Popular night club is damaged by fire

April 1993

One of Wexford’s best known nightclubs was damaged on Monday evening when the Castle Niteclub in Enniscorthy caught fire.

Prompt action by the town’s Fire Brigade saved the premises after the outbreak was reported by Slaney Street businessman Andrew Kerr around 5.30 p.m.

They were on the scene within eight minutes, but had to scale a security barrier and break down a door with a sledgehammer to gain access to the smoke-filled disco bar, which was completely empty at the time.

The former Castle Ballroom was a popular attraction in the days when the showbands were on the road. In more recent times, it has been turned into a successful disco, known first as The Casablanca and now trading as the Castle Niteclub.

Gardai investigating the blaze expressed confidence on Tuesday that the incident was not malicious. The extent of the damage was not as bad as was first feared, and proprietor P. J. Doyle hopes to be back in business within a few weeks.

A large crowd gathered on Castle Street and Castle Hill as news of the incident spread throughout the town. However, there was little for them to see, though some smoke curled out from under the eaves of the roof.

Inside the building, firemen used breathing apparatus as they fought their way through the smoke in search of the source of the flames. The worst was past within half an hour, when bar and security staff appeared to on the scene to see what was happening.

Defiant nightclub owner P. J. Doyle stated the day after the fire that he intended to have the front bar of The Castle open again next week. He added that the main dancefloor and bar were largely intact, though the part of the big hall close to the entrance from the front was badly affected.

It would take another couple of weeks before he would be able to have this part operational again, he estimated.

Mr Doyle had directed work at the premises during the afternoon leading up to the fire, painting and cleaning carpets. However, he left at around 5 p.m. to bring someone to New Ross, and it was during his absence that the fire broke out.

He commented that early radio reports about the blaze scared the wits out of him, as he thought the entire place was being completely destroyed. ‘It was almost a relief to see that damage that was actually done,’ he said.

The Castle Niteclub has only been open in its present form for a couple of years, and the layout was designed by the proprietor himself.

He speculated that a smouldering cigarette butt might have provided the critical spark, and said that the centre of the fire appeared to be near an electrical junction box.

As a matter of standard procedure, Gardai carried out an examination of the scene on Tuesday, and insurance assessors arrived in the afternoon. County Council engineer Dan Donovan joined Paddy Murphy and his team of firemen when they tackled the smoke and the flames.