Published: Thursday, 4th September, 2008 2:33pm

Famed riverside watering hole put on the market in Trim

In this day of the superpub, it is rare in Meath to find a traditional public house that has remained unchanged by time and what are now regarded as more sophisticated tastes.

There are still a few corners of the county where such traditional licensed premises can still be found, like Connell"s in Skryne, Harnan"s of Rathmolyon, Loughran"s and Marmion"s in Navan, and of course, Marcie Regan"s in Trim, more recently known as "David"s Lad" after the Irish Grand National-winning horse part-owned by present-day proprietor, Matty Lynch.

Marcie Regan"s public house has been a landmark on the outskirts of Trim for generations. Situated in one of the most historic parts of the town, at Newtown, the premises has the added benefit of being located on the side of the meandering Boyne, as well as at the heart of the old abbeys and monastery ruins, such as St John"s Friary, and the Old Cathedral of St Peter & Paul, as well as Newtown Bridge, that make up the Newtown area.

It is close enough to the town to attract an appreciative clientele, but far enough out for the customer to be able to enjoy the rural ambience of the river and surrounding green fields.

The pub is to be auctioned this month by Sherry Fitzgerald Royal, and it comes with planning permission that greatly increases the potential of the riverside watering hole. A figure of €1.25 million is being guided by Aidan Heffernan of Sherry Fitzgerald Royal in Trim.

The additional planning permission is ideal for somebody who wants to retain the traditional pub and develop a restaurant to the rear. The extension allowed for includes a lounge, terraced restaurant and 76 car parking spaces.

The entire holding stands on approximately 1.272 acres (0.5148 hectares), all of which is licensed.

Marcie"s has been in the Regan and Lynch families for many years. It was one of those pubs that bottled its own beer in the past, a tradition that only ended when current proprietor Matty Lynch took over the running of the pub in 1991, after the death in 1990 of Marcie, his mother"s cousin. He introduced draught beer at that stage.

A decade later, in 2001, he introduced another slight change to the pub when he rechristened the premises after racehorse "David"s Lad", winner of the Fairyhouse Irish Grand National that year, of which he was a part-owner, and which was trained by his brother-in-law, Tony Martin. Timmy Murphy was the jockey for that memorable win.

The World Tourist Guide has named Marcie"s the second oldest pub in the country, after The Brazen Head in Dublin. The licence currently in use dates back to 1905 and is a seven-day licence.

Sherry Fitzgerald Royal points out that Trim is a thriving business, heritage and commuter town. The population of Trim and extended urban area is approximately 10,000. This figure is expected to grow to in excess of 15,000 before 2015, thus providing plenty of potential customers for the expanded and revamped pub and restaurant.

The auction will take place on 24th September next. Mr Heffernan is guiding a €1.25 million price tag, and adds that the property is open to offers prior to auction. Contact Sherry Fitzgerald Royal on (046) 943 1525 for further information.