IRISH rugby greats Rob Kearney, Jamie Heaslip and Sean O’Brien have expanded their Dublin pub empire by acquiring McSorley’s of Ranelagh.
They already owned Lemon & Duke and The Bridge 1859 as part of a business group that also features ex-Leinster star and brother of Rob, Dave.
Filling out the line-up is Noel Anderson, former chair of the Licensed Vintners Association.
It is believed they have shelled out in the region of €5.5 million to add McSorley’s to their stable.
Anderson spoke on behalf of the group, entitled Grand Slam Bars, upon the completion of their latest acquisition.
He assured regular customers of the D6 boozer that they wouldn’t be tinkering around with what is already one of Dublin’s most popular drinking establishments.
He said: “We understand what McSorley’s means to its customers, and the special place it occupies in Ranelagh and beyond.
“We fully intend to maintain that, to keep the special heart and soul of McSorley’s intact.
“So we can assure customers there won’t be any major changes taking place.
“You don’t need to fix what certainly isn’t broken.”
He then thanked the previous owners the Murray family and ‘all the team who made McSorley’s such a special pub.’
There are 25 members of staff in McSorley’s, so their group are now employing over 200 across all of their Dublin pubs.
On Instagram the elder Kearney brother quipped: “We got at it again…….!!
“Proud to take on this iconic Dublin pub with a great group of partners.”