The former Celtic winger has joined forces with the owner of the Pattaya bar, which has welcomed a host of famous faces including Henrik Larsson and Tyson Fury.
The owner of a Celtic bar in Thailand has revealed Hoops legend Didier Agathe has become a co-owner after buying a 50 per cent stake in the popular boozer.
Eddie Murphy, 50, who opened The Irish House in Pattaya around a year ago, said it was a “godsend” when the former Celtic star got in touch after visiting the bar and decided he wanted to buy into the business. Agathe was a key member of Martin O’Neill’s Celtic side that reached the UEFA Cup final in 2003, where they were beaten by Jose Mourinho’s Porto in Seville. The former winger is now based in Thailand and plans to run a football academy from the building.
The new partnership was marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the bar over the weekend, alongside fellow business partner Mark McKeown. Eddie, originally from Easterhouse, told Glasgow Live: “I’d had the bar for around a year, before he wanted to buy into the bar and improve it.
“We’ve had Tyson Fury and Henrik Larsson in it, and when Didier Agathe came in, he loved it and he wanted to buy it. When he came, he phoned (Lubomir) Moravcik and said, ‘You need to see this bar, it’s unbelievable’.
“There’s a lot of community things going on here, which I think he noticed. It’s geared towards that – all the foundation stuff of what Celtic does. It’s been a bit of a Godsend.”
Eddie says the bar is the only Celtic-themed pub of its kind in Thailand and attracts tourists looking for a taste of home, including traditional pub food and a pint of Guinness. He was inspired to open the venue after remembering Celtic bars around Parkhead while growing up in Glasgow’s east end.
He added: “This was meant to be a hobby, but it’s turned into a full-time job. It’s something I grew up with. I’m a boy from the east end, and I miss going to the matches. Them coming in is for the benefit of the bar.”
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