Major row breaks out over use of one of Ireland’s most historical buildings as pub

A major row has broken out over the use of one of Ireland’s most historical buildings as a pub.

The iconic 300-year-old Tailor’s Hall in the Liberties in Dublin is at the centre of the dispute, after a local group who refurbished it has been forced to cease public trading there.

The Tailor’s Hall building is where Wolfe Tone first met the Catholic committee and where all the great United Irishmen of 1798 would congregate.

The Liberty Renaissance group had transformed a section of the venue into a living, vibrant cultural hub with locals hailing it as a “shrine to Wolfe Tone”.

But now the group has been forced to cease public trading, after it sparked a huge backlash from local councillors, including Cllr Mannix Flynn, culminating in a vote in favour of the lease being revoked.

Local councillors recently voted in favour of a motion to revoke the lease to An Taisce and instead make the historic building ‘available for community use within the area which is in great need of community facilities’.

The motion also noted: ‘The disposal of this building and the change of this building to public house is an absolute outrage. It was done in a non-transparent way without the knowledge of councillors who have a reserve function in all aspects of property disposals and subleases of such properties.’

The building is council-owned but leased by the heritage group An Taisce.

Liberty Renaissance owned by Paul McClafferty and Paul Clinton leased the building from An Taisce but due to a loophole in planning permissions, the beautiful building which they revamped for €800,000, now remains shut.

The row broke out last September when Independent Councillor Mannix Flynn queried Liberty Renaissance’s licence to serve alcohol.

Local councillor Mannix Flynn

Paul McClafferty, 45, of Liberty Renaissance told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “We were open a year, we brought vibrancy to the liberties and 22 jobs.

“Mannix Flynn came in, in September and said: ‘You’re bastardising this building, we said ‘excuse me Mannix we’ve created a community space. ‘We do lunch, yes we do pints.”

However Paul insists alcohol being served is ancillary to the cultural events held in the space, adding: “We have the Liberties running club in, weddings, and the hall free of charge to the local community.

“We have hot yoga there every Sunday and 300 people from the running club in recently all free of charge.

“We do walking, history and Viking tours, it’s not a beer garden, it’s a walled garden where beer is served.

“It’s heartbreaking as we put life and money back into the building and if we didn’t, it would be falling apart.”

The building is steeped in history. The United Irishmen, Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone used to meet there, the 1798 Rebellion was planned there and Liberty Renaissance were preserving and giving life to the historical entity.

Paul added: “The room downstairs is untouched from 1706. If we didn’t do it the building would have fallen apart like the Iveagh Market.

Tailor’s Hall.

Tailor’s Hall.

“The last thing the city needs is more dereliction. Just look at the Iveagh market or the boardwalk; they’re all closed.”

The denigration of the once vibrant space is already apparent, he added: “We’re closed two weeks to the public and already there are crack pipes out the front and needles in the garden and already someone has sprayed graffiti on the front of the building. This is killing me.”

However Independent Councillor Mannix Flynn, 66, said he believed that An Taisce was failing to preserve the historical significance of the building.

He told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “This building belongs to Dublin City Council.

“It’s under the charge of An Taisce whose job it is to protect the building and to guard the historical infrastructure of the city. In this instance they failed to do both.

“We have a motion in Dublin City Council that was agreed by the South Central committee meeting unanimously that we would take back charge of Taylor’s Hall.

“I think it’s time to realise that the caretakers of Tailor’s Hall which are An Taisce are not fit for purpose and they’re a danger to the building.

“There’s equally strong potential to develop Tailor’s Hall as a proper community hub utilised by the local community.

“I’d like to see a community hub put in there to serve the people of the Liberties and Christchurch.

“It’s a national monument, we don’t need another drink venue, the last thing that Dublin City Council needs to be involved with is public house making.”

Tailor’s Hall.

Tailor’s Hall.

Historical entertainer Paddy Cullivan, 50, known for the show, The Murder of Wolf Tone, has performed over 10 of his historical shows at Tailor’s Hall, and feels it’s a pity the pub has been shut down.

He said: “Not only was there a portrait of Wolf Tone on the wall of the main room but it was a really warm and welcoming place for any kind of cultural event.

“My show is highly cultural but what was even better was Wolfe Tone’s office was upstairs.

“John and Paul have respected the historical nature of the building to the point where Paul’s wife Anne Clinton did the most beautiful portrait of Wolfe Tone which stands on top of the fireplace in Tailor’s Hall.”

He said tourists and ancestors were flocking to Tailor’s Hall before bureaucracy put a kibosh on the space.

He added: “When I did my Wolfe Tone Show there in June, a relative of Wolfe Tone came from America to see the show.

“In November of 2023, they put on the Wolfe Tone 225 commemoration event which was two days of historical discussions about Wolfe Tone.

“So this place has once again become the best cultural hub in the city since the United Irishmen were walking through the hall itself.

“It’s absolutely shocking that anybody would close down some space in the Liberties with Mother Redcaps shut for years behind it, The Iveagh Markets, completely derelict.

“This place had become an amazing cultural hub in the Liberties no matter what anybody says, the fact of it having a bar is beside the point.

“Myself and others, including the 1798 walking tour from Belfast had come down and it became the hub where they have their walking tour and bring people to show them where Wolfe Tone worked.

“Tailor’s Hall had become a shrine to Wolfe Tone essentially.

“In shutting it down, we’re shutting down our ability to celebrate Wolfe Tone in the place he’s most associated with.

“I donated 5000 euros worth of artwork that the boys had framed, and we’re about to put throughout the building. All high-quality prints to do with the 1798 Rebellion.

Paddy Cullivan (left) and William J Atkins a relative of Wolfe Tone – he ran the two day Wolfe Tone 225 commemoration from the Tailor’s Hall.

“I’m flabbergasted that they’ve been singled out after having done so much for the local community, for local people in the liberties, walking tours, historical tours and for tourists.

“What we really need to do is let people’s places like this open and flourish. Why would you focus on the living and breathing places to close down. You either want Dublin to work and flourish or drown in regulation.”

A spokesperson for An Taisce Padraig McKeon said: “Tailor’s Hall is an iconic building which we are keen to see stay in active use by and for the community in the south inner city.

“We are happy to facilitate the efforts of our tenant in support of that objective but anything happening on the site must meet the requirements of Dublin City Council to be fully compliant with planning and related regulations”.

A spokesperson for Dublin City Council said: “The council initiated enforcement action pursuant to the Planning and Development Act 2000 in respect of the unauthorised use of the lower ground floor for use as a public bar/public bar food/restaurant use where persons can come in off the street and be served food and drink, including alcoholic drinks.

“The operators of the premises were written to requiring the cessation of the unauthorized use as outlined above. Recent inspections by the Planning Enforcement Section have revealed that the unauthorized use has ceased.”

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