Boundary Brewing to run famous John Hewitt bar

One of the best-known bars in Belfast is to set to reopen under new management.

The John Hewitt, which is owned by the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre and takes its name from the city’s most famous socialist poet, will now be run by the Boundary craft brewery.

First opened in 1999, the Donegall Street venue hopes to cash in on the growth of the Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter since then.

Co-founder of Boundary Brewing Cooperative Matthew Dick said he was delighted to be “entrusted” with the famous gathering spot.

“We are really humbled, and equally excited about such an amazing opportunity; to help build on the legacy of the Hewitt as a socially minded, community based, beer-centric hub in Belfast, offering world class hospitality,” he added.

He now hopes to preserve the pub’s reputation as a centre for live music and cultural events like the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival as well as “really, good beer”.

Folk artists including Seasick Steve and Mumford & Sons played their first Northern Ireland gigs at The John Hewitt.

The Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre is retaining ownership of the pub and the venue’s staff are being kept on.

When it opened in 1999 it was among the first hospitality businesses to open in the Cathedral Quarter, with the Duke of York and Nick’s Warehouse among the other forerunners.

It was also a pioneer in the sale of German wheat beers and was the first bar to sell Samuel Adams on draft outside the US.