Historic Kelly’s Cellars sold in £5m deal
One of the oldest pubs in Belfast has changed hands in a deal thought to worth around £5m,
Kelly’s Cellars has been bought by the Downey Group, headed by Derry’s former all-Ireland winning captain Henry Downey and his two brothers Seamus and John..
The Bank Street venue dates back to 1720 and has been owned by Lily Mulholland and Martin O’Hara since 2000.
The Downey brothers are well-versed in the hospitality industry, already owning another long-running pub in Belfast, McHugh’s. They also own Hellcat Maggies, The Kitchen Bar, Thirsty Goat and 21 Social in Belfast, as well as another Thirsty Goat venue in Derry and the Metro Bar.
Most recently, the brothers sold their Magherafelt pub to another Derry pub family, the McGlones.
It’s claimed McCracken hid behind the bar while on the run from soldiers following the failed uprising – though he would end up hanged nearby at Cornmarket.
The history of the pub was acknowledged in 2007 with a blue plaque from the Ulster History Circle, which recorded Kelly’s Cellars as a meeting place for the Society of United Irishmen during 1791 to 1798.
A famous story recounts how in the aftermath of the failed 1798 rebellion, Henry Joy McCracken hid underneath the bar of Kelly’s Cellars to evade capture from pursuing soldiers.
