Bar at heart of Blue Lights drama up for sale

Cock and Hens on Lord Street in the east of the city is being sold by Whelan Commercial and been vacant since during the pandemic.

Portrayed as The Loyal in the fictional Mount Eden estate, Cock and Hens is the main setting for several scenes in the drama, which sees owner Lee Thompson (Seamus O’Hara) alongside his sister Mags Thompson (Seána Kerslake) and nephew Henry (Alfie Lawless) grapple with a loyalist feud in the estate.

It plays a focal part in one particular storyline in which Thompson aims to give the bar’s ownership over to loyalist leader Jim Dixon before the latter meets a grisly end.

Unlike typical productions, which tend to use an exterior for outside shots and a different location or set for interior, Cock and Hens’ interior and exterior featured in the series.

The listing describes it as a “long-established community bar in the heart of east Belfast situated just off the Albertbridge Road on a prominent corner site.

“The surrounding area is a densely populated residential area with a significant potential costumer base.”

Estate agent Brian Nixon said the bar has had significant interest since it was featured in the show.

“We have had lots of interest in it, even people contacting us from abroad,” he explained.

“It’s a local community bar, that’s really it. It’s been available since the pandemic when the markets were really affected and bars and restaurants had to close. There are very few bars in the east Belfast area now.

“Featuring in Blue Lights can only help things.”