Status : Filthy McNastys
45 Dublin Road
Belfast, Northern Ireland
In the late seventies, once darkness had fallen over the city centre, Belfast became a ghost town: the Troubles had seen to that. The young ones then in search of entertainment headed for the comparative safety of the suburbs or the dormitory towns nearby. There was nowhere to eat, even the pubs were closing around 7 in the evening, with the exception of the weekends. Only one nitespot kept going through all our troubles, and that was the Abercorn, but even it was forced to close a few years ago, just when it seemed the worst was over and the tide was on the turn. What a transformation has taken place over the last 7 years. Restaurants, new bars and discos are popping up all over the place, but especially on ‘The Golden Mile’, which unofficially stretches from Queen’s University to the Grand Opera House. Now even that is spread out to what is now known as The Golden Triangle. This is probably due to one place, The Elbow, and the man behind it, Bryan West. From a humble beginning as just a very small, two-storied corner bar, this was a new licence granted in 1983 to Pat McCormack (who surrendered the old Lavery Pub licence of the same name, just further down the road); Pat sold it on to John and Marie Higgins, then in management in the Four Winds, who in turn sold it on to Don Rice, after they had bought out the Four Winds owner, Gerry McClure, the solicitor. Once the bar was completed, the Rice brothers sold it on to Bryan, who had just returned from Australia, having previously been the owner of The Helmsman in Bangor.
Let’s cross the Dublin Road now, to have a better look at Bryan’s creation. You can still clearly see the original corner bar, but today you will notice it has more annexes and bars (11 in total, with 5 in Pip’s alone) than an octopus has tentacles. The original downstairs bar is a delightful little place, busy during the day with businessmen, and in the evening with the young, trendier set. In the year it opened, 1983, it won the award for the best kept small building of the year. The narrow flight of stairs leads you up into the L-shaped series of lounges.
There are three lounges here: the original Elbow Lounge, with its red upholstery; Christopher’s, with its blue upholstery, called after his 5 year-old son – and the apple of his father’s eye; and the latest lounge, The Annex, with its green upholstery. There is a nice continuity about all the tastefully decorated lounges and features, like the reclaimed brick fireplaces (and one which burns turf and has an old crook), the stained wood and low old beams. Keep a special eye out for the illuminated keep, sea diver’s helmet, and a nice model of The Elbow by local artist Barry O’Kane.
Down Ventry Street, another door will lead you into the charming, atmospheric Ventry Wine Bar (originally terraced houses), which would remind one of ‘The Sacrista’ which can be seen in many of the great Sherry bodegas in Jerez, in south-west Spain.
The largest entrance to the bar is to Pip’s International on Dublin Road. To your right, as you enter, is another very pleasing small bar, Marbles Cocktail Bar. Here’s where the yuppies meet for a drink, and, seemingly, the ‘In Drinks’ are the high premium beers like Becks, Labatt, etc. They drink it, not in a glass, but by ‘the neck’. It’s the yuppies and the young ones today who seem to be the ones with money to burn. Were you aware that Northern Ireland has the highest proportion of Mercedes and BMWs in the UK per head of population? Around the walls are signed pictures of the stars who have appeared here, like The Three Degrees, Gloria Gaynor, Linda Lusardi and Phil Coulter, to name just a few. Pip’s International, probably the jewel in Bryan’s eyes, was originally a warehouse. It’s now a high-tech disco complex, with a sunken bar right in the heart of the room, and a large dance floor and monogrammed carpet. It’s a beguiling place, and very much the ‘In Place’.
The credit for this success story must be given to the two Directors, Brian Townley, the quiet-spoken but competent young man who runs the operation efficiently on a daily basis, and Bryan West, who is the closest Belfast has to a Mr. Stringfellows character. One word separates this Fermanagh man from all of his competitors, and that is FLAIR: he has this in abundance. His recipe for success – a flow of ideas, readiness to cater for changes, and a willingness to put in long hours. Like others in the same business, he lives in a surreal world, where his normal day starts at lunchtime, and ends when human mortals like ourselves have already had half a night’s sleep. As Bryan says, he is happy with his lot working in a nice place, where so many of his customers are also his friends.