LISDOO WAS A BIG STOPPING POINT IN DAYS BEFORE M1
NEWRY ROAD VENUE STILL ATTRACTS DINERS, DANCERS AND MANY TOP MUSIC ACTS
It was the desire to own ‘somewhere like Donegans’ that drove the Kehoe brothers on, back in 2002, to make enquiries on buying The Lisdoo bar and steak house. Already on their CV, Colm and the late Barry had Café Metz and Ridleys bar and nightclub, but Barry’s desire for somewhere with the reputation of the mid Louth bar and restaurant was just too great and they made enquiries to purchase The Lisdoo, culminating in a deal being struck in October of 2002.
However tragedy stuck when Barry unexpectedly passed away and it was left to Colm and Barry’s wife Adrienne to decide whether they wanted to go ahead with the deal. After months of soul searching, they purchased the popular Newry Road bar in February 2003. They became the most recent owners of the premises which started life as a bar back in 1896 although the middle of the last century saw Mr. McLoughlin and friends successfully run it from the 1960s to the 1980s when they sold it on to Tommy Keenan (a man probably better known for his transport prowess) and it was he that started the development of the property from just a bar and lounge to include a first floor function room.
Tommy had great success with the premises which straddled both the Newry and Armagh Road and was a huge hit with motorists making the half way stop between Dublin and Belfast where they could stretch their legs; get a full meal or a drink to break up the 100 mile distance.
With meals being a hugely important factor in the premises success, it was next owner the late Jim Hackett who extended the area between the two roads to include a conservatory style eating area and the carvery was born. This proved an immense success with the weary travellers and locals alike who could drop in chose what they wanted and eat it straight away. This also commenced the take away service, an aspect of the Lisdoo that is still as popular today as it was when it started all those years ago.
The first floor function room was busy catering for a variety of events, Jim used it to run a nightclub for a number of years each, but both found it a huge strain on the manpower and resources and reverted back to just functions which packed the place most weekends and a number of nights in between.
When the time came, Jim Hackett sold The Lisdoo to Tony and Alice Mulvanney who ran it for a short period of three years and it was their desire to sell and move back to Navan that initially prompted the Kehoe’s to show interest in it.
But it wasn’t until Colm and Adrienne took possession that the true potential of the entire place was realised. They immediately put together an 18 month plan to build and refurbish the entire place.
First to feel the builders influence was the first floor which was extended along the Armagh and Newry Road to provide not one but two actual function rooms that could be transformed into one large room capable of hosting huge crowds whenever necessary.
Next to feel the effects was the area behind the lounge which extended the Blackstone restaurant to open and spacious 2 level area serving the finest cuisine. This area was also extended to include a brand new kitchen and storage area. The final piece of their puzzle was a complete refit of both the original bar and lounge area.
Each of the projects were staggered over an 18 month period and such was the intensity of the work, that the premises only had to close for two half-days during its entirety, once for structural work and once when the brand new rewired premises was eventually connected to the ESB grid!
One aspect of the Lisdoo’s success has been the family effect of its staff; some of the workforce have been with the Lisdoo for over 25 years and include Marty McFadden, Patricia Newell, Tina O’Brien, Mary Dooley, Stephanie McMahon, Peggy Farrell, Helen Beggs and Sinead Gartlan.
This too has been mimicked by some of the entertainment that has played in the function room with the likes of Joe Dolan, Declan Nerney, Robert Mizzell and Jimmy Buckley regularly appearing there. One of the most popular regular nights over the last number years has been Brendan Marmion’s over 40s Social Dancing nights which has been running for more years than any can remember.
One aspect that the function room prides itself on is its availability for basically anything and it can be found hosting anything from 18th and 21st birthday parties, through 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, wedding receptions conferences, Irish dancing classes, first communion and confirmation, funerals and even separation parties along with a huge selection of fundraising nights both national and local which are always very well attended.
But the live music isn’t just restricted to the first floor venue, the lounge has regularly seen the likes of local acts Tony Hand, Henry Mac, Kacey D and Paddy Byrne always packing the venue for their performances.
As the wait for the reopening after the pandemic closure gets ever closer, the staff of the Lisdoo have been very busy making sure that the premises looks its best and is ready to get back up to the level it has maintained since the Kehoe’s took over the place 17 years ago, with a number of changes enforced changes, it will still