The matchday experience of attending GAA matches at Croke Park is inevitably shaped by the pubs you pass on the way to GAA HQ. Whether you're celebrating, drowning sorrows, meetings mates or negotiating ticket sales, the pubs around Croke Park are vital landmarks: Gill's or the Hogan Stand if you're coming from the city centre; the Clonliffe House if you're trekking over from Fairview or beyond; the Big Tree if you're heading down the North Circular road. However for those coming to Croke Park on the M1 or Drumcondra, there's been a void these past few years, since the closing of Quinn's on the Drumcondra Road in early 2020.
News come to us today via John Burns in the Irish Independent that Quinn's will be back open next year.
Well-known restauranteur Jay Bourke is behind the renovation plans, and he told the Indo he hopes the pub will be open again for St Patrick's Day.
“It’s been closed for almost five years but the building is in reasonable condition. I’ve been there quite a bit with the rubber gloves on. The roof doesn’t leak anymore, the gutters and sewage work, and it’s weeded and clean.
SEE ALSO: An Appreciation Of Ireland's Most Iconic GAA Pubs
The second life of Quinn's
Quinn's had been earmarked for demolition, as apartments were set to be built in its place. However the Dublin City Council intervened in 2021, claiming the building was “a building of architectural and social significance”.
The developers lodged an appeal but Quinn's survived. The pub has remained in a derelict condition since.
It had been previously owned by developer Sean Quinn, and was put up for sale by the liquidators of what was once known as Anglo Irish Bank.
Bourke confirmed that he has no interest in changing the purpose of the pub and it will continue to cater to GAA clientele in its new iterations.
Set your map accordingly next summer.
