Wednesday 5 August 2020

The lost pubs of Lockdown

Edit: This article is continually updated as more pubs are confirmed to not reopen

While we await any announcement on whether what have recently been re-named "wet" pubs can reopen on August 10th as originally proposed (update: they can't), it is worth noting the Dublin pubs have stated that they will not be reopening at all - at least not as they were with their current operators. Rumours swirl around other pubs; particularly if there have been obvious changes such as signs coming down or furniture being removed, but its not a good idea to speculate in public.

First out of the gate in early June with this news was the S0314 Queens in Dalkey, and with the value of this site for redevelopment potential, its easy to see how this may never return. - the reopening of the Queens in June 2021 has since been announced

N0869 The Donaghmede Inn was next, leaving a very substantial area of the Northside unserved

The Alltech-owned but not operated S1502 McCanns on James Street has also announced that it won't be reopening; with all social media already taken down. Nearby, S1465 Bakers on Thomas Street has also stated they won't reopen.


Bakers reopened as Dudleys in Autumn 2021.

Some pubs have closed for other reasons, but their passing may not have been noticed due to Lockdown. S0040 Ruin on Townsend Street closed in early March, as the building containing it is being demolished for redevelopment; and S2747 Alfie Byrnes did not reopen after Lockdown as the Conrad Hotel is undergoing some renovation and has re-taken the bar space

Updates after original post:

I was informed that N1099 Sackville Lounge will not be reopening (again), and there is a statement on their website confirming this
Update to this information - a statement was released that the website was inaccurate and that the Sackville will reopen; however it hasn't reopened as of January 2022.

I was informed via Twitter that the Cardiff Inn in Finglas is also not reopening, this was reported quite early on but didn't get a huge volume of media coverage

S1464 Pimlico Tavern has now put up a statement confirming they will also not reopen
 

In November, it was confirmed that N0215 Dice Bar would not be reopening

I had noticed that the signs were down on N0197 Taproom 47, and in December the second branch of the Soup Ramen restaurant opened in its premises - they have retained the pub licence.

In February 2021, dlbcycles opened a bike shop / takeout coffee shop in the premises that was S4428  The Bar in Dun Laoghaire. This was a replacement building, but on the site of a long established pub; albeit one with a very patchy operational history in the past few years. The Bar was still open heading in to lockdown, however.

dlbcycles confirmed on Twitter that they do not have the licence, so I would assume this has been sold off by the building landlord. A bike shop should have a good innings with the shift to personal mobility since the start of lockdown, particularly in Dun Laoghaire (where significant cycle lanes have been provided), so hopefully they outlast the last number of operators of this pub put together.



In April 2021, the closure of N1195 Clifton Court Hotel and Lanigans Pub was confirmed on Instagram by the operators. There has been a hotel on this site for well over 100 years, so hopefully something can reopen in the future


On driving past in August 2021, it was clear that the Clifton Court and its bars had reopened. The former operators confirmed they are no longer running it, but are looking to open another venue. The bars in the Clifton Court have been renamed to the James Connolly and Dalys - itself a former name of the venue.




The Business Post reported on the 16th of May that the Everleigh Garden nightclub portion of the Dean Hotel has been converted to a gym. The hotels other bars/restaurants are unaffected.

Only days before outdoor reopening - which they intended to do - Jam Park in Swords have announced they cannot come to a lease agreement and will not be reopening. This was also to be the pilot site for the first nightclub event in July.


While there was never any statement to the effect that N0022 Hill 16 was not reopening, the building has been placed up for sale with the pub unit vacant. This reopened in Summer 2022

Similarly, S2738 TGI Fridays St Stephens Green only ever put up a sign directing people to the Fleet Street branch, but in September 2021 it was placed for rent as an empty unit, having never reopened.
This reopened as The Bar in Sumer 2022.

In July 2020 - which I didn't notice until September 2021 - Sams Bar announced that they (and the entire hotel) would not be reopening. A later Instagram post was for the sale of the interior fittings
The complete redevelopment is a larger hotel, so expect this licence to stay alive and get reused.

Lockdown didn't precipitate the full closure of S0775 Ballsbridge Hotel, but it did probably cut its last few months off. The site is to become the new American Embassy and permission has been applied for to demolish it. A final announcement that it was not reopening came out in November 2021.


1010310 Napper Tandys hasn't opened since March 2020, and was very briefly placed up for rent in January 2022 - the ad was pulled before I could even open it from the email alert!

While there's nothing public to confirm that it *isn't* coming back as a pub, N0049 The Little Tree (visited as the Brendan Behan) was converted to the Summerhill Off Licence quite early in lockdown, and the licence now seems to be in the hands of the  N0104 Parnell Street Off Licence which is also in a former pub premises.

N0072 Chancery Inn was sold during lockdown and has not yet reopened.

While N1352 Foxhound Inn was already up for sale pre-pandemic, reports on the messy situation relating to staff redundancies confirms that the operators at the start of the pandemic are not returning.

N0091 Mayes on Dorset Street, popular with the cities Spurs fans as well as its locals, operated only its off-licence during periods when outdoor drinking, or nine euro dining were allowed; with even this having stopped. Lisa Grimm noticed that there was bad news on the planning front, so we must assume this will not return

N1066 Bachelor Inn never reopened, and was placed for sale in September 2022. I don't think the Fitzgerald Group were operating this before it closed, perhaps it was leased out?


There are a number of other pubs which have not reopened but which there is nothing to indicate any direction as to what's happening - many are still licenced, no works have been done to the premises, they have not been advertised for sale etc. There are other premises which have closed for redevelopment but will reopen - e.g. S3175 Mercantile Hotel 

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