Paul Montgomery acquires the Wilton Bar for €1 million refurbishment

Well-known Cork publican Paul Montgomery has purchased the Wilton Bar for an undisclosed multimillion-euro sum, with a €1 million refurbishment set to begin immediately.

The 10,000 sq ft suburban venue, located opposite Cork University Hospital and beside Wilton Shopping Centre, was originally built 36 years ago by the Peters family.

The sale was completed on Monday, January 12, with the current owner, Colum Peters, ceasing operations this weekend. Under the new ownership, the two-storey complex will reopen in time for St Patrick’s weekend in March as a combined pub, restaurant, and live music venue. Staffing is expected to double to 100.

“It all happened quite quickly. I’ve been interested in The Wilton for some years. I contacted Colum this year and I was really pleased when we spoke. We agreed a deal very swiftly,” Mr Montgomery said. “The Peters family developed it 36 years ago, and now we are the next custodians. We will enhance it and we will take care of the staff.”

The refurbishment will feature expanded live music offerings while maintaining a strong food focus. Mr Montgomery added, “We will keep the name but, in many ways, The ‘new’ Wilton will change. We will have a big focus on night-time entertainment, with live music, DJs, and Irish music. We do a lot of that with JJs and Clancys, and now we are going to bring a bit of that to the suburbs.”

Clancys Group operations director Shane Spillane and director of sales and marketing Dave Daly will oversee the €1 million renovation. New menu options from Clancy’s ‘Saints and Sinners’ range will also be introduced.

Explore the full plans for the Wilton Bar refurbishment and Montgomery’s vision for Cork’s suburban hospitality scene in the complete article.

Photo credits to The Wilton’s official Facebook page