Does anybody know about the Fountain Blue in Longford?

GEORGINAO89

I've been interested in this place since I was a child, I pass it when i visit my uncle in Dublin and then I come back home. My gran from rooskey told me that a girl she knew, was killed by a bus after some ball,grad or Disco that the girl attended to. It happened before the ballroom was about to shut down in the 80's or 90's. One day, I was researching it all over the web, I saw it went on fire in 2009 suspicously at 8pm here's the evidence that I found: http://www.longfordleader.ie/news/local/suspicious_fire_at_fountain_blue_1_1954037.
and also I saw in a weird website that it was haunted because it was abandoned for so long & people saw a figure walking slowly around it when passing by it.

silver campaign

I remember going out there for Sunday dinner when I was a child. Then I went to a couple of 'Pop Fizz' under 16's discos there. It closed around that time, I'd guess around 1995 or 1996. I believe a certain local businessman bought it and shut it down. Never heard of it being haunted though.

Fuzzy Clam

silver campaign wrote: »

I believe a certain local businessman bought it and shut it down.

That's more or less what I heard. It was bought by the owner of a rival club in the town and he closed it down. Not sure if that's true.

theoneeyedman

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

That's more or less what I heard. It was bought by the owner of a rival club in the town and he closed it down. Not sure if that's true.

fountain blue was and still is i think by the reynolds family in longford (alberts' brothers family) who also own the longford arms and annally hotels(now escobar) in the town. They ran the fountain as a night club for a number of years, generally friday night in the FB and saturday night in Blazers/Longford arms. 'Boogie Busses' were ran from town tothe fountain but it was always a poor relation to the Arms became more ran down. This would be around the mid-to-late 80's/early 90's and it has been closed for a good few years now. was always said alright that it was bought by the reynolds to prevnet competition and firm up their monopoly. Don't know who owned it beforehand, i reember being at one wedding there many moons ago but don't think this was in reynolds' time.

On a related note, with all the development on recent years it's sad that there is not one decent hotel or event centre in the town. IMHO the monopoly mantioned above prevents new competition and the new gereration of the Reynolds' don't have the same interest in developing the hotel business. Is there any other county town without a decent venue for weddings/dinner dances etc ????

ballsymchugh

think it was always owned by jim reynolds. himself and albert made their original money from dancehalls back in the days before tv. it's kinda strange when you think about it, that there used to be loads of weddings out there.

wish they would knock it though and just let grass grow. the council forced jim reynolds' hand when he bought the annally hotel and closed it down by putting a derelict site notice on it, making him either knock it or do it up.
don't know about it being haunted, the only rumour i've heard about it was that it's being used as a storage place for the e-voting machines!

TouchingVirus

My parents live about a mile down the road beside the Fountain Blue/Landmark and have done since '99. My teenage years were spent there but in all the stories I've heard about the place I've never heard it was haunted.

It was set on fire in 2009 and secretly I hoped it would be burned to the ground so that it would finally be returned to land, it's an incredible eyesore and a complete waste, just like the old house on the other side of the road.

I'm of the opinion too that it was left to rot to increase business to the other establishments in Longford Town (Blazers/RaRa/Escobar). There was something in the Longford Leader a while back about some plans to develop the area into a Pub/small shopping centre thing if I recall correctly but it never happened.

messrs

silver campaign wrote: »

I remember going out there for Sunday dinner when I was a child. Then I went to a couple of 'Pop Fizz' under 16's discos there. It closed around that time, I'd guess around 1995 or 1996. I believe a certain local businessman bought it and shut it down. Never heard of it being haunted though.

'pop fizz' that just brought back so many memories!! i used to go the pop fizz there all the time! I also remember it been called the cube and uncle bobs

i can always remember my older brothers going there when it was the fountain blue and they used to have guest dj's from Atlantic 252

never heard anything about it been sold by the reynolds tho, pity coz its a waste , always kinda hoped someone would buy it and do it up

garfieldsghost

Jim Reynolds only bought the Fountain Blue in its latter years and his son managed a nightclub called 'The Cube' there for a while. Like most of the Reynolds' other purchases, the idea seems to have been to cut out competition for their own concerns (as was also seen with their purchase of the Annaly Hotel), rather than giving serious thought to developing it as an ongoing concern - at least as a bar/nightclub. Some of the disco lighting from 'The Cube' was salvaged and installed in Blazers when that nightclub was being revamped.

