Kathy Morgan and friends celebrated her first year as the licensee at the Mirabelle Bar in Downpatrick
Just before 1980 Kathy Morgan was a teenager and wanted to get out of Belfast away from the Troubles. She was working as a trainee chef at that time and the business she was working in was bombed. She then lived in a couple of towns outside Belfast, but her heart was set on Downpatrick.
Her previous boss set up the Hootenanny in Downpatrick and asked her to come there and work in the new restaurant.
Kathy said: “I could not believe how relaxed it all was in Downpatrick. You could go out to the shops, go to a street market, and even go to a bar for a drink. In Belfast it was all clubs and the Troubles cast a shadow over everything including the social life.
“Gradually, I settled into Downpatrick after living in Donegal, Carlow and Dublin, and on occasion I’d meet up with Bill Holland and his wife who ran the Mirabelle Bar. Bill after a while offered me a job in the bar and I took him up on his offer and I’ve been there ever since. My friend Ann Blackwood went there with me to work.
“I then got married and had two youngsters, Paulamarie and Joseph who help out in the bar which is still a family business in Downpatrick.
“Ann Blackwood and Stephen Hamilton then took over the lease in 2003 and I continued to work there. I really enjoyed the work and the craic with the customers.
‘Downpatrick celebrated Christmas, Halloween, St Patrick’s Day and Easter and was a nice relaxed place to live in so I was quite settled here.
“Stephen retired in June 2025 and has since passed away.
‘I really feel part of the Downpatrick community. My late father Danny Morgan was very active in Belfast having been involved in setting up the Black Taxi Association, and he was chairman of the St Vincent de Paul. And he was really involved in helping people all his life. I think I get working with people from my father.”
The Mirabelle Bar is today a thriving pub located in Market Street in the heart of Downpatrick. It has a mixed, happy clientele who drift in and out through the day from 18 to the over 80s.
Kathy Celebrates 46 Years At The Mirabelle Bar In Downpatrick – See Photo Album
Kathy can remember when the price of a pint in the bar was 70p in 1981. Today the price is aggregated as it is a free house, and all pints are £4.80.
“I’ve seen many changes through the years,” she said. “I can remember when the smoking ban came in to effect in late April 2007. It was really unhealthy with all that passive smoking going on, but gradually the customers got used to it and we created a comfortable sheltered area for them to smoke outside the bar.
“Depending on the weather, you may see sometimes an exodus of customers heading out to the smoking area outside and the bar empties. But you get used to it.”
“The bar is busy throughout the year with locals enjoying skittles, pool and darts and now and again we put on some music to liven things up.
‘We look after each other in the bar and if someone is stuck we do what we can. There is never any difficulties with the customers that we can’t handle. There’s always a great friendly atmosphere in the bar.
“Certainly Downpatrick is a town that needs a bit of tlc. There are lots of things that we could do to improve life here in the town to bring back tourists and visitors and make the town just a better place to live in.
“The flood in 2023 was a serious setback for Downpatrick, and some businesses did not make it in the aftermath. But we have to work on and do what we can. The night-time economy is at a bit of a low ebb at the moment but will pick up again through the summer. The town just seems to die off at 5pm.
“My family organised a celebration night for my first anniversary as the licensee and 46 years in the bar altogether. The bar was very busy that night with the regulars all turning up to enjoy the evening. We all had a great time and I’m looking forward to better times ahead for Downpatrick and the Mirabelle Bar.”
Kathy Celebrates 46 Years At The Mirabelle Bar In Downpatrick – See Photo Album
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