High costs and changing social habits have changed the game. Nevertheless, there is still a profitable business to be made in the city\u2019s pub trade with the right premises, at the right price.<\/p>\n
At the end of 2025, the Flying Enterprise complex, a vast complex on Sullivans Quay, was sold by long-time owners Finbarr and Dolly O\u2019Shea for over \u20ac5m, the biggest bar sale in Cork and across Munster of the year.<\/p>\n
In March, the premises reopened as the South Gate<\/a>, marking a new era for the business.<\/p>\n Several other landmark pubs have changed hands in Cork already this year; some will continue to operate as normal, while others will seek to develop their food or entertainment trade. Others still will be reimagined for residential use or another purpose.<\/p>\n What\u2019s clear from the sales is that there is still an appetite to get a piece of the market.\u00a0<\/p>\n The new year bells had hardly stopped ringing when the first big sale of 2026 was confirmed in the first week of January, with the news renowned Cork publican Paul Montgomery had acquired the suburban bar and restaurant The Wilton<\/a>, with a subsequent \u20ac1m refurbishment carried out.<\/p>\n The 10,000sq ft venue, located opposite Cork University Hospital and beside Wilton Shopping Centre, was built 36 years ago by the Peters family. Mr Montgomery is investing a further \u20ac1m in the bar, which opened on St Patrick\u2019s Weekend, with upgrades inside and outside the venue continuing.<\/p>\n Mr Montgomery owns Clancys on Princes Street, JJ Walsh\u2019s Irish bar on Oliver Plunkett Street, the Latin-themed cocktail bar Mamacitas on Marlboro Street, and Wilde, an LGBT+ club on Oliver Plunkett Street.<\/p>\n The trades are continuing. In February, an offer was accepted for Paddy the Farmers<\/a> on the corner of Summerhill South and Old Blackrock Road and selling with nine self-contained apartments overhead, with the entire lot valued at \u20ac1.9m.<\/p>\n The Model Farm, the bar and bistro near Eden Hall on Model Farm Road in Cork, went on the market in summer 2025 with selling agents Lisney CRE. A sale is believed to have been agreed on the bar\/restaurant at a price of \u20ac1.2m with plans to further develop the restaurant strand of the business.<\/p>\n Last month saw one of the most eye-catching sales of the year so far. Sitting underneath the landmark Chetwynd Viaduct which used to carry trains between Cork and Bandon until the 1960s, the renowned Viaduct sold for in excess of \u20ac2m.\u00a0<\/p>\n A popular spot with diners as well as drinkers, the Viaduct went on the market for \u20ac1.6m with owners Cliste Hospitality, who have an extensive hotel and restaurant portfolio across Ireland including the Radisson Blu in Little Island and Muckross Park Hotel in Killarney. The venue had been listed for \u20ac1.6m but exceeded that figure. Perhaps fittingly with its links to the Chetwynd Viaduct and a golden age of Cork transport, the Viaduct changed hands with a new purpose outside hospitality<\/a>. West Cork businessman Damien Long, who operates bus services including West Cork Connect, made the purchase and announced multi-million investment plans to transform the site on the N71 into a transport hub.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is something I\u2019ve been working towards for a long time,\u201d said Mr Long.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n The Viaduct, to me, marks the gateway to West Cork. When you pass through those arches, you\u2019re arriving into West Cork.\n <\/p>\n The new transport hub plan envisages a Dublin daily direct bus link from The Viaduct, a park-and-ride service operating every 30 minutes from 6am to midnight from The Viaduct to Cork University Hospital, Wilton, UCC, the Mercy Hospital, and Kent Railway Station, and a roadside plaza with a bar and 24-hour shop.<\/p>\n The sales movement continued into May. The South County<\/a> has been a staple of the pub scene in Douglas for four decades. This week, the Irish Examiner confirmed the pub and restaurant which had been developed by the O\u2019Connor family had sold in an off-market deal, believed to have been valued in the region of \u20ac1.8m to \u20ac2m. The buyer is no stranger to Cork\u2019s pub scene: publican Kieran Horgan is already the owner of The Bishopstown Bar and the Arches bar in Mallow, as well as several Dublin pubs.<\/p>\n Back into the city centre, Reidy’s Vault Bar on Western Road sold for just under \u20ac600,000, with plans to develop as a restaurant business. On Kinsale Road towards the airport, he Bull McCabes on Kinsale Road sold for \u20ac730,000, and is likely to be repurposed for residential use.<\/p>\n Alongside the many sales completed and agreed, several landmark Cork pubs went on the market but are yet to find their new owner. Sitting alongside The Lough, the Coakley family put the Hawthorn bar on the market in summer 2025<\/a>, with a guide price of \u20ac1.5m. The bar and split-level lounge runs to 7,400 sq ft over two levels, with a first-floor restaurant held upstairs on a 25-year lease to 2035.<\/p>\n The Cotton Ball Bar & Brewery in Mayfield is on the market for \u20ac950,000<\/a>, which includes a 12-barrel brew house, while the 5,000sq ft premises The Outpost in Bishopstown is on the market for \u20ac975,000.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, situated across the road from the planned site of the new Cork City Library, the Spailpin Fanac went on the market for \u20ac1.5m in 2025<\/a>. First founded in 1779, the Spailpin has a ground floor bar and a second on the first floor which operates as a private function room. The building also has three overhead two-bedroom apartments.<\/p>\n Tequila Jacks on Lapps Quay is on the market with a \u20ac1.3m guide price, covering 764sq m over a single floor, with extensive bar space, dining space, and outdoor seating overlooking the quays.<\/p>\n Outside the city, Clancy\u2019s Bar & Restaurant in Youghal went to market in May<\/a> with a guide price of \u20ac945,000. The coastal 690sq m premises includes ground-floor bar and restaurant with sea views, ground-floor function room and commercial kitchen, and large beer garden.<\/p>\n Hand in hand with the pub trade, Cork\u2019s nightclub scene has already received two badly needed lifts in 2026, with the reopening of The Savoy<\/a>target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”> as a live venue after a 10-year hiatus, while the former Cubins\/Spiders\/Holy Cow on Hanover Street is reopening as Odyssey<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5081664_15_articleinline_20260306-EXM_4327.jpeg\" "\\"Paul")
Paul O\u2019Dea casts a shadow across the upper bar during renovation work of The South Gate Bar, formerly the Flying Enterprise, which reopened in March. Picture Chani Anderson<\/p>\n![\"Ronan](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5081592_19_articleinline_DSC02193.jpeg\" "\\"Ronan")
Ronan Murphy from The Merchant, formerly Electric bar, which this month will become Cork’s newest bar. Noel Sweeney<\/p>\n![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5081667_15_articleinline_Viaduct-62_1_.jpg\" "\\"Inside")
Inside the Viaduct, which will become a transport hub with hospitality plaza.<\/p>\n