There was planning permission sought for the site a few years ago, where the intention was to build a petrol station and some retail units there, but nothing ever came of it.

corazon

I grew up beside the Fountain and worked in it for several years in the early eighties. It was owned then by Brady's in Cavan and was the place to go. They had live music several nights a week and a full restaurant service. I often saw three weddings a week in the place. Use to be mad busy.

MDFM

garfieldsghost wrote: »

Jim Reynolds only bought the Fountain Blue in its latter years and his son managed a nightclub called 'The Cube' there for a while. Like most of the Reynolds' other purchases, the idea seems to have been to cut out competition for their own concerns (as was also seen with their purchase of the Annaly Hotel), rather than giving serious thought to developing it as an ongoing concern - at least as a bar/nightclub. Some of the disco lighting from 'The Cube' was salvaged and installed in Blazers when that nightclub was being revamped.

There was planning permission sought for the site a few years ago, where the intention was to build a petrol station and some retail units there, but nothing ever came of it.

It became The Cube as such in more latter years - up until that, or say up to the mid 1990's or there-abouts it was called 'Paris'! I always rem getting the Paris Boogie Bus from outside the Annaly hotel, to 'Paris'.
But going back way further than that, i also remember it being noted for hosting 'American/Boston Tea Parties'!! St Mels College religeously for years held such a function out there. Having had brothers attend St mels, during those years, i rem our parents going to the party, hosting a table etc..it usually was quite a good nite to be honest and back in those days and in the days of 'Paris' it really wasnt too bad a venue, either as a nite-club or for holding functions in.

garfieldsghost

MDFM wrote: »

It became The Cube as such in more latter years - up until that, or say up to the mid 1990's or there-abouts it was called 'Paris'! I always rem getting the Paris Boogie Bus from outside the Annaly hotel, to 'Paris'.
But going back way further than that, i also remember it being noted for hosting 'American/Boston Tea Parties'!! St Mels College religeously for years held such a function out there. Having had brothers attend St mels, during those years, i rem our parents going to the party, hosting a table etc..it usually was quite a good nite to be honest and back in those days and in the days of 'Paris' it really wasnt too bad a venue, either as a nite-club or for holding functions in.

Aye, I mentioned the latter years point at the start... my dad and uncle were regular DJs there back during the Paris days.

400R

Ah...The Cube....that brings back memories! My first over 18's disco to get into...at 16!

On a way earlier note-anyone ever remember attending a live Bosco show there years ago!? One of my earliest memories

theoneeyedman

HaHaHa Paris!!! Couldn't think of the name of it earlier.....too many brain cells killed off drinking pints of Tennants (yuk!) and exotic Black Rusians in Parii guess.....or "Parises" as many of the locals dubbed it at the time!

-Corkie-

Manys a shift i got in it at the pop fizz and in the cube afterwards. A seriously dangerous place for traffic accidents years ago. A lot of the punters were drinking and driving at that time. Its some eyesore allright.

kerash

400R wrote: »

Ah...The Cube....that brings back memories! My first over 18's disco to get into...at 16!

On a way earlier note-anyone ever remember attending a live Bosco show there years ago!? One of my earliest memories

I have photos of me at the bosco show - it must have been there :P i'll ask mam to confirm

garfieldsghost

I was at one of those Bosco shows years ago but I'm sure it was in the Longford Arms.

Frank and Marian never turned up...

spuddington

i always wondered about that place too. too you to have ever been in there tho. id love to get inside the place and just look around, and to see if its haunted or not :P

Fuzzy Clam

GEORGINAO89 wrote: »

and also I saw in a weird website that it was haunted because it was abandoned for so long & people saw a figure walking slowly around it when passing by it.

To drag the original post up again. I don't think it's abandoned. I've seen the grass and undergrowth cut there and last week there was somebody in the building so I guess there's at least minimum maintainence carried out.

malcolmplex

Ah,the days when the nightclub was 'Paris'.Get the bus out there from town,get the shift,buck leppin' to Rage Against The Machine,sausage and chips,watch the row outside afterwards,kill yerself trying to get onto the bus back into town.
Good days.

silver campaign

A rumour that I heard before, but can't confirm, is that the electronic voting machines are currently being stored there. I'm sure the Fianna Fail connection came in handy there. I wonder how much rent the government are paying to store them, and how much insurance is being paid by the people providing the premises??

