The claim
On the High Street of Donaghadee, once a key cross-channel port for Scotland, Grace Neill's claims to have opened in 1611 as the King's Arms. It was later renamed after landlady Grace Neill and is often called one of Ireland's most haunted bars. Old snugs survive inside, and there is a beer garden, but the exact founding date remains undocumented.
What the records show
The 1611 date, originally as the King's Arms, is widely repeated (Wikipedia, tourism guides) but no licence or deed was found. Its reported Guinness 'oldest pub' listing is its own claim. The bar's own site is current rather than abandoned — it advertises tribute nights and a Christmas 2026 brochure — but its security certificate expired in August 2026, so a browser refuses the page: it is cited here as an archived copy and the link on this page goes to Grace Neill's own Facebook account. Current trading rests on those and on 2026 travel coverage.
What to look for inside
- Claims 1611 licence as the King's Arms
- Renamed after landlady Grace Neill
- Reputed ghost
Visiting
Grace Neill's is in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland, at 33 High Street, Donaghadee BT21 0AH. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donaghadee
- rebelatlas.com/destinations/europe/ireland/where-is-irelands-oldest-pub-10-historic-pubs-with-a-claim-to-the-title/
- camra.org.uk/pubs/grace-neills-bar-donaghadee-117831
- www.facebook.com/graceneills1611/
- web.archive.org/web/20260609145045/http://graceneills.com/
- ratings.food.gov.uk/business/953094
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
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Free to put on your own site, no permission needed. It shows what the pub claims and what the records support, and it changes when the data does.
How to use it, and how to change what it says — if you have a document we have not seen, we would like to read it.
