Mark Beirne named LCN’s 2025 Entrepreneur of the Year

One of Belfast’s most influential hospitality figures, Mark Beirne, has been named LCN’s 2025 Entrepreneur of the Year, recognising his decades-long impact on the city’s nightlife and hospitality scene.

The award was presented on June 6 at a packed Crowne Plaza Hotel Belfast, where more than 450 guests from across the industry gathered to celebrate excellence in Northern Ireland’s hospitality sector.

Beirne, director of the Clover Group, was honoured for a career marked by innovation, resilience, and a transformative role in shaping some of the city’s most iconic venues.

Starting his entrepreneurial journey at just 21, Beirne became Belfast’s youngest publican at 24. His early ventures included Magennis’s Bar on May Street and the trailblazing Milk nightclub on Tomb Street, which became a landmark venue famed for hosting international DJs and operating seven nights a week.

In his mid-30s, Beirne made a strategic move into the then-undeveloped Cathedral Quarter—an ambitious step that eventually led to personal financial hardship and bankruptcy at age 38. Undeterred, he rebuilt from the ground up, turning a fire-damaged building into the hugely popular Filthy McNasty’s. He later launched El Divino, a major River Lagan nightclub that attracted global acts like Benny Benassi and Pete Tong.

These ventures laid the foundation for the Clover Group, which Beirne co-founded and developed into a key player in Belfast’s modern hospitality landscape. The group now operates several standout venues, including Henry’s, The Jailhouse, Fountain Lane, and the historic Whites Tavern—currently undergoing expansion to include 36 boutique bedrooms.

The company’s continued growth is backed by strategic partnerships with major industry names such as Diageo, Tennent’s NI, and Molson Coors.

The group is now preparing for the highly anticipated reopening of Margot in June, which is expected to be one of the city’s most significant bar relaunches this year. There are also plans for future accommodation development above the venue.

LCN’s judging panel praised Beirne as a “true innovator” who has demonstrated exceptional resilience throughout his career—including during the pandemic—and continues to play a leading role in the evolution of Belfast’s hospitality sector.

His award stands as a testament to a career built not only on ambition and vision, but also on the ability to learn from adversity and keep pushing forward.