Offaly man unveils €300,000 renovation of Dublin gastropub

Erwin Pollard from Ballygibbon, Edenderry has just completed a transformative refurbishment on his South Dublin gastropub Brickyard.

Along with his business partner and co-owner, Simon Moore, Erwin invested €300,000 into the Dundrum pub's renovation. The decision to make such an investment to ensure the gastropub will reach its full potential was significant given the challenging few years the hospitality industry has had.

When asked about the decision to renovate Brickyard, Erwin said: “We decided last year that we wanted to complete our vision and undergo a full refurbishment, including extensive work to our kitchen and back-of-house areas. We engaged the young and ‘think outside the box’ team at Third Mind Design last year to come up with the concept and create something that aligned with our vision. We wanted to make sure our premises matched the standards that our food, drinks and service deserves. We wanted to create a space that looked beautiful, modern and comfortable, but one that our regular customers will still visit and feel like they are still in Brickyard.”

He continued: “We were genuinely chuffed with what we have. Even I walked in this morning pinching myself." Erwin said that it was amazing watching people walk in and seeing their jaws drop.

The pub underwent a complete transformation in just four weeks. It was decided to lower the front raised area, instantly opening up the front half of the room, and to divide the space with a brick wall made of reclaimed bricks and roof tiles, to create a truly unique design that makes the wall appear to have always been there. Customers will experience the area as spacious yet intimate, because of this clever opening up of the space and separating the room.

Erwin first began working in hospitality as a teenager when he worked in Mangan's petrol station in Edenderry before the owner Jimmy Mangan decided to open a pub and asked Erwin to work for him there.

Erwin said: “I went to work in the pub on opening night and stayed there, I got on well. I loved it (and) decided this is what I wanted to do.”

The St Mary's Secondary School, Edenderry student studied Business and Farm Management in DIT (now TUD.) He was living in Edenderry for the first year of the course and then he decided to move to Dublin.

He then worked in Dundrum for a short stint before leaving the job to work as a bar manager for a nightclub whilst still in college. He explained: “I was there four or five years and I got an education on life.”

Not long after, Erwin met his current business partner when he hired Simon to wash glasses in the Hamlet Court Hotel in Kildare. They set up a staffing agency called 'Venue Angel' in 2011, and at their peak had 220 staff on their books. But even as this business grew and the huge potential there, it was not where either of their passions lay and they opened Brickyard in Dundrum in 2016. Erwin and Simon also opened a coffee shop, 'Grindstone Speciality Coffee' there.

Once the pair took a lease out for Brickyard it took them another six or seven months to get the pub ready for opening. Erwin said they wanted something laidback and different than a traditional pub.

“We felt there was a market for something like that. We started with a strong plan.” However, despite the best of intentions Erwin and Simon were met with various problems such as having to spend a lot more on the kitchen than they had intended due to works needed.

“We spent the last six years trying to overcome the things we were short on.

According to Erwin, their driving force is providing a host of Irish products. They have 26 beers on tap along with Irish vodka and gin. They hold a mother and baby club every Wednesday and welcome a diverse clientele.

Speaking about the impact of Covid, Erwin stated: “We probably were one of the lucky ones. We wouldn't have been able to do the renovation without Covid. We've a big, open space bar so people felt comfortable coming here.”

The menu at Brickyard includes a diverse selection of international cuisine with Mexican, Indian, Thai, and Italian influences.

“We are a part of the community and are very proud to act as a social hub in Dublin 16. We are also the official sponsors of the Dundrum FC senior team, and we do a lot of charity work," said Simon Moore.

Speaking about the future, Erwin added that they would consider opening another coffee shop and would probably look at growing that side of the business.

Erwin is the son of dairy farmer Robin Pollard from Ballygibbon and Bella Hughes from Carbury.