Renowned for its traditional Irish heritage, Blakes of the Hollow is one of the most famous and well-recognised Victorian pubs in Ireland.
It is a must-see attraction that has graced Co. Fermanagh’s
lakeland shores for over 125 years.
Renowned for its traditional Irish heritage, Blakes of the Hollow is one of the most famous and well-recognised Victorian pubs in Ireland.
It is a must-see attraction that has graced Co. Fermanagh’s
lakeland shores for over 125 years.
Blakes of the Hollow is a bar that keeps tradition at its heart. With cosy snugs, shelves crammed with premium whiskeys and live traditional music they all combine to create a genuine Irish pub atmosphere, so it’s no surprise that it won Pub & Bar Award for ‘Best Bar in Northern Ireland 2016’.
One of Co. Fermanagh’s oldest pubs, Blakes of the Hollow was established in 1887 by the Herbert family and is a finely preserved Victorian bar in a 3-storey property erected in Church Street, Enniskillen.
‘The Hollow’ as it became known, was bought from the Herbert family in 1929 by Catherine Blake, grandmother of the current owner, for her son William whose name is still proudly displayed on the front façade of the building.
Nestling quietly in the hollow of Church Street, Blake’s is a bar to be celebrated and savoured with the Victorian bar to the front of the building remaining pretty much untouched since 1887. The Victorian bar is one of the classic pubs of Ireland and was described by an American travel writer thus: “If Irish pubs were churches, Blake’s of ‘The Hollow’ would be the cathedral of them all”.
John McGahern, author of The Barracks, The Dark and Amongst Women which was runner-up for the 1990 Booker Prize, was a regular visitor to Blake’s of ‘The Hollow’ and includes the pub in a number of his books while the pub is also recommended in Georgina Campbell’s Jameson Guide and the Rough Guide to Ireland. Oh, and finally, when making a visit to the bar be sure to look out for the HBO ‘Game of Thrones’ door!
