Lochy’s, a new sports bar in Barrhead, owned by Jamie Kerrigan, is already proving a welcome addition to the area. Located in the former Dalearn House the venue has been brought back to life following a £400k makeover.
Jamie took over the venue in 2022 and has spent the last few years refurbishing the venue which had previously sat dormant for the past 20 years. He shares, “Even people from Barrhead had forgotten it was there. Our aim has been to create a sports bar for a wider audience with great food and entertainment such as quizzes, karaoke and DJs. The feedback has been great already. People are saying it feels like a city centre venue.”
It certainly does. Upon arrival the first thing I noticed was how fresh the newly painted and smartly branded exterior looks. Once inside the venue it completely opens up with 12 pool tables and darts lanes (which I’m told they will be swapping over to digital darts in the coming weeks) to the left and a bar and mezzanine to the right.
Not only does the bar have a capacity of 250 but there is also a function room with a further capacity of 150. They are currently still refurbishing this area and hope it will be open by the end of the year. It is certainly much more than your average sports bar or pool hall and talking to the regulars there I can see it has already become a hub for the local community.
Jamie worked with Rhiannon Stewart from Interior Renovation Designs on the refurbishment. He explains, “Bringing Rhiannon in was the best decision I ever made. She has made the project what it is. As much as I love a project, the size and scale here, 12,000 sq ft, was just too big and ambitious to manage alone.”
The venue features 32 large TVs providing a 360 degree viewing experience for sports and a top of the range sound system. The finishes throughout the venue and the heavily featured ‘Lochy’s’ branding creates a slick look. In the bar area dark red walls sit alongside clean lines and wooden elements coupled with pops of yellow from the branding and the upholstered bucket chairs. There are also plenty of curved booths and snug areas which create a cosy feel.
There are upper and lower mezzanine levels which have been created by removing old office units. These two areas are great for dining and the upper mezzanine offers a spectacular view right across the venue.
In the sports side of the venue the finishes are just as immaculate as the bar, from the modern hanging pool table lights, the polished wooden floor and banquettes all around the hall that trimmed with same upholstery used on the bar chairs.
The venue certainly looks high-tech which is no surprise because it has seen significant investment from Sims Automatics who have supplied TVs, pool tables, bar equipment, audio and gaming machines.
Jamie adds, “All our suppliers have been great but specifically Sims and Molson Coors have been so supportive of what I was doing here and have so much belief in me and the venue. I can’t thank them enough.”
He continues, “We still have a few tweaks left to make. We have a graffiti artist coming in to work with us, we have more sports memorabilia going on the walls and billboards to be added outside. I would like to eventually replicate this concept elsewhere in the future.”
Head of Operations for the group, Gary Grant, added, “It’s been a labour of love for Jamie. It’s great to see it so well received by the local community and further afield. It’s been exceptionally busy, and the team are doing an outstanding job at delivering a premier product and maintaining high standards.”