A formal planning application has been lodged to replace The Globe on South Great George's Street and part of the neighbouring Library Bar with a new hotel.
"Dublin is haemorrhaging nightlife spaces and is fast becoming shit craic," notes the Labour councillor, Darragh Moriarty, who's brought the sad news to the public's attention.
The Globe, among other attributes, was home to one of the capital's pioneering dance clubs, Rí Rá, while The Library Bar has had its comfy seats sat on by many a musician, author and Hot Press journalist and their interviewee. We remember especially convivial afternoons/evenings there with Kevin Barry, The Late David Turpin, Maria-Doyle Kennedy, Miss Elayneous, Delays, Neil Hannon and Edwina Currie who turned out to be the most rock 'n' roll of all of them! It was the venue for several of our early Hot Press Christmas Summit meetings, and the spoken word part of the YouBloom music festival. The Library Bar's parent Central Hotel has been repurposed as a Direct Provision Centre during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Reads the official blurb:
"The proposed development will consist of the refurbishment/reconfiguration, partial sundry demolition and expansion of the Central Hotel (a protected structure RPS. Ref. No. 2719) to result in an overall amalgamated hotel of 6,554 sqm with a total of 125 bedrooms within 5 storeys over basement with a 6 storey element with plant level (above No.12 Dame Court) and will include the following: 1) Demolition of existing 2 storey building No.12 Dame Court (c. 245 sq.m) and its replacement with a 6 storey building (overall height c.22.205m) including a basement area amalgamated with the hotel with lift and stairs, access for deliveries and refuse storage, and electricity sub-station at ground floor level and hotel bedrooms from mezzanine through fourth floor levels with plant level above building. The external elevational treatment to street is a profiled glazed façade with perforated/profiled metal panels to match the adjacent rooftop extension."

The full application can be viewed at http://www.dublincity.ie/swiftlg/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=2974/20&backURL