Fiddlers Green Irish Bar enters liquidation, reason for closure still unknown

A BELOVED Surfers Paradise watering hole running for more than a decade has officially closed. Here’s why the pub suddenly shut its doors.

Fiddlers Green Bar and Restaurant has gone into liquidation. Picture: Jessica Elder

ONE of the Gold Coast’s seemingly most popular bars has gone into liquidation after its shock closure this week.

Fiddlers Green Irish Bar on Cavill Avenue officially wound up on Wednesday. Peter Dinoris, from Artemis Insolvency, has been appointed the liquidator.

Spokesman for Mr Dinoris, Glen Reeve, said it was too early to say what went wrong and what the company owes. However, he confirmed debts were outstanding.

Fiddlers Green balcony, Surfer's Paradise.

“Yes, there are debts but we are still in the process of collecting company records,” he said.

“Peter’s job is to take possession of company assets and records, identifying the assets and reporting to the creditors over the next three months.”

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Mr Dinoris said they would be looking to determine if anyone was interested in the business.

Reports that the closure may have been due to a large rent increase was disputed by a source close to the company.

Fiddlers operated in a building owned by Geoffrey Smith, who owns the whole corner lot as well as the Bavarian Haus Restaurant next door.

Fiddlers Green boasted traditional Irish food and drink.

Mr Smith opened the German restaurant in 1975. It sold it in the early 2000s.

Mr Smith did not want to comment on Fiddlers’ closure.

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The source said they were “100 per cent sure” Mr Smith would not have raised the rent, but said the Commonwealth Games had a huge impact on many businesses in the area and Fiddlers did not recover.

Landlord Rudi Scutti also said Mr Smith has a good reputation as a building owner and had been known to relieve rent during tough times.

2011: Manager of Fiddlers on the Green Graham Tomey.

The Irish pub had been open in Surfers Paradise since 2007. It was opened by the Tormeys, including manager Graham Tormey, from Ireland.

Mr Tormey did not respond to the Bulletin’s calls yesterday and a woman who was on the Fiddlers’ premises yesterday and identified herself as an owner, declined to comment.

The venue’s Facebook and Instagram has been deleted. However, the website remains live and unedited, stating Fiddlers “has become a home away from home for many”.