History

Tailors’ Hall has been part of the fabric of Dublin since the 1700’s, playing host to craftsmen, rebels and revellers alike. This landmark certainly has a tale or two to tell…

The Oldest Guild

The story of Tailors’ Hall begins long before the first bricks were laid, or even before the trees for the beams that still adorn the great hall were felled (1702, in case you are wondering!).

Tradition had it that the Tailors’ Guild was first founded in 1207, its first charter being granted by King John, making it one of the oldest ones in operation.

The Guild Era

Tailors Hall was home to the ancient Tailors’ Guild and is now the oldest surviving guild hall in Dublin. In order to work as a tailor, one had to be protestant and obtain permission from the master of the guild. Spies were instructed to check if tailors belonged to the guild and, if not, their clothes were seized and they could be sent to prison.

From 1706 until 1842, when all guilds in Dublin are abolished, as many as fourteen separate Guilds convened in Tailors’ Hall. These included such diverse trades as tailors, wig makers, goldsmiths, weavers and brewers.

Some Colourful Tenants

In its earlier years, the hall was the height of fashion, with the premises also being used as a courthouse for insolvent debtors, a venue for lavish balls, musical performances, fencing classes, and even lottery drawings.

Not all of these tenants proved desirable, with lettings for dancing,
fencing and drama being banned in 1785 for damaging the premises.
What rabble-rousers!

The Freemasons met here from 1755 – 1818. Freemasons are the oldest
fraternal organisation in the world, with many rumours about
conspiracies, symbolism and secret handshakes.

The Fight For Religious Freedom

A famous series of meetings, known as the Back Lane Parliament, was held here in the 1790s in support of Catholic emancipation.

The Catholic Committee was comprised of local merchants like Oliver Bond and the wonderfully named Napper Tandy, as well as more prominent figures like the notorious Theobald Wolfe Tone – one of the most famous Irish revolutionaries.

Catholic Emancipation wouldn’t become a reality until nearly 30 years later in 1829 when Irish Catholics were finally allowed to own property, vote and be members of parliament.

Tailoring a Rebellion

Inspired by the French Revolution, Wolfe Tone set up the United Irishmen with the aim of ending British rule in Ireland. The group held their meetings within these very walls. A written account at the time notes that ‘…the very aspect of the place seemed to render it adapted for cherishing a conspiracy.’

Sadly, a number of things, including bad communications and treachery, went wrong and the rebellion was brutally crushed by the Crown Forces, with many volunteers being hung, drawn and quartered – a particularly brutal execution that was meant to scare onlookers as much as kill the accused.

Community Goodwill

The lease of Tailors’ Hall was taken by a Christian Mission, known as the Mission to the Liberties. The Mission ran, among other things, a Sunday School, a clothes-making society for poor families, and a winter coal savings scheme, as well as a coffee shop with a lending library but without alcohol and gambling.

The Mission operated until 1949 when Tailors’ Hall was deemed unsafe and scheduled for demolition by Dublin Corporation.

Community Goodwill

The lease of Tailors’ Hall was taken by a Christian Mission, known as the Mission to the Liberties. The Mission ran, among other things, a Sunday School, a clothes-making society for poor families, and a winter coal savings scheme, as well as a coffee shop with a lending library but without alcohol and gambling.

The Mission operated until 1949 when Tailors’ Hall was deemed unsafe and scheduled for demolition by Dublin Corporation.

Following one man’s decades-long ambition to convert this Dublin landmark into a public house, Tailors’ Hall Tavern opens to great excitement – over 300 years after the building’s construction.

So, whether you fancy a quiet pint in the centuries-old main bar, want to host an event in the eponymous Wolfe Tone room, or just want to sit and soak up the sense of history, you will get a real feel for the fabric of Dublin in Tailors’ Hall Tavern.