Hal Emmerich

silver campaign wrote: »

A rumour that I heard before, but can't confirm, is that the electronic voting machines are currently being stored there. I'm sure the Fianna Fail connection came in handy there. I wonder how much rent the government are paying to store them, and how much insurance is being paid by the people providing the premises??

You may be right, someone in Longford is getting €12,000 a year in Rental Fees for Storing a bit of scrap metal.

-Corkie-

Hal Emmerich wrote: »

You may be right, someone in Longford is getting €12,000 a year in Rental Fees for Storing a bit of scrap metal.

I heard that too years ago its scandlous...

Micky 32

Drove by it today, really is run down now, awful state. OP my gran is from Roosky too

JimmyR

Hal Emmerich wrote: »

You may be right, someone in Longford is getting €12,000 a year in Rental Fees for Storing a bit of scrap metal.[

Who do I contact to offer to hold that sfuff for 2k a year.

just want to do my public duty and save the country 10k a year

Just like the current person I'll keep my name private so that no one abuses me as I walk down da town!

Alternatively I'll take all the old voting machines and scrap them for nothing!!

On Topic: The Fountain Blue would have been and maybe still would be a great place for somewhere to get something to eat, along the lines of Mother Hubbards.

Slightly off topic but... I hear the Longford Arms is in financial trouble, its a horrid shame that the Celtic tiger has come and gone and we didn't get a decent hotel out of it. The Longford Arms was a great place in its day but unfortunately that was over 20 years ago.

MDFM

JimmyR wrote: »

Hal Emmerich wrote: »

You may be right, someone in Longford is getting €12,000 a year in Rental Fees for Storing a bit of scrap metal.[

Who do I contact to offer to hold that sfuff for 2k a year.

just want to do my public duty and save the country 10k a year

Just like the current person I'll keep my name private so that no one abuses me as I walk down da town!

Alternatively I'll take all the old voting machines and scrap them for nothing!!

On Topic: The Fountain Blue would have been and maybe still would be a great place for somewhere to get something to eat, along the lines of Mother Hubbards.

Slightly off topic but... I hear the Longford Arms is in financial trouble, its a horrid shame that the Celtic tiger has come and gone and we didn't get a decent hotel out of it. The Longford Arms was a great place in its day but unfortunately that was over 20 years ago.

Have heard that too about the Longford Arms, more so recently at the weekend as my OH was at a function there, which, the organisers were still unsure about if it would go ahead or not, right up until the last minute..Standards have definately gone rapidly downhill in the Longford Arms, food was ok, but service & staff were non-existant pretty much.

garfieldsghost

JimmyR wrote: »

Slightly off topic but... I hear the Longford Arms is in financial trouble, its a horrid shame that the Celtic tiger has come and gone and we didn't get a decent hotel out of it. The Longford Arms was a great place in its day but unfortunately that was over 20 years ago.

This was almost inevitable from the moment the Reynolds' started buying out the competition in Longford (chiefly the Annaly and the Fountain Blue - which also intended to provide accomodation). With no competitors around they allowed their standards to fall whilst they continued to charge premium prices, thinking that people had no other option. That hasn't been the case, and the situation has already lead to the closure of the hotel's dining room. There also seems to have been a huge reduction in the number of functions... for example, when was the last time anyone noticed a wedding party arriving there? There was a time you couldn't walk through the town without seeing their Rolls Royce pulling up outside with a bride & groom in the back.

In saying that, I'd hate to see it closed as it's a landmark premises in the town and I don't want to see the workers become unemployed.

JimmyR

The Longford Arms is not the employer it once was obviously because of its lack of business but any more loss in jobs in the county would be sad.

I'm not too sure that there is much hope for it either, its needs a huge input of money to regenerate it and I'm afraid that theres no one going to do that in the current economic climate, the boat was missed when the tiger was roaring... though we didn;t hear much from him in Longford.

