Watchorn family buys historic Doolan’s bar

Waterford’s historic T&H Doolan’s inn has been bought by a bar and hospitality family from the south-east for over €500,000 at a lively auction.

The new owners are the Watchorn family, whose interest include the Dylan Whiskey Bar in Kilkenny — handily ‘scotching’ pre-auction rumours that UK pub chain Wetherspoons had a deal done on it.

Confirming the purchase, Sean Watchorn said he was delighted to have bought such a piece of history, reckoning it was one of the country’s oldest hostelries, with a pedigree back to the 1400s.