Harry Crosbie’s Vicar Street venue in Dublin recorded operating profits of €739,520 before shutting down during Covid-19 restrictions.
According to new accounts for Liberty Venues, the 1,050-seat-capacity venue recorded the operating profits in 2019.
The business has been shut since last March due to Covid-19 restrictions and in an interview on Tuesday Mr Crosbie said: “While Vicar Street was closed, we took the opportunity to improve the highly successful public mini-arena.”
“So, we look forward to getting fans back in when the Covid outbreak is under control – we think they’ll love what we have done with the place.
“And when we have a date to reopen we have a year of full capacity gigs lined up to announce.”
Vicar Street has been selected as one of the live performance venues for pilot gigs by the Government, and ahead of the July 3rd event, Mr Crosbie said, “It will be for about 100 people, with everyone tested at the door. It will not be like a normal gig, so there will be stopping and starting as we test our systems and we’ll see how all of that works.”
Mr Crosbie said the Government “has done everything possible so far” in assisting live venues impacted by Covid-19.
The accounts show that numbers employed at Vicar Street totalled 55 in 2019.
Mr Crosbie secured planning permission in 2019 for an eight-storey 185-bedroom hotel at Vicar Street.
He said on Tuesday the “financing package was shelved because of the outbreak. So we will start again on that front after Covid, though we are hoping to continue with our partners at Moran Hotel Group.”
