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Sean's Bar is a
pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...
in
Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midland Region, Ir ...
, Ireland, notable for its reputed establishment in AD 900, and claim to being the oldest extant bar in Ireland. However, architectural and archaeological records, including the
Record of Monuments and Places The Record of Monuments and Places (RMP; ) is a list of historical and archaeological sites the Republic of Ireland established under the National Monuments Acts. It can be consulted in county libraries and local authority offices and online and ...
and the
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) maintains a central database of the architectural heritage of the Republic of Ireland covering the period since 1700 in complement to the Archaeological Survey of Ireland, which focuses on arc ...
, date the building to the 17th or 18th century.


Age and history

Archaeological surveys indicate that the oldest parts of the building were constructed in or around the 17th century, with some more ancient materials perhaps having been scavenged and reused from elsewhere. The latter includes research, including by John Bradley on behalf of the
Office of Public Works The Office of Public Works (OPW) (; legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Government of Ireland, Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of owned and ren ...
and published in the
Record of Monuments and Places The Record of Monuments and Places (RMP; ) is a list of historical and archaeological sites the Republic of Ireland established under the National Monuments Acts. It can be consulted in county libraries and local authority offices and online and ...
and by the
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) maintains a central database of the architectural heritage of the Republic of Ireland covering the period since 1700 in complement to the Archaeological Survey of Ireland, which focuses on arc ...
, which suggests that the building dates to , while "possibly containing the fabric of earlier buildings". A 1738 rental survey refers to the building as the "Three Blackamoor Heads". During renovations in the 1970s, it was discovered that a back wall was partly made of wattle and
wicker Wicker is a method of weaving used to make products such as furniture and baskets, as well as a descriptor to classify such products. It is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as . Wicker was first documented ...
. A number of
tavern tokens Pub tokens or tavern tokens (as they are known in Great Britain and Ireland) or bar tokens or chits (United States usage) are a form of exonumia used in drinking establishments. Usage In Great Britain, Ireland and the US, during the 17th to 20t ...
, of an unspecified age and now on display in the National Museum of Ireland, were also found. In 2004,
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
issued a certificate to Sean's Bar as the "oldest pub in Ireland". The proprietors have claimed to possess a list of "nearly all previous owners" going back centuries, potentially to the time of Luan, after whom Athlone town is named. In February 2021 the owners of Sean's Bar, in conjunction with other Irish pub owners, won a landmark court case related to insurance pay-outs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland.


See also

*
History of Athlone Athlone () is a town on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree in Ireland. Located on the border between County Westmeath and County Roscommon, the development of the Athlone owes much to the location of a strategic ford (river cr ...
*
The Brazen Head The Brazen Head is a pub in Merchant's Quay, Dublin, built as a coaching inn in 1754, on the site of a merchant's dwelling dating back to at least 1613. lt received a licence to sell ale in 1661, and the first mention of it as an inn was in 1668. ...


References


Notes


Sources

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External links


Official website
{{Athlone Buildings and structures completed in the 10th century Buildings and structures in Athlone Organisations based in Athlone Pubs in the Republic of Ireland