The Bridge 1859
The Bridge 1859 is a privately held gastropub and sports bar in Ballsbridge, Dublin, co-owned by five Irish rugby internationals, serving sports fans, corporate groups, and private event clients with food, beverage, and two private function rooms near the RDS and Aviva Stadium.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Bridge 1859 does
The Bridge 1859 is a single-site award-winning gastropub and sports bar located at 13 Ballsbridge Terrace, Dublin, operating within walking distance of the RDS and Aviva Stadium. The venue is co-owned by five former Irish rugby internationals — Noel Anderson, Jamie Heaslip, Rob Kearney, Dave Kearney, and Sean O'Brien — and is positioned as the 'big sister' to sibling venues Lemon & Duke (city centre) and The Blackrock under common ownership. Its core offering is food and beverage service across lunch, dinner, finger food, and children's menus, supplemented by two private function rooms (The River Room and The 1859 Room) that accommodate up to 60 guests each or 120 combined for corporate events, private celebrations, and meetings.
The business is supported by a standard hospitality technology stack: a WordPress-based website with an integrated online reservation form (bookings up to 12 hours in advance), a WooCommerce online shop for branded merchandise (beanie hats, caps, polo shirts) and gift vouchers, and a third-party Voucher Connect integration for digital gift voucher redemption. Marketing relies on organic social channels (Instagram, Twitter) and the #thebridge1859 user-generated content hashtag, with no paid advertising infrastructure disclosed. Analytics are limited to cookie-based tracking.
Revenue is generated through four streams: in-venue food and beverage sales, private room hire fees, merchandise sales (currently listed as unavailable), and gift voucher sales. The venue has no app, no API, and no disclosed AI or ML capabilities. It is privately held with no institutional investors, parent company, or public listing, and operates under Tony McCabe as General Manager with approximately 9 employees in total.
The Bridge 1859 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Bridge 1859
- Legal name
- THE BRIDGE 1859
- Website
- https://thebridge1859.ie
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Bridge 1859 is a privately held gastropub and sports bar in Ballsbridge, Dublin, co-owned by five Irish rugby internationals, serving sports fans, corporate groups, and private event clients with food, beverage, and two private function rooms near the RDS and Aviva Stadium.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Bridge 1859 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Gastropub / Bar and Restaurant
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Food Services and Drinking Places (722)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Pubs & Gastropubs (CRANACAB), Sports Bars (CRANACAC)
Keywords
Where The Bridge 1859 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Bridge 1859 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Food & Beverage Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling food and drinks to dine-in customers. Offers lunch, dinner, finger food menus, and children's menu options.
- Private Event Hire: Revenue from hiring private function rooms (The River Room and The 1859 Room) for corporate events, parties, and meetings. Both rooms charge a hire fee for exclusive use.
- Merchandise Sales: Online shop selling branded clothing items including beanie hats, caps, and polo shirts. Products available at various price points.
- Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers redeemable against lunch, dinner or drinks. Available for purchase both in-house and online.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Beanie Hat - €15.00 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cap - €20.00 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Polo Shirt - €25.00 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Bridge 1859 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Bridge 1859 operates a gastropub and sports bar at 13 Ballsbridge Terrace, Dublin, serving lunch, dinner, finger food, kids menus and a full drinks menu. It also offers two private function rooms (The River Room and The 1859 Room) for hire, gift vouchers redeemable against food and drinks, and branded merchandise (beanies, caps, polo shirts).
Product overview
The Bridge 1859 is an award-winning gastropub and sports bar located in Ballsbridge, Dublin. The venue offers food and beverage services including lunch, dinner, finger food, and kids menus. The business operates two private function rooms (The River Room and The 1859 Room) available for hire for events up to 60-120 people. Additional offerings include gift vouchers for redemption against food and drinks, as well as branded merchandise including The Bridge 1859 Beanie Hat, Cap, and Polo Shirt.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Private Function Room Hire (The River Room and The 1859 Room) Hire of two private function rooms (The River Room and The 1859 Room) for corporate events, private parties, team building, business meetings and celebrations. Each room can hold up to 60 guests (120 combined), has a dedicated private bar and audio/visual equipment, and is available via direct enquiry by email or phone.
- Gift Vouchers Gift vouchers redeemable against lunch, dinner or drinks at The Bridge 1859, available for purchase both in-house and online through the Voucher Connect platform.
- The Bridge 1859 Beanie Hat Navy blue beanie hat with white embroidery, one size fits all, sold at €15.00 as branded merchandise via the venue's online shop.
