Protests outside Dublin’s Teeling Distillery
Protestors gathered at the distillery following arrests at the former Ardee House Bar, a property linked to Jack Teeling, that had recently been occupied by activists.
Black Sheep Investments, which lists whiskey entrepreneur Jack Teeling as director, repossessed the former Ardee House Bar in Dublin on Tuesday (7 July) after its occupation by a group identified as The Revolutionary Housing League (RHL).
The building in Chamber Street in the Liberties had stood vacant since it was last used as a pub in 2011. It was purchased by Black Sheep Investments in 2017.
The RHL ‘acquisitioned’ the site in May of this year and announced plans to reopen it as The Anne Devlin Community Centre via social media. The centre subsequently offered public meetings, music, bingo nights, film screenings, and first aid training on the premises.
The group has a history of occupying long-term vacant buildings and describes itself as ‘dedicated to campaigning to take back empty homes for the people and militant housing action in Ireland’.
The Garda Press Office in Dublin confirmed gardaí entered a property in Chamber Street, Dublin 8, on the morning of Tuesday 7 July.
Images of the incident circulated on social media appeared to show gardaí accompanied by masked employees of ‘asset recovery’ firm Blackwater Asset Management.
RHL activists Eoghan Lynch and Sean Doyle were arrested on Tuesday and brought before the High Court in Dublin, but released later that day.
The protest that followed began in Chamber Street and concluded outside the nearby Teeling Distillery.
A representative of the RHL told The Spirits Business: “With regard to Teeling’s role in the community, we would point out that they’ve done very well for themselves in the Liberties. Their distillery recently celebrated their one millionth visitor. Any crumbs they’ve given back to the community pale in comparison to their profits.
“The Ardee House is no different. They bought this building and sat on it as so many speculators have, and now seek to build more build-to-rent apartments, which will be exorbitantly expensive. The area is being strangled by the gentrification process.
“What Teelings have done through their front company Black Sheep is what every other developer has done in Dublin, only with a kinder face.”
The Spirits Business has contacted Teeling Whiskey for comment but has not yet received a reply.
Jack Teeling no longer owns Teeling Distillery. Bacardi acquired sole ownership of the company in June 2026, but confirmed that co-founding brothers Jack and Stephen Teeling would continue to play a part in the brand going forward.
The Bermuda-based drinks company first bought a minority stake in Teeling Whiskey in 2017, and assumed majority control of the brand in 2023.
The exact price that Bacardi paid for the remaining stake in Teeling Whiskey has not been disclosed.
In 2023, The Irish Times reported that accounts for Teelco Investments – the company through which the Teeling brothers had restructured their remaining holdings in the distillery – showed ‘investments in subsidiary companies’ valued at €74.6 million (US$85.246m).
It confirmed in January of this year that Teeling Whiskey’s post-tax profits fell by 91% in 2025.
The RHL’s representative further said: “Our motivation has been the same since our foundation – to open empty buildings for use as housing or community spaces.
“Dereliction is a crime against the people in Ireland. Tens of thousands of buildings lie empty while tens of thousands remain homeless in the middle of a severe housing crisis.”
Figures published by the Irish government’s Department of Housing show that in 2025 there were 16,734 homeless people in the Republic of Ireland, including 5,188 Children.
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