Six months ago the news broke that four rugby stars had teamed up with a well-known Dublin publican to tackle a very different ball game than what they’re used to.
Irish rugby internationals Sean O’ Brien, Jamie Heaslip and brothers Dave and Rob Kearney secured a deal for Ballsbridge haunt, Bellamy’s, with owner of the The Grafton Lounge, Noel Anderson. And thus, The Bridge 1859 was born.
In an exclusive, Her.ie got to go behind the scenes and check out the capital city’s hottest new spot with the help of one lovely tour guide.
The youngest of the Kearney brothers, Dave, showed us exactly what punters can look forward to when visiting the bar.
Nestled in the heart of Ballsbridge, the bar is ideally located in the midst of Dublin’s rugby scene, close to both the Aviva Stadium and the RDS.
When it came to décor the lads left the majority of the work in the experienced hands of their interior designer.
The finish is classic and trendy with the Pilsner tank beers providing the main vocal point as you enter the building. The Bridge 1859 is the only bar in the country where this type of beer is available.
Dave revealed that when it came to choosing the name, the group had one other contender in mind.
“The name took us the longest. It was a couple of days before we were about to publish the name and we said, ‘right lads, what are we going to call it?’
“We’d thrown a couple of names around and we were going to go with Congress, with the embassy close by, we thought it was kind of different”.
The five soon settled on The Bridge 1859, paying homage to the date that the venue was first used as a pub and its location (yes, you guessed it) is just off a bridge in Ballsbridge… We see what they did there!
Dave informed us that the business venture came about after Noel sat down Rob to discuss a partnership in another establishment and ladies you’ll be pleased to know, the lads intend to spend a lot of time there.
The upstairs area boasts a much more rustic feel, with beautiful exposed brick and some wallpaper that your Grandmother would love.
“Upstairs targets corporate stuff as well, it is the perfect place to book for the evening.”
With another bar and its own private entrance, which is kitted out in red carpet just to make you feel extra special, the top level is somewhere we can see ourselves spending many a staff night out.
As incredible as the interior is, we discovered our favourite part while en route upstairs, a full wall dedicated to the baby snaps of the four rugby players, a feature that we’re sure the ladies are going to love.
When it comes to selecting the baby pictures, Dave informs us that his lovely Mum picked the best snaps of her boys.
Just look at those adorable faces. Can you guess which one is which?
We have no doubt these images will be appearing across social media in coming days.
The Bridge 1859 officially opens its doors to the public this evening. We’ve tested the beer, sampled the cocktails and tasted the food. It is safe to say we’re going to give another try… We’re sorry. We had to.
Three other things we took away from our visit – when Dave Kearney retires from rugby, he definitely has a career in the tour guide industry. Sean O’ Brien’s dancing is something everyone needs to witness at least once in their lifetime and the staff at the venue are some of the best in Dublin.
To find out more information, you can check out the The Bridge 1859 on Twitter and thebridge1859.ie.