- The Bridge 1859 Cap Navy blue cap with white embroidery, one size fits all, sold at €20.00 as branded merchandise via the venue's online shop.
- The Bridge 1859 Polo Shirt Unisex polo shirt embroidered with The Bridge 1859 logo, made from soft breathable fabric. Available in sizes X Small through XX Large, in blue, sold at €25.00 via the online shop (currently reported out of stock).
Quantifiable outcome
- Multi-award winning venue - Overall Winner, Best Sports Bar at National Hospitality Awards 2019
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Bridge 1859
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Bridge 1859 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
The Bridge 1859 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Lemon & DukeminorSibling venue located in Dublin city centre, under the same ownership group as The Bridge 1859. Both venues are part of the portfolio operated by the same investor group including Jamie Heaslip, Rob Kearney, Dave Kearney, Sean O'Brien, and Noel Anderson.
- The BlackrockminorSibling venue under the same ownership group as The Bridge 1859. Part of the portfolio of Irish hospitality venues managed by the group including former rugby internationals.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Bridge 1859 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lemon & Duke: Sibling Dublin gastropub owned by the same rugby-player investor group as The Bridge 1859. Directly comparable business model (food, drink, private events, Dublin city-centre location) under common ownership, making it the closest peer.
- Doheny & Nesbitt: Traditional Ballsbridge-area Dublin pub with strong food and drink offering and a long-standing reputation. Comparable Dublin pub/gastropub competing in the same neighborhood as The Bridge 1859.
- The Blackrock: Another sibling venue under the same ownership consortium. Operates a comparable gastropub/private-events format in Blackrock, Dublin, making it a directly comparable same-portfolio peer.
- The Hairy Lemon: Dublin gastropub and bar with a strong drinks-led food offering. Comparable Dublin on-premise venue targeting similar after-work and event crowds.
- The Palace Bar: Historic Dublin city-centre pub with award-winning bar credentials. Comparable Dublin on-premise drinking venue with established food, drink and private-event offering.
- Elephant & Castle: Established Dublin gastropub with strong casual-dining and drinks offering, including private functions. Comparable Dublin food-and-drink operator competing for similar mid-market, event-driven customers.
- Fade Street Social: Dublin gastrobar combining restaurant, bar and private event spaces. Comparable multi-revenue Dublin venue competing for premium casual and event bookings.
- Toners: Iconic Dublin pub on Baggot Street known for its literary/sporting heritage and traditional gastropub-style food service. Comparable Ballsbridge-adjacent Dublin pub competing for the same sports-fan and corporate-event trade.
- Delahunt: Long-running Dublin gastropub with a strong food-led offering and heritage appeal. Comparable Dublin food-and-drink venue targeting a similar local and visiting customer mix.
Broad incumbents
- J.D. Wetherspoon: Large UK-listed pub operator with multiple Dublin sites including near the Aviva Stadium. Comparable Irish pub/F&B business but at much greater scale and on a price-led model rather than a sports-bar/premium positioning.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Bridge 1859 social profiles
Digital presenceThe Bridge 1859 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Bridge 1859 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
The Bridge 1859 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Bridge 1859 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Bridge 1859
What does The Bridge 1859 do?
The Bridge 1859 operates a gastropub and sports bar at 13 Ballsbridge Terrace, Dublin, serving lunch, dinner, finger food, kids menus and a full drinks menu. It also offers two private function rooms (The River Room and The 1859 Room) for hire, gift vouchers redeemable against food and drinks, and branded merchandise (beanies, caps, polo shirts).
Is The Bridge 1859 a public or private company?
The Bridge 1859 is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Bridge 1859 founded?
The Bridge 1859 was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Bridge 1859 based?
The Bridge 1859 is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does The Bridge 1859 make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Food & Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are private Event Hire, merchandise Sales and gift Vouchers.
Who are The Bridge 1859's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lemon & Duke, Doheny & Nesbitt, The Blackrock, The Hairy Lemon, The Palace Bar, Elephant & Castle, Fade Street Social, Toners and Delahunt. J.D. Wetherspoon is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Bridge 1859 have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Bridge 1859.
What industry is The Bridge 1859 in?
The Bridge 1859's product category is Gastropub / Bar and Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAA, Neighborhood & Sports Bars, with a secondary code of CRANACAB, Pubs & Gastropubs. Its NAICS code is 7224 and its SIC code is 5810.