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17th May 2024
01:52pm BST
It's the end of an era for Mount Merrion inhabitants and UCD students alike as the entire interior of Kennedy's is going under the hammer. The pub and its adjoining Union Cafe owned by the developer Paddy McKillen Jnr’s Press Up hospitality group, Oakmount company, closed last October.
Planning permission was granted to Oakmount company back in 2018, for a mixed-use scheme, which gave the green light for the demolition of the existing four-storey structure on the Union Cafe site and its replacement by a three-storey pub and restaurant, as well as 50 apartments, the Irish Times reports.
While the progress of the development remains unclear, the contents of the bar and the cafe are now going to be up for online auction on May 21st and 22nd. The contents have been completely dismantled and rebuilt for public viewing ahead of the auction, which will be held in Oldcastle, Co Meath. With over 800 lots available, the items vary from high-quality furniture, memorabilia and art. The most notable items would be a Gunners jersey signed by Arsene Wenger’s unbeaten 2003-04 ‘Invincibles’ and the original contents of Maureen’s Bar from the Olympia Theatre - formerly staffed by the legendary Maureen Grant.
The auction is facilitated by antique dealer Niall Mullen and auctioneer Aidan Foley, the former has said "this sale represents an interesting time in the life of pubs and Irish memorabilia in general," adding, "the attraction for buyers here is that you cannot fake authenticity, and no matter where in the world these pieces end up, they come with a legacy.These lots, especially Kennedy's and Maureen’s Bar, come with a story and a bit of life, and are ready to kit out the next generation of pub."
Two-lifetime collections of original road signs, enamel advertising signs and sports memorabilia will also feature, including rare unapproved road signs, a road marker for the River Liffey, and an unusual Paddy “Whisky” sign, predating the company’s switch to the Irish spelling of whiskey in the 1960s.
Public viewing of the lots, including the reconstructed Kennedy's, is available in the Castle Cinema in Oldcastle from this Saturday to next Monday.
The auction runs online only on Tuesday and Wednesday at 5pm via Aidan Foley at easyliveauction.com
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