It'll just be another landmark to go from the town like the barracks. :mad:

ballsymchugh

to be honest, he could've made a fortune about 10 years ago if he sold that little bit that sticks out on richmond street. that junction really needed to do away with that bit to improve it but now with the new bypass going ahead, he's missed that boat too.

onelad

GEORGINAO89 wrote: »

I've been interested in this place since I was a child, I pass it when i visit my uncle in Dublin and then I come back home. My gran from rooskey told me that a girl she knew, was killed by a bus after some ball,grad or Disco that the girl attended to. It happened before the ballroom was about to shut down in the 80's or 90's. One day, I was researching it all over the web, I saw it went on fire in 2009 suspicously at 8pm here's the evidence that I found: http://www.longfordleader.ie/news/local/suspicious_fire_at_fountain_blue_1_1954037.
and also I saw in a weird website that it was haunted because it was abandoned for so long & people saw a figure walking slowly around it when passing by it.

If you are still interested in the Fountain Blue, it is going up for auction on March 22nd 2013

messrs

onelad wrote: »

If you are still interested in the Fountain Blue, it is going up for auction on March 22nd 2013

is this true? does anyone know if it was sold?

onelad

The Fountain Blue was not sold. It did not meet its reserve price of 150,000 Euro. The highest bid was 145,000 Euro.

garfieldsghost

messrs wrote: »

is this true? does anyone know if it was sold?

It didn't sell... withdrawn from auction at €150,000.

messrs

wow, would have thought reserve price would have been higher that than, surprised someone didnt buy it, would have thought that would have been snapped up!

Fuzzy Clam

messrs wrote: »

wow, would have thought reserve price would have been higher that than, surprised someone didnt buy it, would have thought that would have been snapped up!

For what though? I guess it's only the land that has any kind of value and what good is it in the current climate. The building is in poor condition now.

I would have taken the 145k and ran.

blackstuff10

corazon wrote: »

I grew up beside the Fountain and worked in it for several years in the early eighties. It was owned then by Brady's in Cavan and was the place to go. They had live music several nights a week and a full restaurant service. I often saw three weddings a week in the place. Use to be mad busy.

I worked there in 1980/81 , and it was indeed the place to be , best entertainment, Gerry Harrington( my mentor) was the boss then , anyone that was anyone played in the "Fountain" we used to live over in the corner ,
best venue in longford for weddings , think a few of the lads are still working in the town............

blackstuff10

GEORGINAO89 wrote: »

I've been interested in this place since I was a child, I pass it when i visit my uncle in Dublin and then I come back home. My gran from rooskey told me that a girl she knew, was killed by a bus after some ball,grad or Disco that the girl attended to. It happened before the ballroom was about to shut down in the 80's or 90's. One day, I was researching it all over the web, I saw it went on fire in 2009 suspicously at 8pm here's the evidence that I found: http://www.longfordleader.ie/news/local/suspicious_fire_at_fountain_blue_1_1954037.
and also I saw in a weird website that it was haunted because it was abandoned for so long & people saw a figure walking slowly around it when passing by it.

I worked there in 1980/81 , and it was indeed the place to be , best entertainment, Gerry Harrington( my mentor) was the boss then , anyone that was anyone played in the "Fountain" we used to live over in the corner ,
best venue in longford for weddings , think a few of the lads are still working in the town............

Paul74910

It was a god ould spot to get the "Charver"!!!! lol

silver campaign

Sold now apparently. Anyone know who bought it?

http://www.shannonside.ie/news/longfords-former-fountain-blue-nite-club-sold/

TheBody

silver campaign wrote: »

Sold now apparently. Anyone know who bought it?

http://www.shannonside.ie/news/longfords-former-fountain-blue-nite-club-sold/

I heard that the guy who owns Big Mickey's (think his name is Mick Byrne) bought it. Indeed one of his vans was outside it today when I drove past.

bigmickey.ie

TheBody wrote: »

I heard that the guy who owns Big Mickey's (think his name is Mick Byrne) bought it. Indeed one of his vans was outside it today when I drove past.

No...................... but close.

TheBody

bigmickey.ie wrote: »

No...................... but close.

lol!! Any plans to open something or is it just going to be used for storage?

bigmickey.ie

TheBody wrote: »

lol!! Any plans to open something or is it just going to be used for storage?[/QUOTE

No clue yet. Any good ideas yourself ?

