A protest will take place at The Ambassador Theatre on Thursday the 11th of August against the redevelopment of Dublin music venue Fibber Magee’s to further the development of the Holiday Inn Express on O’Connell Street.

One of Dublin’s most emblematic smoking areas which lyes in the centre of Dublin 1 and is home to Fibber Magee’s, The Living Room and Murray’s bar’s and music venues is set be shut down to facilitate the extension of the Holiday Inn Express on O’Connell Street. The extension will be six stories high, adding an extra 97 rooms to the hotel for an overall total of 303 rooms.

On Thursday 11th of August we will protest to make an Board Pleanála and The JMK Group know we will not allow the destruction of such a beloved social space. Fibbers has provided stages for Irish bands for over 40 years, these bands include our beloved Aslan. Fibbers is not only an institution but one of the last venues allocated for our Irish musicians to play late. We will not allow it to bite the dust like the rest of the venues in this city. Please come march and chant with us and let our voices and riffs be heard.

The redevelopment is another blow to Dublin’s cultural hotspots and institutions, as Fibbers makes way for yet another soulless hotel franchise. Dublin is becoming alarmingly unrecognisable with the ongoing reconfiguration of the city centre, and demotion of cultural attractions. We’ve documented the demise of Dublin and Ireland’s nightclubs for some time now, and the threat that is invariably looming from a lack lustre government when it comes cultural spaces. The redevelopment of Fibber Magee’s is just another blow to a diminishing capital.

“Right now we are fearing the loss of yet another cultural landmark in Dublin for more overpriced and needless gentrification in the form of another hotel, as well as one of our fair cities most beloved of beer gardens where multiple tribes come together in peace, good craic and of course sports! Yes, the pretty infamous beer garden amass with picnic benches, heaters, a giant sports screen, super high roof to the point you don’t even know it’s flying above your noggin and some warm LED stripes – which it’s nice to know they didn’t cheap out on!

This social playground for adults has its ale house trifecta of Murray’s which is a traditional pub with its entrance facing onto O Connell street and it being one of few truer Irish businesses left showcasing our identity to our main streets visitors. Expect the finest of Pub-Grub and all things trad under this roof. Around the corner is The Living Room, it’s got all the things grown up kids love to do, with lots of flashing lights and a high octane energy it’s a right buzz and a bit of a wild place, you won’t have a hard time having fun here.

Then there’s Fibbers, the holy and only grail of metal / rock dive bars to survive the culture slaughter of the last two decades. The place is and will forever be a lovable madhouse with all the best lolimakers, loonsters, tricksters, scholars & philosophers, the gnarliest of pool players and the sickest juke box in the city. The place is one of few places big kids can still act like big kids and they won’t get turfed for being human and all of these black clad moshers attend a platter of live gigs and club nights here and it’s a very, and I stress very much needed platform for so many Irish musicians, DJ’s and performers as it is a Mecca for the “alternative” and parking a hotel on top of it is going to kill it and you know it will.

We have zero idea why An Bord Pleanála is allowing this, especially if it would be impossible to build such an extension come 2023 with new laws in place. We want to know why yet again An Bord Pleanála are allowing such catastrophic destruction of our cultural, historical and much needed platforms for current Irish talent to learn or showcase their craft and entertain the rest of us for more needless and overpriced hotel rooms!– Saturn WölfflöW

You can sign the petition to save the O’Connell Street Beer Garden HERE.

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