The original Hide Out
This was the original, and quite small lounge built in what had been my grandmother's kitchen on the ground floor of Byrne's Hotel.
The Hotel had been established by my grandfather James J Byrne Snr in 1925, and when my dad James J Byrne Jr and my mother Monica took over the business in 1950, they created this then very strange but ultimately attractive space.
As a piece of history, the two fox-heads over the fireplace were presented by the late Ken Urquhart of New Abbey, and were the first of what became a very eclectic collection of artefacts and curiosities which helped make The Hideout internationally known. My late brother Des sold the pub in 1996.
The picture, one of a set of postcards published by my dad, came up during a trawl of family photos recently.
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