TheBody

bigmickey.ie wrote: »

TheBody wrote: »

lol!! Any plans to open something or is it just going to be used for storage?[/QUOTE

No clue yet. Any good ideas yourself ?

Fair enough. Good luck with it anyway.

Buffman

bigmickey.ie wrote: »

No clue yet. Any good ideas yourself ?

Hi Mick, I used to commute that road everyday.

I'd say there'd be great demand for a service station/rest area/restaurant in that location.

There's not a massive choice currently on that stretch of road. You either have to head off into Edgeworthstown or the Longford Texaco on the Drumlish road. There doesn't seem to be any plans to continue the motorway from Mullingar any time soon, so there should be a good few years of passing trade there.

Best of luck with whatever you do with it.

TheBody

Buffman wrote: »

Hi Mick, I used to commute that road everyday.

I'd say there'd be great demand for a service station/rest area/restaurant in that location.

There's not a massive choice currently on that stretch of road. You either have to head off into Edgeworthstown or the Longford Texaco on the Drumlish road. There doesn't seem to be any plans to continue the motorway from Mullingar any time soon, so there should be a good few years of passing trade there.

Best of luck with whatever you do with it.

You know, I was just thinking the same thing. Also, it's right by my house and would be fierce handy!!

Angron

Aye, not too far from where I'd live too. Frankly, it'd be nice to see anything done with the building, it's been sitting derelict for longer than I've lived in Longford.

Fuzzy Clam

Buffman wrote: »

Hi Mick, I used to commute that road everyday.

I'd say there'd be great demand for a service station/rest area/restaurant in that location.

There's not a massive choice currently on that stretch of road. You either have to head off into Edgeworthstown or the Longford Texaco on the Drumlish road. There doesn't seem to be any plans to continue the motorway from Mullingar any time soon, so there should be a good few years of passing trade there.

Best of luck with whatever you do with it.

There's 2 handy service stations in Ballinalack though.
Deffo no plans to continue the motorway but there were plans to bypass Ballinalack, Rathowen and the existing Longford bypass including the N4.
http://www.longfordcoco.ie/uploadedFiles/LongfordCoCo/Our_Departments/Roads/Documents/N4_Mullingar_to_Longford(Roosky)/PRC05N4M2L.pdf

Haven't heard any more about this.

Buffman

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

There's 2 handy service stations in Ballinalack though.

Ye, normally they're jammers with customers at rush hour, it wouldn't be unusal to have to wait for a pump, or get stuck trying to pull out due to the heavy traffic. That's why I reckon there'd be a good market for another one.

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

http://www.longfordcoco.ie/uploadedFiles/LongfordCoCo/Our_Departments/Roads/Documents/N4_Mullingar_to_Longford(Roosky)/PRC05N4M2L.pdf

Lol at that, it looks like someone gave a two year old a blue crayon and a map of Longford to pick that route.

TheBody

Buffman wrote: »

Ye, normally they're jammers with customers at rush hour, it wouldn't be unusal to have to wait for a pump, or get stuck trying to pull out due to the heavy traffic. That's why I reckon there'd be a good market for another one.



Lol at that, it looks like someone gave a two year old a blue crayon and a map of Longford to pick that route.

I agree. I often drive by because I couldn't be bothered with the hassle. I usually go to Texaco in Clonard for diesel.

bigmickey.ie

Buffman wrote: »

Hi Mick, I used to commute that road everyday.

I'd say there'd be great demand for a service station/rest area/restaurant in that location.

There's not a massive choice currently on that stretch of road. You either have to head off into Edgeworthstown or the Longford Texaco on the Drumlish road. There doesn't seem to be any plans to continue the motorway from Mullingar any time soon, so there should be a good few years of passing trade there.

Best of luck with whatever you do with it.

I heard someone tried for a petrol station there already and was turned down. Council's don't like petrol stations outside the speed limit signs in case of accidents. I'd say you are right as regards a new road due to money shortage. That new road could be a long time coming.

Claude Burgundy

garfieldsghost wrote: »

Aye, I mentioned the latter years point at the start... my dad and uncle were regular DJs there back during the Paris days.

Young Conboy ???