Grace Neill is listed as the oldest pub in Ireland in the Guinness Book of Records, it has been there almost four centuries. Today the bar is firmly established as a popular tourist attraction within the North Down area; visitors from every continent have sampled Irish hospitality and an obligatory pint of Guinness within these walls.

However, this is only the very beginning of the remarkable story of one of the most famous pubs in the country, which was renamed Grace Neills in the last century. Grace Neill (1818-1916) was a former landlady who is remembered today for various reasons.

Obviously her name is kept alive by the name of the premises but the nature of some aspects of her lifestyle are also of interest today. Grace apparently adhered to a custom of the period, which involved greeting visitors to the inn with a welcoming kiss while her passion was an indulgent puff from her day pipe.

The existence of Grace Neill has taken on a more mysterious guise in recent years - it is asserted that her ghost haunts the building. Many members of staff have witnessed unexplained events including the scattering of books and glasses throughout the bar and the switching on of appliances such as the kettle and television. The inexplicable occurrences and the curious creaking of floorboards above the old tavern culminated in an actual sighting of a Victorian lady contained within a puff of steam.

It should however be noted that customers have nothing to fear from Grace - she is a friendly spirit and we are happy to have her. Taking a step back into the front bar is truly taking a step back in time. This area retains its quaintness and charm today; the beams are constructed from the timbers of old ships and the two pine doors at the rear of the bar provide the only clue as to what the remainder of the building contains.

This dark tavern has played host to many famous names of centuries gone by; it was welcomed visitors as diverse as the aristocrat Peter the Great, the composer Franz Liszt and poet John Keats. More recent tourists have included Tina Turner, and the former Beirut hostage Brian Keenan even enjoyed a pint here after his release from captivity.

http://www.graceneills.com