The Greedy Eagle pub in Glasthule village in south Dublin has been sold by its owners, the Loyola Group, in an off-market deal for €4 million, The Irish Times has learned.
The pub, which had been known for many years as the Eagle House, has been acquired by Paddy Doherty, the Donegal-born founder and chief executive of the Electro Automation Group.
Established in 1984, Mr Doherty’s company specialises in the provision of CCTV, car parking systems, automatic doors, automatic gates, revolving doors, turnstiles, EV automation, intelligent transport systems and road tolling (Easytrip).
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While the Electro Automation Group has companies throughout Ireland, the UK and Germany, arguably its most visible presence here over the years has been the tolling system at Dublin Port Tunnel, which it has operated in partnership with French firm Egis under the name of ITS Road Services.
In the UK, Electro Automation has worked on a number of high-profile projects including the provision of CCTV and card access control for Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport, and door automation for the Shard building in London.
Although Mr Doherty is making his first foray into the pub business, The Irish Times understands he has already begun to assemble an experienced team to operate the Greedy Eagle.
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While the Loyola Group had originally sought a buyer for the Glasthule venue in 2021 and had placed the property for sale at a guide price of €2.8 million, they later withdrew it from the market with a view to refurbishing, repositioning and retaining it as part of their portfolio of pubs which includes the Bath, the Old Spot and the Leopardstown Inn.
The Irish Times understands the group invested in the region of €700,000 in the venue before reopening for business as the Greedy Eagle in November 2022. The sale of the pub is understood to have been agreed following an unsolicited approach from Mr Doherty.
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