Irish Pub Mons O’Shea Brings the Craic to Freo’s Cappuccino Strip

There’s a small brass bell on the wall inside the snug at Mons O’Shea, Fremantle’s new Irish pub. Give it a ring and moments later a friendly face will appear through a small, golden glass hatch to take your order. A minute after that, your drink slides back through. It’s part tradition, part theatre, and one of the many details that define the character-filled venue.

A snug, owner Simon McCarthy tells Broadsheet , is a small, semi-private room found in old Irish pubs, originally designed for those who couldn’t be seen drinking.

“The snug’s probably my favourite part of the pub,” says McCarthy. “It goes back to the 1950s when women weren’t encouraged to drink in pubs, so they’d knock on the window, and publicans started creating these little hidden bars just for them.”

It’s been almost a decade since Fremantle farewelled Rosie O’Grady’s, the port city’s last true Irish pub, and locals have clearly missed the craic.

“It’s honestly taken us by surprise,” says McCarthy. “So many people already knew about it before we even opened. Now we’re one of those spots people stop in at every day. I didn’t expect it to take off like this.”

Despite having been on the Cappuccino Strip for less than two months, the 120-person venue already has that worn-in warmth that’s typically reserved for century-old taverns with a solid roster of regulars.

Where many newer Irish pubs across Australia display a tasteless mockery of the country’s iconic pub culture, Mons O’Shea keeps things real. A lot of that authenticity comes down to McCarthy, who moved to Australia from Ireland 10 years ago and is a third-generation publican.

The walls are adorned with Irish (and Irish-adjacent) paraphernalia: a 1960s Guinness Toucan, vintage posters and green velvet pews salvaged from a countryside church. The fit-out was a labour of love by McCarthy, who sourced the majority of the furniture and fixtures himself from second-hand stores and antique shops over 10 years.

There are two Guinness taps for simultaneous pours, as well as Guinness 0.0 on tap for those abstaining.

The menu from Petition alum Jane Collins is heavily Irish-influenced. Among the carb-heavy plates, expect the trending spice bag, black-and-white pudding Scotch eggs and a line-up of toasties.

“Back home, pubs that didn’t want to put in kitchens started doing toasties instead. Even if there’s no kitchen, every pub in Ireland will offer toasties. We slow-cook our ham hock for 12 hours, break it down and serve it on batch loaf with real butter.”

The other key element of the pub’s success is McCarthy himself. The sharp-witted publican has the easy warmth of someone born for the trade. It’s this quiet pride and unforced hospitality, echoed by a team with lilting Irish accents, that is largely responsible for the homey, welcoming atmosphere Mons O’Shea so effortlessly possesses.

“You can’t replace that genuine ‘hello’,” he says. “You know when someone’s just saying it because they have to, and when they actually give a shit about you.”

All this joy is waiting for you, if only you ring the bell.

Mons O’Shea
6 South Terrace, Fremantle
(08) 6234 8508

Hours:
Wed & Thu 11am–11pm
Fri & Sat 11am–1am
Sun 11am–11pm

monsoshea.com.au
@mons.osheafreo