The Harbour Bar Gets Pimped

The Harbour Bar: The O’Toole Years

t might just be the finest bar in all of Ireland, and it’s certainly the coolest in Wicklow…

Painting by Val Byrne

And now, The Harbour Bar in Bray has gotten the thumbs up from Wicklow Planning for a major revamp.

Once voted Best Bar In The World by travel guide Lonely Planet, this much-loved drinking hole first opened its doors in 1871 and has served such party people as Brendan Behan, The Dubliners, Shane MacGowan and Christy Moore as well as regulars Sinead O’Connor and Mary Coughlan.

And the revamp of this well-preserved bar will see an additional 186 square metres of floor space added.

Here’s the lowdown of planning application #2360373…

The following alterations and additions to the existing licensed premises and restaurant, including beer garden: demolition of the front conservatory (38 sq m); construction of a single storey conservatory (143 sq m) to the front of Nos. 1-3 Dock Terrace, and of a single storey front extension (26 sq m) in front of No. 4 Dock Terrace (total 169 sq m). Construction of a single storey extension to the rear (17 sq m); and all other associated site development works above and below ground including the provision of a 1.2m high rendered wall with fixed glazed screen and realigned and enlarged pedestrian entrance gates to the front (eastern façade), retractable umbrellas, and associated signage.

Paul O’Toole & Joe Duggan

The works will result in a net increase of 186 sq m in floor area to the main premises from 576 sq m (minus 38 sq m) to 724 sq m. (For information, in order to facilitate the development, other external items, which are currently the subject of a concurrent planning application for retention permission for development, will be removed, namely: amendments to the façade of the “Fish Bar” (as per the terms of Permission Reg. Ref. 18/1454); provision of a 1.1m high boundary wall to the front of the Fish Bar (No. 4 Dock Terrace), 18 No. external gas heaters, an entrance signage board, an historic phone box, a decorative boat signage board, glazed screens to the external boundary walls, a mural on the side (southern boundary), a retractable awning to the front (eastern) façade, a retractable awning to the rear (western) façade, roof level water tanks, a fishing boat at roof level to the rear; and all other associated site development above and below the ground.)

The late Joe Duggan bought The Harbour Bar in 2013 from the O’Toole family, who had owned and run the bar since the 1930s.

The Duggans have had a major impact on Bray’s nightlife, ever since the bould Joe bought the former Railway Inn, mischievously renaming it The Dugg Inn.

Hepburn at The Sugar Loaf 1967. Pic: Bob Willoughby

Since then, they have transformed such venues as The Martello and Frank Duff’s whilst also opening the likes of Platform Pizza, Box Burger and Conlon’s Wine Bar.

With nearby Ardmore Studio pointing many of their visiting luminaries in The Harbour Bar’s direction, other famous faces to walk through the door include Katherine Hepburn, Brendan Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Neil Jordan and Peter O’Toole, the latter reported to have donated the famous moose head which watches over patrons from the wall of the bar.

And another nugget unearthed by Phil Page of The Wicklow Mick, Katie Taylor would train at the nearby boxing gym, which didn’t feel the need to have toilets installed – meaning the future world champion would often have to use the facilities at The Harbour Bar.

Which prompted the sign stating that the toilets were for ‘Patrons Only (And Gold Medal-Winning Olympians)’.