Bittles Bar

Outside of bar

Bittles Bar is a bar located near Victoria Square in central Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of Belfast's more curious pubs being "flat-iron" in shape. It constitutes the ground floor of a 4-storey red brick warehouse built for a flour merchant in 1868.[1] Until the 1990s the bar was called "The Shakespeare",[2] reflecting its theatrical clientele. In 1973 it was the site of an attempted Provisional IRA bombing:[3][4] Alan Lundy, later killed in a gun attack, served ten years for the bombing.[5]

It is noted for its eclectic range of artwork adorning the triangular lounge—portraits celebrating Ireland's literary and sporting heroes including Samuel Beckett, James Joyce, W B Yeats, Oscar Wilde,[6] George Best, Alex Higgins and Barry McGuigan, plus some of Northern Ireland's most famous politicians.

See also

• Flatiron Building

References

1. "The Flat Iron". Future Belfast. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
2. Lynch, Connor (23 December 2022). "From 'bombed out' city centre bar to pouring 700 pints of Guinness a day". Business Live. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
3. Deutsch, Richard; Magowan, Vivien (1973). Northern Ireland 1968-73: A Chronology of Events. Blackstaff Press. p. 261.
4. "Bomb Wrecks a Bar". New York Times. 13 January 1973. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
5. Adair, Johnny (6 July 2009). Mad Dog - They Shot Me in the Head, They Gave Me Cyanide and They Stabbed Me, But I'm Still Standing. Kings Road Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85782-933-4.
6. "Bittles Bar". World's Best Bars. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2020.