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The Daily Wildcat

 

Cause behind Auld Dubliner closure remains a mystery

A+popular+hangout+spot+and+restaurant+on+University+Boulevard%2C+Auld+Dubliner+recently+closed+after+10+years+of+service+at+the+UA.+The+Marshall+Foundation%2C+which+is+the+landlord+of+the+property%2C+made+the+decision+to+terminate+the+lease.
Carmen Valencia

A popular hangout spot and restaurant on University Boulevard, Auld Dubliner recently closed after 10 years of service at the UA. The Marshall Foundation, which is the landlord of the property, made the decision to terminate the lease.

The Auld Dubliner, a local bar, recently closed with no warning to the public besides a sign posted on the doors by the Marshall Foundation, landlord of the property the bar occupied. No warning for the bargoers was given before one of their favorite bars became no more.

With nothing but a sign on the door and no staff in sight, the bar is now inaccessible to the public.

The notice states that the foundation has terminated the lease, taken possession of the premises and placed a lien on the property.

The Dubliner has been silent since word of the closing was first announced, with no postings on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Emails to the address listed on the bar’s website result in a delivery failure notice. Calls to the number listed for the bar rang unanswered.

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A representative for the Marshall Foundation declined to give many details on the situation.

“I can’t really discuss anything because it’s confidential, but all I can say is that there were obligations by both parties and now they’re closed,” said Marshall Foundation employee Jane McCollum in a phone interview.

Although the cause of The Dubliner closing is unknown, what is very well known is it being such a pillar in the university night life. The Irish bar brought a drop of the wizarding world of Harry Potter to life with a Harry Potter-themed shot.

Few patrons would have guessed that the last time they belted their hearts out during karaoke or retained that tidbit of useless information for trivia night and got a question right would be their final memories of the bar known by most as simply “The Dub.”

“When I turned 21, I was a regular for karaoke. Every single Monday night, I was there and it was so much fun. I made friends with everyone there from the staff to regulars,” said recent UA grad Mary Ferrando.

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After graduating this past May with her degree in Sociology, Ferrando said she heard the news about Auld Dubliner closing from a former coworker at Illegal Pete’s.

“I feel like the regulars were a close-knit community; I remember one of the bartenders sold candles as a side job and we would buy candles from her,” Ferrando said.

She came back to Arizona for homecoming this past year and said it’ll break her heart knowing that when she goes back this year the Dub won’t be there.

Students who will miss the Irish bar can find two more locations, but you’ll pack an overnight bag. One is located in Tustin, California and the other in Henderson, Nevada.


Follow David Pujol on Twitter.


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