McHugh's Bar

McHugh's Bar is a pub on Queen's Square in Belfast City Centre, Northern Ireland. It is one of the city's best known pubs and the oldest building in Belfast.[1]

McHughs Bar
McHughs, October 2009

History

McHugh's was originally built as a private dwelling on the old Town Dock around 1711. Some time after this the dock was demolished and the River Farset was covered, although it still runs under Queen's Square and the adjacent High Street. Between 1715 and 1725 it was converted to a small pub.

McHugh's has been given a Grade A Listed Building status by the Environment and Heritage Service.[2]

Renovation and current status

The original Mchugh's bar was named after well known Belfast publican called Pat Mchugh (Pat the hat) In the 1990s the bar underwent a £1m renovation and expansion, enclosing the neighbouring DuBarry’s Bar, an establishment with a dubious reputation. The previous owners are Botanic Inns, was one of Belfast's largest pub and restaurant companies, whose establishments include The Botanic Inn, The Apartment, The Fly, The King's Head, Madison's, Ryan's Bar and Grill, The Northern Whig and The Globe.[3]

The expansion included a brand new section, but the existing building retains much of its original features including the massive 18th century oak beams.

The new owners are now Seamus and Henry Downey[4] emerged as the winners in a bidding war as they offered over £4m for the pubs, which were owned by Kurkova Ltd and were part of the Botanic Inns portfolio.

The Downey Brothers now own The Apartment Bar, The Kitchen Bar, and McHugh's Bar in Belfast along with Sugar Nightclub in Derry and Downey's Bar in Magherafelt.

[5]

Tourism

Not as popular or well known with tourists as The Crown Liquor Saloon, McHugh's has become more popular in recent years, benefiting from the redevelopment of the surrounding Queen's Square, Customs House Square, and the Albert Memorial Clock.

gollark: Or maybe some the people concerned about this are just vaguely transphobic, who knows.
gollark: I assume it's mostly just because it's a more recent issue, and possibly because it's smaller in scope and easier to deal with one than the others.
gollark: That works as a fully general counterargument for literally every problem except the worst one(s) that exist at some time.
gollark: I'm not sure how "some subgroup may end up able to shift the balance of sports rather a lot" is the same problem as "there exist many stupid people in America".
gollark: That seems like just another variation on the "other problems exist, so ignore this potential one" argument.

References
  1. discovernorthernireland.com
  2. Planning Service (pdf)
  3. Botanic Inns
  4. Henry Downey
  5. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/news/derry-gaa-legends-buy-botanic-inns-pubs-29650041.html
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.