Muriel’s in Belfast to become late night music bar, owner says

Janine Kane tells councillors: “This is really to add to the music scene in Belfast.”

A popular Belfast spot is to become a late-night music bar, the owner has announced at City Hall.

Janine Kane, who owns Muriel’s and the Spaniard in the city centre, as well as the Jeggy Nettle in South Belfast, this week told elected representatives and officials at Belfast City Council of her plans for Muriel’s, as a committee granted her a licence for entertainment to 3 am every morning.

At the May meeting of the council’s Licensing Committee, councillors approved an application from JK Pubs Limited for a variation of the seven-day annual entertainments licence “to provide music, singing, dancing or any other entertainment of a like kind,” for Muriel’s, 12-14 Church Lane, Belfast, BT1.

None of the statutory partners made any objections to the application. No noise complaints were received by the council regarding the business in the past 12 months.

Muriel’s old licence covered Monday to Saturday 11:30 am to 2 am and Sunday 12:30 pm to 2 am. The areas licensed to provide entertainment are the ground-floor bar, with a maximum capacity of 60 persons, and the first-floor bar, again with a maximum capacity of 60. At present, entertainment is provided in the form of DJs on Friday and Saturday nights.

Building works are currently ongoing at the premises to increase the area of the public bar on both the ground floor and first floor. This will increase the capacity by around 60, bringing up the maximum occupancy at Muriel’s to 180.

The council Licensing report states: “The licensee has stated that they would like the variation to extend the permitted hours until 3 am as they feel the premises is an integral part of Belfast’s nightlife and that an increase in operating hours will allow them to compete within the sector, which is essential for the commercial success of the business.”

The move follows the acquisition of a 3 am licence for the Spaniard in November 2025.

At the Licensing Committee meeting on Wednesday (May 20), TUV Councillor Ron McDowell asked Janine Kane “The premises is really close to a Church of Ireland out the back, literally beside it. If you are going to 3 am with entertainment on a Sunday morning, what time will the last orders be, and what time do you envisage the bar being cleared and people being on their way home?”

Ms Kane replied: “I’ve been in that location for the last eight years. (In relation to Pablo’s) And unfortunately, due to the nature of business and costs, food operations are particularly difficult to manage, so we are doing what I would call an aesthetic refit to put in a music bar.

“In relation to (the Church of Ireland), the pastor there is a good customer at times. We have a really good working relationship with him, and we haven’t had any issues in the past.

“We will hopefully be serving alcohol until 1.30 am, and there will be music after that until we clear. I am very conscious of the legalities, I am conscious of how we should get people home safely, and noise pollution.”

She added: “This is really to add to the music scene in Belfast.”

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