THE BREAD / BOTHY - CONSTITUTION ROAD

It's a pub that had 4 names, the real name being The Breadalbane Arms, but locals referred to it as the Bread, the Bothy or the Howff. Take your pick. My mob favoured the Bothy tag.

The period I drank there was the late 70's and early 80's, the photo here taken in 1982.

I lived quite near to it back then so it was a place I used to go to quite a lot, but usually more midweek than weekends.

It had a bit of a reputation for being a hippy hangout, and I suppose there was an element of truth in that. I do recall it had the likes of Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton on the jukebox. Although it was a more mature crowd than you'd find in the city centre pubs, I always found it a really cheery place. In fact the humour veered towards satire most times. Politics and topical issues were discussed and mocked in equal measure. You would often see a copy of Private Eye magazine lying beside the Morning Star newspaper. That summed it up.

Downstairs had a cosy main bar area and a back room which was used for smokers frequently. Upstairs was a large lounge. This was the area where live music was performed in. Sometimes organised, sometimes improvised. If some regulars brought in their instruments, that would often trigger a spontaneous session, whether it be folk or rock. Local musicians Michael Marra and Peter McGlone were regular visitors.

It was probably the nearest I got to having "a local".

Oh yeah, and despite the fact that The Howff Restaurant was next door, the peh's & beans and the toasties in the Bothy were so scrumptious, I didn't need to visit it!

As is the way these days, the building is one the demolition team have since visited!