An Irish bar in Dubai has entered the record books after being officially named the world’s largest.
Following the opening of its new extension on Tuesday, McCafferty’s in Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) in Dubai was certified as the world’s largest Irish pub by Guinness World Records.
After a year-long transformation, McCafferty’s now measures around 32,000 sq ft. Its space atop Dubai’s Circle Mall includes bar signs shipped from Ireland, old Irish phone boxes, antique Massey Ferguson tractors, indoor and outdoor music stages, a vast outdoor events terrace, pool and table tennis tables, an enormous state-of-the-art LED screen for sports, and enough bar space for 148 beer taps.
McCafferty’s, which owns and operates 18 pubs worldwide — including four others in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — describes its JVC branch as a venue that “blends Irish culture for ceoil agus craic with Dubai’s unstoppable appetite for doing everything bigger, bolder and better.”
Emma Brain, Guinness World Record Adjudicator, Dayalan Nayager, President Europe, Middle East & Global Chief Commercial Officer, Michael McBrearty, the Chief Operating Officer of McCafferty’s, Antoinette Drumm, Managing Director MENA, together with and Diageo’s Chairman of the Board, John Manzoni David Beattie General Manager – Sales, UAE On-trade at the opening of McCafferty’s Irish Bar in Dubai.
Speaking at the Guinness World Records award ceremony on Tuesday, McCafferty’s COO Michael McBrearty said: “Being recognised by the Guinness World Book of Records as being the biggest Irish bar in the world is indeed very special.”
Mr McBrearty said the honour represented a “milestone in the vision we had for McCafferty’s in Dubai.”
“We’ve built a space with Dubai Holdings that honours tradition, welcomes community, and sparks even more curiosity for tourism in Dubai,” he said.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Diageo’s MENA managing director, Antoinette Drumm, said Guinness “has always been about bringing people together, and there’s something truly magical about seeing that spirit celebrated on such a big scale”.
She said McCafferty’s in Dubai raises the bar and reflects Dubai’s “unstoppable spirit, a place that never stops reaching new heights and setting new records.”
“We couldn’t be happier to have the world’s largest Irish bar serving the world’s most iconic stout,” she added.