‘MAIL’ used in bar facelift

The Premier in Church Place has been using copies of the town’s longest-established paper to decorate the walls. Copies of the ‘MAIL’ stand side by side with artwork from local artists.

Dermot McConaghy and Jonny McKerr are the men tasked with giving The Premier a major facelift. Their concept artwork includes wall murals in an outdoor beer garden called ‘The Garden of Eatin’’ and a makeover of the bar on the middle floor to give it a colosseum effect.

As well as the copies of local newspapers, music and film posters have also been used to give the bar a contemporary feel.

The three-storey bar, formerly the Ceili House, was taken over just over a year ago by brothers Joe and Sean Hughes from Craigavon and cousin Stephen Hughes who lives in Belfast.

Joe said: “What we’re trying to do is bring the city to the town. We want to do something different from the rest of the bars in the town, something unique.”

He explained the layout of the bar: “The ground floor is a gastropub. The aim is to provide high quality food in a relaxed setting. We’ve given the traditional menu a revamp and added a few twists to the presentation.

“The middle floor provides a lively setting for live music and DJs. A new promoter has taken over and will be putting on RnB nights on Saturday nights starting on August 25 and on Sundays DJ Danny Dee will be playing the best old skool club tunes.

“This Sunday night The Premier plays host to the Energy 106 10th reunion.

“Plus, the top floor will be open soon as a function room.”

He concluded: “What we’re building is a gastropub with live entertainment so people don’t have to leave the town for a great night out.”