The Sports Bar, O'Connell St

Liam79

was watching a programme on tele recently with Billy Connolly in Australia/New Zealand. He was passing this bar that looked familiar and he proceeded to tell how, a local man had been on holiday in Ireland, went to limerick, fell in love with the local sports bar, bought, it, knocked it, and transported it to NZ and rebuilt it to exact specifications.....:) Can anyone confirm that the once great sports bar in town, is now in fact, in New Bloody Zealand!!!

irishvamp90

Have you any link to a vid clip

Liam79

no was just something on tele I am afraid

Harpy

hmm i wonder if its true.. i really liked that place when i was younger pity its gone..damn tourists robbing our pubs!!

djman

I've seen that episode it's the brazen head or what was the brazen head before it was rebuilt

bucks73

The Sports Bar was next door to the Brazen Head, both of which were above Teds nightclub. The Sports Bar closed a few years ago at the same time as the rest of Teds, Brazen Head, Bentley Barclays and Isaac Taylors (iirc) as they were all owned by the same family.

The Sports Bar never reopened when some of the others did.

Mc Love

I heard the sports bar closed cos of some dodgy dealings the owner was involved in!

sioda

Correct me if I am wrong but the Sports Bar used to be in the george

Itsdacraic

sioda wrote: »

Correct me if I am wrong but the Sports Bar used to be in the george

prepare for a correcting.

goingpostal

sioda wrote: »

Correct me if I am wrong but the Sports Bar used to be in the george

No it was further up O'connell st next to bentley barkers and some mexican place i think. And next to Teds! Oh how i miss the grab a granny nights!

bazz26

The Sports bar was right next to the Brazen Head, both bars shared the same building and you could go from one to the other without having to go outside. Overhead them on the first floor used to be a Tex Mex restaurant called Mustang Sally's.

When the Brazen Head reopened a few years back under different managment the entrance to the Sports Bar via the Brazen Head bar was closed off. I think the Sports Bar itself was then sold and was rebuilt as a retail outlet. Not sure if it has been occupied since.

bazz26

This is a poor picture of the old Sports Bar but you get the idea. The Brazen Head is just to the left of the shot:

Mc Love

It was such a cool pub

Kess73

sparkysrovers wrote: »

I heard the sports bar closed cos of some dodgy dealings the owner was involved in!

Well the owner declared himself to be bankrupt, which was amusing as he was soon seen in a brand new Mercedes after making that declaration. Whether he declared himself bankrupt because of dodgy dealings or just for not being a savvy business type is a different story totally and one that cannot be proven either way methinks, but the fact bankruptcy was declared then the latter must hold some truth. Made no difference to the debtors who lost out in the end, either way they lost out on the thousands and thousands they were owed.


The original pub, club, etc are all still owned by the same family as is the retail unit that now stands there.


As for the pub being knocked, all it's knocked parts transported and rebuilt in NZ, that sounds like bit of a tall tale by the NZ guy tbh.

djman

Think we is a bit confused here. It wasn't the sports bar at all it was the actual brazen head (as it is now). This is years and years ago the early 1900's or something as far as i remember. There is a plaque on the wall beside the door to teds maybe that has some info...I think it might have rebuilt on it or something to that effect..

knockon

Liam79 wrote: »

was watching a programme on tele recently with Billy Connolly in Australia/New Zealand. He was passing this bar that looked familiar and he proceeded to tell how, a local man had been on holiday in Ireland, went to limerick, fell in love with the local sports bar, bought, it, knocked it, and transported it to NZ and rebuilt it to exact specifications.....:) Can anyone confirm that the once great sports bar in town, is now in fact, in New Bloody Zealand!!!

Correct - I was in the company of a friend of a friend who worked in Auckland in 2002/3 and she was in this bar I believe an hour outside of Auckland. The guy only purchased the interior - all the sports memorabilia.