'The sums don’t stack up any more': Cork City bar to close after 11 years

Brick Lane on South Main Street opened in June 2015 and says it will close on Wednesday, April 8

The Brick Lane bar on Cork's South Main Street is to shut this week.

Cork's Brick Lane bar is to shut after 11 years, with the operators saying the "sums don't stack up any more".

In a post on their social media channels, the venue said it will close on Wednesday of this week.

Brick Lane on South Main Street opened in June 2015 by experienced hospitality operators Phil Ryan and Eamon Walsh, following a €1m renovation, taking over the premises previously occupied by The Classic.

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"It’s with a heavy heart we have to tell you we are closing our doors after service on Wednesday the 8th of April. It’s been an amazing almost 11years trading. Some very hard times but also some very good times," the venue said.

"Unfortunately the sums don’t stack up any more but the memories will live on", the post added.

When it opened in 2015, the event was targeted at the 25 to 35 age bracket, serving food and drink and employed up to 60 people. The venue also hoped to take advantage of the planned events centre at the former Beamish brewery site, on which the sod had been turned, but development has still not taken place. 

The closure comes at a time of a significant change in Cork's bar scene, with a number of pub sales and reopenings.

Reidy's Vault Bar on Lancaster Quay sold for almost €600,000 in recent weeks, with plans for it to operate as a restaurant. The former Bull McCabe's on the Kinsale Road sold for €730,000 with plans for a residential development on the site. 

The sale of the Grange Bar on Grange Road for €1m is expected to be completed shortly, while Paddy The Farmers is expected to be sold for close to €2m.

These changes follow the sale of The Wilton Bar in January to Cork publican Paul Montgomery for more than €3m. Recent weeks also saw the former Flying Enterprise bar reopen as The SouthGate following its sale last year for more than €5m. 

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