The Bog began its legendary history as the home of the Irish in Christchurch in February 1999
at 82 Cashel Street on the site of the Fail’s Café; New Zealand’s oldest and much loved seafood
restaurant. The Bog quickly became the place known for its live traditional Irish music, hearty
food and the best Guinness and Kilkenny in town!
A solid base of locals quickly formed and the 100 Pint Board was born – for every pint of Guinness
consumed a stamp was collected and once a punter had collected their 100th stamp their name
went up on the board, with some locals completing this multiple times.
From there the 17 /17 club was created, the members on the 100 Pint Board would meet on the
17th day at 17 minutes past the 17th hour of each month where they would share a pint – plenty
of great banter has been heard over the years!
In October 2008 The Bog opened its second location in Dunedin on the corner of George and
London Streets, formerly the Royal Albert Hotel built in 1880. This historic buildings interior has
been fully refurbished to become the most traditional and welcoming Irish pub in Dunedin while
the exterior, apart from a few paint jobs over the years has remained untouched.
The Bog Dunedin is popular with a solid base of locals, the older students in town, sports teams
and the visiting Cantabrians who come down to watch the Crusaders take on the Highlanders.
In February 2011 The Bog in Cashel Street shut its doors after a devastating 6.3 magnitude
earthquake that hit the city. In March 2014 The Bog proudly reopened its doors again in
Christchurch in its current location on Victoria Street where it quickly regained its title as the best
Irish pub in Christchurch.
The 100 Pint Boards were saved from the Cashel Street location and have been rehung in the
new Bog with names still being added as new punters complete their 100 pints, 17 / 17 has
been relaunched and live Irish music can often be heard including the original Irish Jam Session,
Jamie’ with the Jameson on a Tuesday night and The Black Velvet Band most weekends.
