Adelaide Irish pub PJ O’Brien’s to close amid slowing trade blamed on small venues

ANOTHER once-popular Adelaide pub has closed down — and the owners blame competition from hip small bars.

Adelaide’s PJ O'Brien's Irish pub is closing. Picture: Eugene Boisvert

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SLOW trade has claimed another Adelaide venue, with Irish pub PJ O’Brien’s set to call last drinks on Saturday night.

Manager Nick Havriluk said Red Rock Leisure, which runs the PJ O’Brien’s venues in the eastern states, made the financial decision to sell the East Tce pub “a few months ago”.

“It just really came down to a financial situation ... the pub isn’t nearly as busy as it used to be,” Havriluk said.

“The last few years a huge amount of smaller bars have been popping up around Adelaide and it’s made it a lot harder for bigger venues like us to keep up.

“Over the past four years it had a sales decline, and patrons did decline, as well, but the year just gone was a real struggle.”

Adelaide’s PJ O'Brien's Irish pub is closing. Picture: Eugene Boisvert

Mr Havriluk said trends were changing and Irish pubs were no longer a “destination venue”.

“Back in the day they were quite a novelty but now they’re a dying breed,” he said.

“We don’t have the population of Melbourne and Sydney — there’s a larger Irish community in those cities.”

The only other Irish-themed pub in the city is King William St’s Brecknock Hotel, although most of it has now been converted to a Chinese restaurant.

There is also The Daniel O’Connell, Mick O’Shea’s Irish Pub in Hackham, and Finn MacCool’s at the Norwood Hotel.

Others to have closed include Shenanigans at Marion — now Verve — and The Dublin Hotel at Glenelg — now The Moseley.

PJ O'Brien's Irish pub closing in Adelaide. Picture: Eugene Boisvert

Mr Havriluk said it was upsetting to see the demise of the East Tce pub, which has operated under the PJ’s name for the past 19 years.

“I met my fiancee here and so I have quite an emotional connection to the venue ... I was here in its heyday when it had massive Friday and Saturday nights, so it’s upsetting to see it decline over the years.”

Mr Havriluk said the pub would likely be closed for “quite some time” as the new owners transformed the site.

Red Rock Leisure has been approached for comment.