International Bar set to go under hammer

The maximum reserve on the pub at the corner of Castle Lane and Market Street is £150,000 and the auction, which takes place at 10.45am in the Europa Hotel, looks set to generate a lot of interest.

The bar had closed suddenly in August last year with lottery winning owner Peter Lavery unable to comment at the time as to why the shutters had come down.

Irish League footballer Conor Hagan had teamed up with his mother Imelda to run the International Bar which had been bought by Mr Lavery late in 2012.

Ahead of the auction, Agent Lambert Smith Hampton has described the property as being at a prominent location with internal arrangement to provide a ground floor public house with publicans licence, an off-licence unit, a first floor office and three upper floor apartments.

They say the ground floor portion of the building comprises a modern public bar capable of accommodating approximately 80 people. In addition, they say there is an attractive split level lounge bar, function area and restaurant, capable of separate access via a staircase leading from street level at Castle Lane. This lounge is capable of accommodating approximately 120 people. Further accommodation throughout the public house includes a substantial amount of storage at basement level accessed from Castle Lane, together with further storage.

The upper floors comprise of a one bedroom apartment and office accommodation on the first floor, together with a further one bedroom apartment and a two bedroom apartment on the second floor. The three apartments are currently occupied.