Dublin's nightlife was in mourning when it was announced recently that fabled Dublin insitution, The Bernard Shaw, would be closing its doors at the end of October. The small consolation in the news that the pub was closing its doors after 13 years, was the announcement that Bodytonic - the organisation behind the pub - would be opening a replacement venue somewhere else in Dublin.
Well, the location of the Bernard Shaw's replacement has now been revealed. The Bodytonic group have taken over the Porterhouse Whitworth by the Royal Canal in Phibsborough. They confirmed that, when The Bernard Shaw closes its doors for the final time at the end of October they will move over as much of its infrastructure to this new venue as possible. This includes the ever-popular Eatyard, where a selection of food trucks sell food on weekends and some evenings. Perhaps The Bernard Shaw name itself may be reused.
Speaking to The Irish Times, Trevor O'Shea, the man behind Bodytonic, said, "We are pretty much transplanting everything we do at the Bernard Shaw to there. Some things won’t fit – we don’t have loads of wallspace for art. There is indoor and outdoor space, but it is smaller. We will launch it the same weekend we close here [the Bernard Shaw]. We might keep the name, or start with a new name, we are not sure yet."
He also elaborated on his frustrations at being forced to close a successful business and venue for reasons that were out of his control. "“It’s very difficult when you’re running something and you are doing a decent job and you’re told you can’t do it again. We are living in tough times at the moment in terms of trying to put on good events and make good spaces happen. We need to find new places to be creative, which means taking risks, going to places that won’t have as much footfall, building things up again."
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In spite of the undeniable annoyance that the closure of The Bernard Shaw will cause, it's fantastic to see how quickly they have been able to find a replacement. Hopefully, the venue's new location will prove more ammenable and there won't be any issues with disgruntled local 'residents'.
H/T: The Irish Times
