The Bernard Shaw, A Dublin Institution, Announces Its Shutting Down Next Month

One of Dublin's most celebrated student pubs, The Bernard Shaw, has announced that it will be closing for good next month.

Recently, the pub had announced that it had run into difficulties renewing a license to keep open its large outdoor beer-garden and smoking area. The beer-garden, which spreads over an area larger than the pub itself, is a centre-point of Dublin nightlife, and has been for the 13 or so years the pub has been open, with the famous Blue Bus, serving pizza, a celebrated institution.

Objections to the reissuing of the license had been raised by local residents who were disconcerted by the noise levels generated by this outdoor section of the pub. Residents had complained to An Bord Pleanála that, given the number of events the pub hosted in its beer-garden, it "effectively operates as an open-air live music venue."

The venue had initially been granted permission by the council in December 2018 to continue to operate their outside area for a further three years. However, due to these complaints this was rescinded and the pub were forced to re-apply with the caveat that they would endeavour to reduce noise levels.

In their Facebook post they have, without getting into the specifics, insinuated that this was a significant factor in the reason for the pub's impending closure.

While it is dispiriting to see another venerable Dublin institution being forced to close its doors, they have intimated that there are plans to launch a phoenix pub, announcing that plans to 'start something else, somewhere else' are in the works.

Those of us now craving to eat a pizza on a bus, will - from the end of October - simply have to content ourselves with the prospect of purchasing a small pizza from some local takeaway and consuming it while aimlessly riding a circular Dublin Bus route. Tragedy abounds.