Iconic nightclub in Offaly to close its doors for the final time tonight

Melba's Nightclub in Birr will soon be closing its doors for the final time as it comes into new ownership, bringing an end to an era.

Melba's first opened to the public in the mid 1980s, quickly becoming extremely popular and attracting massive crowds every weekend.

Named after a famous Australian opera singer, the nightclub became, for many young people, something to really look forward to after a week of study or work. It was a chance to catch up with friends and relax.

Given it opened in the '80s, it's appropriate that probably the club's penultimate night being an entertainment venue was an '80s “nostalgia” evening on Saturday, April 19.

This evening, Friday May 2, the club will open its doors again, for what will probably be its last night, an event which will be in aid of a good cause, the Banagher Shannon Bank Park and the upgrading of the Banagher outdoor pool.

The event runs from 8pm to 12am and it's €20 per ticket.

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“There will be at least two slow sets!” promise the organisers, “three or four Rock the Boats, and Macerena at least five times. All the organisers including the DJs are giving their time for free and Dooly's are kindly sponsoring the use of the facilities."

Nowadays, the tide of fashion for night clubs has receded. They are nowhere near as popular as they used to be. Clubs in most of the western world have been shutting down due to low demand for well over a decade now; and Ireland has been part of this trend.

In Ireland the nightlife infrastructure has been put under massive pressure due to high rents, a lack of late-night venues, and licensing laws that are not fit for purpose. According to one survey Ireland now has just 83 regularly active nightclubs. While 2022-2023 offered a glimmer of hope with some reopenings, recent closures have reversed that trend, and even more venues looking like they are on the brink of shutting their doors. Offaly has followed that trend, with Melba's the latest casualty.

The new owners of Dooly's Hotel and Melba's, Canbe Ltd, take over in the first half of May and the Tribune has learned that the plan is to turn the nightclub into hotel rooms. “The current staff in the hotel will be retained,” said the Manager of Canbe, Eoin Garry, “and we will be using it for spillover wedding business from our other hotel the County Arms.”

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Before she was world-famous Dame Nellie Melba (1861 to 1931) gave a concert at Dooly’s Hotel, but she also gave an impromptu performance in the square. In her biography she recalled that afterwards, she was out-sung by a red-ribboned local girl in the crowd! Famous for her ‘nightingale trill’, this generous gourmande had a number of dishes named after her by the chef Escoffier, such as Peach Melba and Melba Toast.

She married Charles, son of Sir Andrew Armstrong, from Gallen Priory, Ferbane.