A look at Russells, one of Dundalk’s most unique pubs
FAMOUS PARK STREET BAR WHICH DOUBLED AS A TRAVEL AGENCY FOR MANY YEARS
It may only have been one part of his legacy, but the property that entrepreneur and businessman Bill Russell is probably best remembered for has to be a bar he created at 28 Park Street back in 1908 which now goes by the name of Russell’s Bus Saloon and has remained one of the most iconic bars in town right up to this very day.
Bill, who hailed from Williamstown, had built up quite a portfolio of businesses over the years, owning a number of premises along Park Street and even the bar located on the back shore in Gyles Quay. But it was his eponymously named bar in Park Street (originally called The Arches, due to its proximity to the rear access to the building that was his pride and joy.
He opened the doors on a brand new bar in 1908, one that he designed and had built to his specification. With the now iconic Russell’s clock on the front façade made by Stokes clockmakers in Cork, the entrance was on the left hand side, down a corridor which led straight into the main bar. With a twist to the normal set up, the lounge (which was called the lounge and buffet) was located at the front of the premises and a bay window looked out onto the main street. Here he lived with his wife Margaret and raised their seven children Tom, Michael, Pat, Margaret, Mildred, Nancy and Eileen, running a very successful bar.
It was son Tom that showed an interest in continuing the Russell legacy and served his time under his dad until his death in 1955 when he then took over the thriving business. Here he met and married Tallanstown girl Nancie McMahon and they went on to have two children Paula and Martin who also lived above the premises making three generations of the family who had lived above and ran the bar.
But it took until the early 1960s before some major changes took place. With immense progressions in modern technology which had led to national and international travel becoming more accessible, Tom decided to open a travel agents, He removed the lounge at the front of the premises, replacing it with an office opening onto the street. After successfully passing the ITAA exams he opened his travel agency and along with Tom Carroll, ran the franchise for a number of years before leasing out to Hugh McKenna who installed his sisters Nancy and Kelly McKenna along with Laurie Hanratty and Gerry Gray who ran the agency for many years. Martin and Paula eventually bought back the lease in 1995 when they completely renovated the pub, returning the lounge to its former glory, even including some of the original wooden panelling found behind walls in the office. They also retrieved a mahogany backdrop for the bar which they found stored in one of the rooms upstairs. They also contacted the original clock makers Stokes in Cork who completely refurbished the mechanics of the time piece and got it back working again.
However, it was the trojan work over the years put in by Tom and Nancie that really established the Russell’s name when it came to the pub trade. Along with running a bed & breakfast above the bar, they also had a busy function room on the first floor The Oak Lounge which played host to a wide and varied selection of party, social, meeting and fundraising nights and they established a reputation for one of the most respected establishments in Dundalk. With their classic mantra ‘Where cleanliness comes first and hospitality comes naturally’, the pub became one of the most popular on the street both during the day and in the evening. It was during this time in the 70s that daughter Paula was encouraged to help out and it didn’t take long for her to become an integral part of the work force. This was mimicked by brother Martin a number of years later and he went on to become one of the most iconic characters to work behind a bar in the whole of Dundalk.
With a large regular trade both mid week and more specially at the weekends in the 70s and early 80s, the pub tapped into a huge market when it became the number one place to be seen by the newly opened Regional Technical College in 1971. Although many of their competitors shunned the market, it turned out to be one of the most lucrative moves Russells made. Queues were regularly to be found outside, mostly on Thursday nights (payday) and this spilled over to all nights of the weekend and beyond. The pub’s popularity with the 3rd level students continued all the way until they installed their own bar on campus.
It is recognised by the owners that one man was primarily responsible for the 3rd level students using it as their ‘go to place’ and he was RTC lecturer Frankie Watters, whom, as part of their introduction to their new college, took 1st year students on a walking tour of the Dundalk, pointing out areas of interest both social and historical, but inevitably finishing off in his favourite watering hole, Russell’s!
