Irish Whiskey and Oriel Chocolate Pairing, Dundalk

What to Expect

The Food and Drink Society pairs Irish whiskey with Oriel chocolates across a two-hour evening at the Greenore Railway Saloon in Dundalk. The format is a guided tasting rather than a lecture, with the pairings worked through as you go, and the organisers pitch it at people new to whiskey as well as at regulars. Oriel is the local reference point here: the Oriel name belongs to the ancient kingdom that covered this part of the north east, and it is used by producers on both sides of Carlingford Lough.

The room does a lot of the work. Despite its name, the Greenore Railway Saloon is on Quay Street in Dundalk, not in Greenore village. It took the name from the Dundalk to Greenore railway that once ran from the station beside it, and the back door still carries the hatch through which women ordered before boarding the train. Declan Tinnelly bought the bar in 1988 and, as a cabinet maker, restored rather than modernised it, so the dark wood, red ceiling and tiled floor are original in feel, and the extension is modelled on a nineteenth-century railway waiting room. Tickets are booked in advance through Eventbrite, with refunds available up to seven days before. Prices are not shown on the public listing. Over 18s.

Good to Know

• Date: Friday 11 September 2026
• Time: 7pm to 9pm
• Venue: Greenore Railway Saloon, Quay Street, Dundalk
• Price: not published in advance. Check at booking
• Booked through Eventbrite. Refunds up to seven days before
• Organised by The Food and Drink Society, who also run Eat Spain, Drink Spain at the same bar on 18 September 2026
• Over 18s

Getting There

Quay Street runs east from the Market Square towards Dundalk harbour, so the bar is about ten minutes’ walk from the town centre and close to the Spirit Store on Georges Quay. Clarke Station on the Dublin to Belfast line is around twenty minutes on foot to the west, and Bus Eireann coaches stop on Long Walk in the town centre. There is on-street parking along the quay, which is generally easier to find in the evening than town-centre spaces. Taxis are available from the Park Street and Clanbrassil Street ranks.