As Ireland’s oldest pub (est. 1198), its most famous resident is the rebel Robert Emmet, who used the tavern as a headquarters and is still seen standing watch by the front door. Emmet was executed across the street, and his spirit reportedly returns to his favorite corner to ensure the “coast is clear” for his fellow conspirators. Staff document “phantom glasses” sliding across the bar and the sound of heavy boots walking across the upper floors when the building is locked. Modern activity includes the “Man in the Tattered Coat” seen in the courtyard, captured in several 2024 tourist photos as a blurry, sepia-toned figure. The pub’s ancient stone walls are said to hold “residual” echoes of 800 years of plotting and violence, manifesting as hushed, urgent whispers in the snug.