Sean's Bar
Sean's Bar is a pub in Athlone, Ireland, notable for its claim of being established around AD 900, which would make it the oldest bar in Ireland and possibly all of Europe.
Sean's Bar | |
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The façade of Sean's Bar | |
Restaurant information | |
Food type | Irish pub |
Street address | 13 Main Street |
City | Athlone |
County | Ireland |
Website | seansbar |
Claims of age
Archaeological evidence indicates that parts of the building in which Sean's operates is at least a millennium old. During a 1970s renovation, wattle and wicker were found in the walls, and the materials were dated by the National Museum of Ireland.[1] Antique coins, since moved to the museum, were also discovered in the building.
The National Museum is also investigating a claim that the pub has been operating since AD 900.[2] Numerous travel guides have alleged that Guinness World Records certified Sean's Bar as the oldest pub in Europe,[3][4] but the certificate on display in the bar states only that Sean's Bar is the oldest public house in Ireland and does not support a specific date of establishment.[5] The proprietors have claimed to possess a list of previous owners going back centuries,[6][7] potentially to Luan, the innkeeper after whom the town is named,[8][9] but the existence and veracity of this list is unverified.
References
- MacEacheran, Mike (14 March 2019). "An Irish pub born in the Dark Ages". BBC. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- McDonald, Brian (15 July 2015). "Sean's Bar: See inside one of the oldest pubs in the world - and it's Irish". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- "Sean's Bar, Athlone – Oldest Pub in Ireland | Ireland Travel Guide". Irelandlogue.com. 4 August 2007. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- Fodor's 2012 Ireland. Random House Digital, Inc. 7 December 2011. p. 253.
- Flatley, Helen (5 March 2019). "This Irish Bar Holds the Record as the World's Oldest Pub – Take a Look Inside". The Vintage News. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- Flynn, Sean Patrick (22 May 2018). "Pull up a Chair and Have a Drink at the Oldest Bar in Ireland". Departures. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- Daugherty, Christi (27 December 2011). Frommer's Ireland (22 ed.). Frommers. p. 493. ISBN 978-1118027653.
- P.W. Joyce. "Irish Local Names Explained". Archived from the original on 9 May 2005.
- Gwynn, Stephen Lucius (1914). The Fair Hills of Ireland. Maunsel. p. 250.
athlone ford of luain.