The Forge

Pub Profile

Welcome to the Forge, a cosy and friendly bar in Church Street, Downpatrick. Popular with the younger generation from Downpatrick and well beyond, the Forge has many endearing features. Most people of a certain age who have any connection with Downpatrick, however tenuous, will have crossed its threshold and enjoyed the atmosphere at some stage in their social career. The bar was formerly known as the de Courcy, and anyone who knows it from those days and returns will probably find that little has changed. Unique among the popular larger venues in Downpatrick, the place has real character that hasn't been eroded with time or rebuilding.

Visit the Forge from Sunday to Wednesday and you'll feel really at home in the warm cosy candle-lit surroundings of the lounge. During the winter relax in front of a real open fire. In the summer the spacious beer garden is more popular for an early evening drink. Attractive murals and the imposing high wall of an adjacent old warehouse give this part of the Forge a character all of its own.

On Fridays and Saturdays (and often Thursdays as well; contact the bar for details) the Forge reverberates to the sound of one of the most popular discos in the Downpatrick area. A top class sound and lighting system is in place for your enjoyment and the speaker arrangement and shape of the enclosed areas of lounge, bar and dancefloor mean that the music really does sound better in the Forge. To give you an idea of the type of music you can expect to hear, some of the past and present 'Forge anthems' are

• Tight Fit - Back To The Sixties
• Amen UK - Passion
• Destiny's Child vs DJ Amanda - Bills Bills Bills / Say My Name / Jumpin Jumpin / Bug a Boo Megamix
• Paul van Dyk vs Rachel McFarlane - For A Lover
• Gigi d'Agostino - La Passion
• Unique II - Loveline
• John Cougar Mellencamp - Hurts So Good

Wednesday night is Pub Quiz Night. Starting around 10:30 to 11, the quiz has no entry charge but cash prizes of up to £30 for 1st, 2nd, 3rd (and 6th if you're lucky) places are on offer. All your favourite rounds are there with general knowledge, sport, TV / film and music (audio round). One or two unpredictable rounds every week (maybe geography or celebrity gossip, or perhaps a photo round) mean you can't be too well prepared and add even more variety.

On a Thursday when there isn't a Traffic Light Disco or Student Night on, you might find a live band playing in the Forge. The Answer, Sushi, Ken Haddock are some of the famous names that have played here over the past year. There is a lot of musical talent about Downpatrick and who knows, you might happen upon the next Ash (some of whose gold and silver discs adorn the walls of the bar).