Grill Music Venue
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| Owner | Tinney family |
|---|---|
| Type | Nightclub |
| Opened | 1961 |
| Website | |
| www |
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The Grill Music Venue, also known as The Grill, formerly The Golden Grill, is an Irish nightclub located in Letterkenny, County Donegal. Regarded as the unofficial Fianna Fáil headquarters, it has hosted everything from Fianna Fáil party conventions to bingo sessions over the years.
The complex houses six bars: Black Bar, VIP members bar and Ocean's Restaurant, Bar and Casino. The other three are located in the Main Room.
DJs and live acts to have performed at the Grill in recent times include Hot Chip, Ash, Shane MacGowan, Dirty Sanchez, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Paul Van Dyk, Judge Jules, Republic of Loose, Ocean Colour Scene and Chuck Berry.
Established by former Fianna Fáil Senator Bernard McGlinchey, the venue first opened in 1961. A key success factor for the complex was its 1,000 car parking spaces. Bellas Club was born in the seventies and the Millionaire Club opened in the eighties.
Forty-six years after it first opened the entertainment complex underwent a major €2 million refurbishment. 21 Spaces, a Dublin-based, Donegal-owned interior design company, designed the newly refurbished complex. The team was also behind the Oceans Restaurant which is incorporated into the Grill facility. After its refurbishment the venue now houses six bars and two smoking areas.
In 2004, Bernard McGlinchey revealed to the Donegal News how he was able to license the premises. He stated the law had been against him as, in the 1960s, a licence-holder needed to prove the population of the parish area had increased by 33%. This was disputed, as at the time he was in the Seanad and former Taoiseach Charles Haughey was Minister for Justice and had set about finalising the new Liquor Act and inserted a clause which changed the law for urban areas.
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