Licensee Louis Quijarro grabs his own head and (lightly) starts pounding it against the green tiled wall.

"The Irish and English convicts would fight in pubs and smash each other's heads against the walls," he says, with all the fervour of a year 10 history teacher who still believes students are in their class to learn.

"That's why pub walls were always tiled - so the publican could just walk over and wipe off the blood," he adds, with a demonstration. And this is just one example of why the Rose Shamrock and Thistle is a gem among the glitzy baubles of Oxford Street.

The pub oozes history, and Louis is more than happy to share it. If you're often daydreaming about a career change, you would not be stuck for inspiration here. OK, while being a 1940s madam is never top of our list, it is in this pub that we had a brush with the profession.

Tucked away in a corner, near the open fire and in the old "ladies lounge" section, is a table and chair that we only wish could talk. All during the 1940s and 1950s, Louis says, a notorious madam from Surry Hills would sit at the table waiting for her boyfriend to be released from Long Bay Jail. It would seem the boyfriend had a slight problem with obeying the law - the madam was a fixture at the pub and even stopped by years later to reminisce about the good old times.

But wait, there's more history. The pub has a nickname - the Three Weeds - which was coined by the 19th century Irish convicts.

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