Last orders at the Irish Rover on Strøget – Paddy’s Day weekend will be its last

Bar staff of Irish pub hope friends and customers can drop by to salute the closure and the one-year anniversary of the passing of its long-term landlord, Jonno Farrelly

Ben Hamilton

Mar 12, 2018

Popular Strøget pub The Irish Rover will be closing its doors forever following the St Patrick’s Day weekend festivities on March 17 and 18, its manager Kieran Cahill has confirmed to CPH POST.

Paddy’s Day weekend to be its last
Poignantly the closure will follow almost exactly a year to the day since the passing of the pub’s landlord Jonno Farrelly, a popular publican who had previously worked for the Dubliner before launching the pub in 2004 at Vimmelskaftet 49 on Strøget, just 100 metres from Gammeltorv and Nytorv.

The cancer that caused his death coincided with a difficult period for the pub in 2016 when it learned it needed to vacate its city centre premises as the landlord had planned to redevelop the building that didn’t include the pub.

The pub’s sister venue – the Viking Restaurant, just a mere 50 metres away and also on Strøget – was duly renamed the Irish Rover and relaunched in early 2017.

But its size was nowhere near close to matching the former pub, and since the move its takings have unsurprisingly taken a hit.

A fond farewell
“It has been an unbelievable 14 years serving the people of Copenhagen and beyond, and to our loyal customers we thank every one of you past and present,” Cahill wrote on the pub’s Facebook page.

Cahill, who spent 12 years working for the pub, also thanked all the bar staff and musicians who have worked at the Irish Rover since 2004, as well as Carlsberg Denmark and its rep Peter Quist.

“Times change and people move on and now it is our time,” continued Cahill.

“It’s been a tough decision, but this is the right one without Jono at the helm. It’s been hard but I am sure he is right here beside us saying the same as we approach his first anniversary. It’s the perfect time to celebrate his life and passing on the best day of the year, St Patrick Day, so I hope at some time over the weekend you can pop by to raise a glass and say goodbye in style.”