A BIRMINGHAM city-centre bar has been given a £1 million makeover, with O’Neill’s New Street opening its doors as a new home for Irish music, sport, food and of course some drink too.
The first thing you notice when you walk into O’Neill’s is its size.
The second thing are the walls, which are covered in Irish themed art that includes everything from old oil paintings of men laughing and drinking to modernist murals of a lion chasing a man with his Guinness in tow.
Formerly the Windsor pub, the bar has undergone a big refurbishment, including building its entire second floor.
For Ellie O’Gorman, one of the managers at the pub, the new digs have also brought a more relaxed atmosphere to the venue.
“I’ve been working here since June,” Ellie said, having previously worked in hospitality on and off for the past six or seven years.
A Birmingham native herself, Ellie has an Irish connection through her father, who is from Dublin.
One of the biggest changes is the addition of the second floor, which has allowed O’Neill’s to offer live music and darts upstairs while retaining its Irish pub feel downstairs.
“So, we could have the best of both worlds in the same location,” she said.
The newly refurbished bar on New Street in Birmingham city centre (Photo by Mark Murphy)Music is now a major part of the pub’s offering, with live performances taking place every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
“We reached out to a lot of well-known artists in Birmingham who usually play at a lot of bars and are well known for Irish music,” Ellie said.
Among those who have already performed at the venue are Fin and Arthur Davis, with Ellie praising the talent that has already appeared.
The schedule sees live music begin at 6pm on Thursdays and 7pm on Fridays, while Saturdays feature a solo act at 3pm followed by a band at 7pm.
But music is not the only new attraction.
The pub has also has four Arrowsmiths electronic dartboards.
Unlike regular darts, this digital setup was made to make the game more interactive, with a screen keeping track of scores.
The pub’s dedicated oches can accommodate groups, with each dart board generally suited to around six people, while the larger oches can hold around 30.
The bar has Irish and Guinness themed art throughout (Photo by Mark Murphy)Food remains another big part of O'Neills', with familiar Irish pub favourites all there.
“The Mighty Guinness Burger is definitely a good seller,” Ellie said.
“Fish and chips go wild here. My personal favourite; I think our pizzas are extra special.”
Sport is set to be another major draw, particularly with the football coming up.
The pub has TV screens throughout, allowing different matches and games to be shown at the same time.
“If most of the TVs are showing a big football match but someone downstairs wants to watch the racing or Sky News, we can accommodate that,” she said.
The Guinness curtain before the band comes out to play (Photo by Mark Murphy)Ellie said being in the city centre and having so much space will allow them to accommodate countless tourists and office parties, especially in the run-up to Christmas.
“For now, especially with the football coming up, we’re going to be sport mad.”
The refurbishment is a new chapter for the former Windsor, but Ellie says its Irish identity remains firmly at the heart of the venue.
“As an Irish bar, I’m very proud of the fact we are true to our Irish roots, but I do believe it’s welcome to everyone,” she said.
After only an hour, I got chatting to two different groups of people, none of whom were Irish but were so welcoming they might as well have been.
With a mix of traditional and modern Irish music, a Mighty Guinness Burger and a new upstairs space, O’Neill’s New Street is hoping to make itself the new home for a good night out in Birmingham.
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