Well-known Dublin pub formerly owned by Sean Quinn is sold for over €3.5m

The exact sale price of The Barge in Dublin 2 has not been disclosed but is understood to have sold for close to its guide price of €3.75m (£3.3m).

The Charlemont Street venue, described by selling agents CBRE as one of the city’s landmark licensed premises, has been bought by McCafferty’s, a pub chain led by Co Donegal’s Declan Boyle.

CBRE said the area had been transformed in recent ties following the completion of nearby mixed-use development Charlemont Square, which is anchored by Amazon.

The agency described McCafferty’s as “an established pub chain spearheaded by Donegal native Declan Boyle”.

McCafferty’s also has pubs in the wider north-west of Ireland, with three in Donegal, as well as in the UK, Spain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The Barge and another Dublin pub, JW Sweetman, were both put on the market on behalf of liquidators for the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation.

They had been owned by Quinn Hospitality Ireland Operations, once part of the vast business interests of Co Fermanagh’s Sean Quinn, before the collapse of his empire.

The combined sale price for the two pubs amounted to €8.75m (£7.8m), CBRE said.

In a deal which completed at the end of last year, JW Sweetman on Burgh Quay was bought by the Mahon family, after they outbid mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor.

The Mahon family have major pub interests in New York and own Kennedys bar on Westland Row in Dublin.

John Hughes, director of CBRE in Dublin, said: “The sale of The Barge and JW Sweetman confirmed the strong level of interest in landmark Dublin city locations. The sales were concluded following a competitive bid process, with the properties exceeding price expectations.”