Profits plunge at Dublin pub that hosted Dua Lipa 'splitting the G' after Aviva Stadium gig
Gordon Deegan
Post-tax profits last year plunged at one of the most storied pubs in Ireland, O’Donoghue’s of Merrion Row in Dublin, by 78 per cent to €199,651.
New accounts filed by O’Donoghues (Merrion Row) Ltd show that the firm recorded post-tax profits of €199,651 in the 12 months to the end of June last.
This followed post-tax profits of €902,887 in the prior year, where the business enjoyed a ‘Taylor Swift dividend’ as 150,000 Taylor Swift fans and family members descended on the nearby Aviva stadium on June 28th, 29th, and 30th, 2024.
The firm paid out dividends last year of €81,413.
The famed pub continues to attract Hollywood ‘A listers’ and global pop-stars and during the year under review. Superstar Dua Lipa celebrated her sold out concert at the Aviva last June with traditional music, pizza, and pints of Guinness with her fiance Callum Turner and friends.
Sharing photos and videos of her night-out at O’Donoghue’s with her then almost 90 million followers on Instagram, Lipa wrote: “5 SOLD OUT STADIUMS IN A ROW!!!! ONLY ONE WAY TO CELEBRATE!!!! BY SPLITTING THE G!!!!!!”
The star shared videos of her successful attempt at the viral trend, which involves “splitting the G” of the Guinness logo on the first sip of a pint.
The pub puts on traditional Irish music every night and all day on Sundays while the business also generates revenues from guesthouse accommodation.
The new accounts - signed off by directors, Oliver Barden and Marie Barden on May 25th- show that at the end of June last, the company was sitting on accumulated profits of €2.63 million.
The profit last year takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of €245,501.
At the end of June last, the company had shareholder funds of €10.06m that included the accumulated profits of €2.63 million and a revaluation reserve of €7.42 million.
The company’s cash funds decreased from €840,145 to €567,699.
The accounts show that the book value of the company’s tangible assets last year decreased from €9.9 million to €9.7 million.
Pay to directors last year increased from €316,000 to €360,000
The pub is owned and operated by the Barden family and numbers employed remained at 22 during the year.
The abridged accounts don’t provide a revenue figure for the year.
The pub has long been associated with traditional Irish music and the Dubliners in particular who began to play at the pub in the 1960s while Bruce Springsteen has also been a visitor.
The premises was built in 1789 and in 1934 began operating as a full-time pub when Maureen and Paddy O‘Donoghue began running the bar.
Oliver Barden purchased the pub in 1988.
