STAGS HEAD REGULARLY TOOK HOME SILVERWARE
LINENHALL STREET ESTABLISHMENT WAS ONE OF THE TOP DARTS PUBS IN THE TOWN
One pub that has had the reputation of being known as one of the homes of darts in Dundalk over the last 40 years is the Stags Head in Linenhall Street, a reputation it has proudly held since the mid 1970s.
Although previous to this time the pub had just been a small under developed bar, it took the inspirational work of a one time carpenter in P. J. Carrolls cigarette factory Jim Morgan to completely transform the venue, refurbishing the front bar and adding a completely new lounge at the rear to help it to become one of Dundalk’s iconic venues in the north end of the town.
Mr. Morgan had purchased the bar from a Mr. McArdle in mid 70s and completely transformed it into one the best bars in the area. With a staple diet of live music and DJs every weekend, along with one of the first Celtic Supporters Club in Dundalk which held its meeting in the first floor bar in the premises and a thriving darts team, this was definitely one of the places to be found on any weekend.
But things really took off when brothers Eamonn and Brendan Mulholland leased the Stags Head from him in the early 90s and such was its popularity that Eamonn, brother Cathal Mulholland and his wife Angela went ahead and purchased the pub in 1994.
A total refurbishment then took place with heating and seating being a major priority for the regulars pleasure. It was during the time the pub was being leased that the owners realised that an entertainment packed weekend was the only way forward for the pub’s success. With DJ Paddy Coleman taking to the decks on a Friday night playing the best in music and engaging his audience with topical quizzes, he had a residency there for nearly five years. Saturday and Sunday night saw live music from the likes of Tommy and Amanda Kelly, Bindertwine, Gerry Foran and Brooklyn Bridge having the place jumping and they continued this format after they took possession with Paddy being replaced by Buster Carroll and the legendary Freddie Frisco on the Friday night slot.
But the one sport that the Stags Head has been synonymous down through the years is darts and they can boast strong teams as far back as the 1970s in the Dundalk and District Darts League. Through this period they regularly fielded three teams in the two divisions made up of a total of 18 to 20 teams and weren’t averse to taking home the silverware.
During this period Eamonn and Cathal also brought over the very best dart throwers from the top league in Britain and included exhibitions by Geoff Wiley the Northern Ireland captain, Bobby George, Ted Hankie, Eric Bristow, Peter Manley, Les Wallace and John Lowe to name but a few.
However the Dundalk and District Darts League was disbanded in the late 90s, but this didn’t stop the Stags Head lads, they set up their own in house league with six teams playing each other and this continued for a further five years. They were also heavily involved in the return of the Tuborg sponsored D&DDL in 2005, this time under the supervision of new owner Cathal Mulholland Jnr. better known as ‘Skinner’ who had taken over the running of the premises back in 2002 and was responsible for bringing such names as Andy Hamilton, Colm Osbourne, Adrian Lewis, Andy Forham and women’s world champion Anastasia Dobromyslova.
The pub also has a reputation for football and along with hosting the Vol. Sean McIlvenna Celtic Supporters Club which had moved to the Stag’s after the closure of Cheers bar. But one claim to fame that definitely cannot be equalled by any pub in Dundalk was the night Northern Ireland and Wolverhampton Wanders captain Derek Dougan launched his biography ‘ The Sash He Never Wore’ in the lounge. It turns out that Cathal Snr. and Derek had become friends from way back and he was happy to facilitate Derek in his launch!
In more recent times, Skinner has returned to his roots which is Punk Rock and every six weeks or so he promotes a Sunday evening gig between 6 and 10 where some of the finest of the punk bands perform. After seeing local band The Gakk in action in the Spirit Store, Skinner invited them down to play in ‘ The Stags’ and it was a roaring success. Since then the lounge has played host to Belfast bands The Defects and XSLF along with Spice of Life, Culture Shock, Modern Enemy from California and South African all girl combo The Soap Girls and these have brought a brand new, eclectic audience from here in town, Dublin, Belfast and a good European mixture to enjoy the shows.
When asked what the future holds for the Stags Head after the pandemic, Skinner said things were going to be ‘ bigger and better and plenty more of the same!’