15/08/2021
What a great pub The Henry Grattan was in it's day.
The local watering hole for the DJS and staff of Dublin's super pirate RADIO NOVA, whose studios and offices were just around the corner at 19 Herbert Street.
As a Radio Nova DJ myself and a regular at the Grattan, I came up with the idea of turning the basement into a disco bar and suggested to the owner Stan Doyle that it could prove popular and bring in some extra business for him.
He liked the idea and suggested we call it SHIVERS, I've no idea why...lol
There was little room for dancing in the basement and a license may have been required anyway, but I was pretty sure I could attract a crowd with some of the big tunes of the day including lots of Radio Nova favourites and of course a bit of DJ silliness.
If I remember correctly things kicked off initially with myself deejaying on Saturday nights and then adding Wednesday nights when it started to become popular.
I think it launched early in 1983 and as time went by I added extra nights with other NOVA DJS hosting the proceedings.
A mention of course on my ALL-NIGHT NOVA radio show helped to spread the word and before long it was the INN place to go, starting at 8pm and running until the bar closed at 11.
It was a really fun gig to do with lots of happy memories, one of which I still laugh at today.
After watching Morrissey swinging around a bunch of flowers while performing with The Smiths on Top of The Pops, I made my entrance one evening with a bunch of weeds and some hedge sticking out of the back pocket of my jeans, before kicking off with the Smiths as my first record of the night.
The bar always opened about half an hour before I arrived, so I knew I'd have an audience and could make my grand entrance...lol
They say life's what you make it and I always try to make it fun and SHIVERS was always fun, at least while I was there.
Unfortunately all good things come to an end and I eventually left to take up a job offer with RIVIERA 104 FM in Monte Carlo.
Sadly when I returned to Dublin some years later I was saddened to discover the Grattan had been replaced with a supermarket.
But the memories live on and if you have any memories or photos of Shivers or The Henry Grattan, feel free to share them in the comment box below.
- Lawrence John