The pub continued as a must visit place for
students and locals down through the years with one of their most notable success stories being their Borderline Comedy Club which ran for a number of years in the early noughties. The idea was the brain child of John Clarke, Colum McDonnell, Leo Darcy, Kevin Barry and man of many talents Don Watters (brother of Frankie) who was also a barman at the time and provided humorous songs in between the sketches written by the other quartet. The Borderline Club ran once a month on a Thursday night and had the place packed every time they performed. Such was the success that Colum went on to have a career in comedy and can regularly be seen on RTE’s Bridget & Eamonn.
On the sporting front Russell’s boasted a football team made up of regulars from the bar during the 90s that joined the Dundalk Winter League and although their trophy cabinet remained one of the quickest places to dust down by the cleaners, had a great few years together and remained an ideal way to get rid of the cobwebs on a Sunday morning.
The pub had a huge affiliation to ‘ The Boys in Green’ and like many others revelled in campaigns like Euro ‘ 88, Italia ’ 90 and USA ’ 94. But obviously the 1990 campaign was nothing short of epic. After one of Ireland’s legendary performances, the celebrations were that intense that the entire pub headed out onto the street to celebrate, making their way to the Square to continue the party atmosphere this included both regulars and all the bar staff too.
Martin, being a keen salmon fisherman meant the pub played host to many rod and reel enthusiasts on a Friday evening to discuss various aspects of their sport, and after he had retired, he moved to the lush fishing grounds of Mayo to continue his hobby, an area he had regularly visited since his early 20s.
But after over 40 years in the business, even though they had been ably assisted behind the bar by Paula’s sons Conor and Owen, Martin and Paula decided it was time to call it a day in the pub in 2005 and the following year Gerry Matthew bought Russells. A local businessman Ronnie Carroll then leased it for a short period but afterwards it lay idle until 2014 when publican Greg Gormley bought the premises.
Over the years of inactivity the premises had fallen into disrepair and some major renovations went under way to bring it back to its former glory. A brand new roof, RSJ to support the entire building and a brand new insulated floor throughout were needed initially. Two rooms were sacrificed on the first floor to make the main bar area more open and spacious. The bar itself was bought from the then closed Reilly’s Bar from the youth development centre in Oriel Park and the rear yard area was paved and turned into a beer garden with 12 picnic tables. This then allowed him to reopen Russell’s Saloon and Gin Emporium in 2015. Needless to say the pub was a huge success again and the crowds flocked to it in their droves. By 2016 Greg had increased the side of the beer garden adding another few tables and invested in a circus tent to partially cover the area.
He followed this with one of his most innovative moves to date. One of the outhouses at the rear of the premises had originally been used by Tom Russell who was also a master blender of whiskey in the ‘60s (during the renovation they found blended bottles with his signature on the labels). His father Bill was also responsible for importing port from Portugal and brandy and vermouth from France, so Greg transformed the outhouse into a brand new bar in honour of his predecessors calling it Shaky Bills.
Since its re-opening in 2015 Russell’s Bus Saloon has proved to be one of the ‘must visit’ bars when out on a night in town. Each weekend it plays host to a variety of functions for parties and social get togethers. They have held a number of themed nights with their Peaky Blinders being nothing short of outstanding. In its short time in existence it has won numerous awards including Best Gin Bar of the Year for the last two years (they can boast over 600 different gins from the 5 continents), Best Customer Service Award, Best Bar Personality award (Jean McGuinness), Best Outdoor Space award for Leinster, both for the last two years.
They introduced live music into the bar in 2016 with the Paul Bailey band on Sunday evenings and followed with Thursday nights where you are as likely to see Kacey D, Henry Mac or Ashbury Gents. But one aspect of the pub that draws major respect has to be the absence of television. However they do have a big screen which is only rolled down for rugby internationals or all Ireland finals!
But how has the pandemic affected the bar? Greg told the Argus ‘We closed our doors in mid March of last year like everyone else. We had two short windows when we opened again in September and December, but that is all. We have abided by all social distancing and spacing and eagerly await the word from the government when we can reopen again. We have all the guidelines in place and can only look forward to the time when we can get back to doing what we do best.’