59. Castle Park Inn

This is an unusual bar in terms of its location, for two reasons.

Firstly, it is way out on its own, off the beaten track, so to speak, and at a remove from the rest of the pubs in the town, which seem to punctuate the main thoroughfare. Furthermore, it has been built in a residential area, in a housing development, and seems a little at odds with its surroundings.

None of this seems to affect its popularity, though, and as a modern purpose-built establishment, Castle Park can hold its head up high with similar successful hostelries that have appeared since the seventies. The name, incidentally, arises from its proximity to the castle, Brownlow House, and the park, Lurgan Public Park.

The owner is Ralph Hewitt, whose father owned the New Century Bar on the main street, the licence being transferred to the new premises, which are now the only public house on the north side of town.
Ralph is a greyhound owner and fancier, and photos of his winning dogs adorn the bar’s walls, but even before you enter the pub you’ll see a black three-dimensional greyhound above the door on the front of house balcony.

The public bar, with its leather-upholstered snugs and mahogany counter, is a good quality drinking pub, while the other half of the property, parallel to it, is a large entertainment lounge, complete with dance floor, disco lights, and foliage-strewn ornamentation.

The former lounge and store were combined so that now there is just about enough room for the mainly younger clientele who populate the disco evenings. With good lunchtime food and high teas at weekends, the Castle Park Inn is serving the needs of the far end of this busy, thriving town.