{"id":488442,"date":"2026-06-08T04:03:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T04:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/488442\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T04:03:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T04:03:19","slug":"though-our-doors-have-now-closed-the-memories-will-live-on-forever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/488442\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Though our doors have now closed, the memories will live on forever\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Rock Bar<\/a> in West Belfast<\/a> closed its doors for the final time on Monday, 1 June, following the expiry of its lease.<\/p>\n

Taking to social media on Saturday (6 June), the bar\u2019s owners confirmed the news, paying homage to the long legacy of the establishment in a sentimental statement.<\/p>\n

It said: \u201cAs many of you now know, our doors closed for the final time on Monday following the expiry of our lease.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is difficult to put into words what this place has meant to us over the years. <\/p>\n

\"Noah<\/a>\"‘Though<\/a>\"TheThe Rock Bar in west Belfast pictured previously showing its colours for Italy. Picture by Mal McCann <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat started as a bar became a home away from home for so many people, filled with laughter, music, friendship and unforgettable memories.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to sincerely thank every member of staff, past and present, who played a part in our journey. Your hard work and dedication helped create the welcoming atmosphere that made this place so special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: Future of historic Belfast bar uncertain as it goes up for sale<\/a><\/p>\n

The statement continued: \u201cTo our customers, thank you for your support throughout the years. Whether you joined us for a quiet drink, celebrated life\u2019s milestones with us, enjoyed our famous Rebel Sunday sessions or came along every week to support our live singers and musicians, you made this bar what it was. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe friendships formed and memories made within these walls will stay with us forever. A special thank you goes to all the talented singers and musicians who brought the place to life week after week. The music was at the heart of so many great nights and we were privileged to share them with you all. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we are saddened that this chapter has come to an end, we leave with immense pride and gratitude. The support we received from our community over the years was incredible and we will never forget it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The social media statement continued: \u201cThank you for every pint poured, every song sung, every story shared, and every memory made. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of our journey. Though our doors have now closed, the memories will live on forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

The friendships formed and memories made within these walls will stay with us forever. <\/p>\n

Located at 491\u2013493 Falls Road, the bar has been a fixture in the area for generations and is widely regarded as one of the district\u2019s most historic public houses. <\/p>\n

The building itself is Grade B2 listed, reflecting its architectural and cultural significance.<\/p>\n

The future of the bar came into question earlier in the week<\/a>, when the establishment appeared for sale on PropertyPal. This news prompted an outflow of support from local residents and loyal publicans.<\/p>\n

The Rock was built in 1901 by Co Tyrone<\/a>native Frank O\u2019Neill. The building has some of the same brick asBelfast City Hall.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Rock Bar in West Belfast closed its doors for the final time on Monday, 1 June, following…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":488443,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[93,209923,61,60,103152],"class_list":["post-488442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-falls-road","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-west-belfast"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488442"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488442\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/488443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}