While not shoving shamrocks down patrons' throats, this Kingston favourite delivers laidback good times with a hint of Irish cheer.
While the name might conjure images of shamrocks, Irish stew and worse-for-wear Irishmen tearing up over renditions of 'Danny Boy', the reality is rather less of an ode to Eire. However, there are hints of an Irish sentiment if one cares to look for them: the occasional dedication to Arthur Guinness, the TVs quietly screening Irish channels and the odd piece of rounded Celtic-style script.
The numerous taps gathering condensation behind the bar attest to what sort of venue this is - there's no point in searching for a cocktail list here. However, if ale doesn't cut the mustard, there's no shortage of stronger libations. Filthys boasts groaning shelves of whisky bottles - the largest collection, they claim, in the southern hemisphere.
Serious whisky sampling is set to a soundtrack of laidback rock tunes. The background beat of well-worn classics is ideal for an evening of quiet sipping and foot-tapping, escalating to more frantic festivities in the wee hours and during the manic Irish fest of St Patrick's Day.
The moniker doesn't bode well for obsessive compulsives, but if Filthy McFaddens bears the odd sticky surface (and it does) it only attests to the pub's many years of creating (and sometimes deleting) festive memories for Canberra locals.
Shelley Tustin
