farrell is a solid actor—much more than a party boy with a pretty face. By the time he was 25, he’d worked with legendary directors such as Steven Spielberg and garnered a Best Actor Award from the Boston Society of Film Critics. And he knows where to go for culture, too.
“You have to see a play at The Abbey, the national theater of Ireland,” he urges. “W.B. Yeats is one of the founders. It’s ancient. You always get some great Irish theater and great Irish actors there. There’s also a smaller theater, The Peacock Stage, which does more experimental stuff.”
But, like a good Irishman, he always finds his way back to the pub. “Try the bar across the road called Sean O’Casey’s,” he says. “It’s as smoky and smelly an Irish pub as you’ll ever get.” 
09-01-07
