Lucinda O'Sullivan's Ireland

About The Restaurant

The family run Murph’s Gastro Pub at the Derragarra Inn in the pretty country locale of Butlersbridge, Co. Cavan, has a great reputation for serving high quality gastro fare at a reasonable cost, using locally sourced ingredients where possible. Chef/Proprietor Fergus Murphy has a wealth of experience and respect in the foodie community having worked in some of the best kitchens and with some of the best chefs around.

On the road with my pal Rena, we decided to drop into Murph’s for a ‘quick bite’ that soon turned into a full meal. The atmosphere at Murph’s is warm and inviting with elements of the classic pub feel meeting some modern design features. Think Farrow & Ball paintwork and polished wooden floors with exposed brick walls and a lovely wood burning stove for those cold winter days.

An ideal venue for families, Murph’s offers a great kiddies menu that’s sure to please the mob, not to mention a fantastic outdoor children’s play area for the kids to enjoy whilst mommy grabs a cocktail or daddy explores the great selection of ale, larger and artisan craft beers.

On our visit, starters included smoked cod goujonettes in a creole batter with pea puree and sauce gribiche; deep fried panko-crumbed brie with a red onion & berry compote, beetroot and a radish salad; as well as a slow-cooked confit duck leg. Moroccan lamb and pork parcels for me were an ideal way to kick off affairs. Crisp and delicate on the outside yet plumptious and flavoursome within, they were simply delicious with their lemon & mango salad. Rena went for some extremely moreish spiced rubbed chicken wings served with celery sticks and a blue cheese dip, happily clearing her plate in quick fashion.

For those of you with a ‘meat tooth’, the mains here are a carnivores’ delight, with a host of succulent meaty dishes from a velvet pork cutlet with O’Doherty’s black pudding croquette, Parmesan and herb crust, sun-dried tomatoes, pomme dauphinoise and plum sauce to medallions of beef fillet served with sautéed mushrooms and onion, champ, fried onion and a cognac & peppercorn sauce. I was tempted by their slow-cooked Silverhill half duck, not to mention their ‘famous’ Cajun chicken basket, but in the end I drifted out to sea for their fab St. Mel’s ale battered fresh haddock with mushy peas, tartar sauce and hand cut chips, and felt like the cat who’d got the cream. Meanwhile, across the table, Rena was sinking her teeth into a fantastic Angus steak burger with smoked bacon, melted cheese, sautéed mushroom and onion, tomato relish, a crisp salad with a side of French fries and fried onions.

Despite feeling quite full, we were on a high and on a roll, and so, with little convincing needed, we began perusing the dessert menu, which was full of decadent delights from warm apple pie or banoffee pie with ice-cream to fruit laden sherry trifle with a custard and cream topping. Murph’s chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream went down a treat with Rena, whilst I was equally impressed by my fresh and flavoursome caramel and coconut slice served with fresh cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Murph’s also has a superb outdoor dining area, ideal for al fresco eating and barbecues come summertime and has become a popular destination for all kinds of events from communions to birthdays to weddings. 

The perfect place for any occasion.

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