Ireland’s Oldest Pub Grace Neills Unveils Stylish New Refurbishment

Ireland’s oldest pub, Grace Neills in Donaghadee, has undergone a recent refurbishment of its bistro lounge cocktail bar, which will be unveiled to the public this Friday 17th November.

Well known for its historical significance, Grace Neills is home to the oldest bar in Ireland, which was established in 1611 as The Kings Arms, and subsequently named after Grace Neill who was given the bar as a wedding present by her father, Hugh Jamison. 

Now under the ownership of the O’Kane family since 2015, this is the second major refit for this popular Co. Down establishment since they took over and it will have been closed for 10 days when it reopens to unveil the new design to invited guests on Thursday evening, prior to its public opening on Friday.

Speaking to Grace Neills General Manager Michael Collins, he was giving nothing away! ‘We’ve been sharing some teasers of the refurb’s progress with our followers on social media over the last week, but all images have been in black and white to keep our new colour palette under wraps until we can unveil it all later this week.’

‘I’m sure we are the talk around the town at the moment as everyone gets ready for the big reveal and we’re so excited to see everyone’s reactions,’ adds Michael.

The new refurbishment will also see the unveiling a new bistro menu and brand new cocktail menu. While there will be regular favourites, new dishes will not only tempt existing customers, but hopefully entice new ones as well.

The new look bistro lounge and cocktail bar comes on the back of phase one of the wider refurb which included the beer garden and Snugs bar, where all of the original character of this well-loved bar has been retained. 

Mandy O’Kane and her son Dylan were the driving force behind this latest refurbishment of Grace Neills and have worked alongside interior designer Lara Woods Woznica. Lara’s other projects include The Nines in Bangor and Orto in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter. 

‘Lara has been amazing throughout the process and the refurb itself was carried out by PCI, a specialist company and also our loyal, regular contractors.’

‘The new refurb successfully merges the old character of Snugs bar with this modern makeover of the lounge bar and bistro and believe me the results are stunning.’ adds Michael.

Donaghadee was recently voted the best place to live in NI and this refurbishment is adding to  this fantastic seaside town full of great eating and drinking establishments.