Dublin’s only alcohol-free bar closes

Ireland’s first alcohol-free bar, The Virgin Mary, has permanently shut down after four years of trading.

The Virgin Mary (TVM) opened in Dublin in February 2019.

Located in Capel Street, the venue was founded by Vaughan Yates, founder and creative director of 1751, and Oisín Davis, founder of Great Irish Beverages.

In an Instagram post published on Monday 27 March, the venue confirmed it would be shutting the bar for good – but the team would be taking the concept on the road.

The post revealed: “The Virgin Mary Bar is going mobile!!

“As part of the wider @tvmcollective franchise operation, we are thrilled to be bringing our new ‘TVM On The Road’ concept to events, festivals, pop-ups and much more around the island of Ireland!”

The Virgin Mary served a selection of alcohol-free beers, wines and spirits – including alcohol-free cocktails – and had aimed to cater for consumers in Ireland who were choosing to drink less alcohol.

A number of acclaimed bars around the world have permanently closed in recent years. In 2020, pioneering cocktail bar Pegu Club in New York permanently closed after nearly 15 years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In London, sustainably-led Scout shut its doors for good in 2021.

In contrast, there have been a plethora of new openings over the past few months, as detailed in this compilation of winter’s hottest bar openings.