HISTORY OF 81 DAME STREET

I was very interestingly sent the history of our building yesterday.

What I can tell you of possible interest is that a man named Mick Humphrys, from Murroe, Co.Limerick,
went to Dublin. He became a publican, helping his brother.
The bar they ran was at 49 Great Britain St (now Parnell St). This building is now demolished, the site is part of the Ilac Shopping Centre,

He went on to own and run a pub at 81 Dame St, Dublin, that is now called The Oak,
the pub was established in 1860. The pub would have been called Humphrys' pub when he ran it. His surname, spelt "Humphrys" (the old way), is in a tiled floor at the door of the pub, dating from c.1920,

When his nephew Dick Humphreys first set up in business as O'Mara's Rubber Co. 1922, he located 2 doors away from his uncle, at 79 Dame St. Sadly the families were to fall out over politics during the Civil War 1922-23; Mick was Free State; his brother's family were strong Republicans. He lived over the pub. Apparently the top part of the building was destroyed during the Civil War and had to be re-built; this could explain bitterness of the family split.

He lived over the pub for a long time, and later bought house on North Circular Rd until his died May 1934, age 74 yrs.

The pub at 81 Dame St is listed as "Terence P. O'Donnell, licensed grocer" in [Thom's, 1945]. Not yet called The Oak.

81 Dame St was re-decorated in 1946 with an interior of wood from the RMS Mauretania. The Mauretania was the sister ship of RMS Lusitania. It was launched 1906, and was then the largest passenger ship in the world. It also held for many years the record for fastest crossing of Atlantic. It was scrapped 1935, furnishings sold at auction.

After the re-decoration with the ship's wood, the name of the pub was changed 1946 to The Oak. The Oak was a gay pub in the 1970s-80s.

The Thomas Read Group now own The Oak.

They are named after the adjacent Thomas Read's Cutlers shop at 4 Parliament St, which was until it closed the oldest surviving shop in Dublin (shop dates from 1670, current building from 1760s). The Thomas Read Group bought it when it closed.

The Oak is now joined internally to the trendy "Thomas Read" cafe and bar next door.

On the roof of The Oak is the music video site Balcony TV.

Thanks to Mark Humphreys for the information. If anyone has any more information about the building or the Humphreys family, feel free to pass it on to us and we will pass it on to Mark.