Irish Couple Transforms Spanish Bar into Authentic Dublin Pub

A new establishment in Fuengirola, Spain, aims to provide an authentic Irish pub experience, with its entire interior handcrafted in Dublin and transported over. The Wild Rover Irish Pub, which opened on August 18, features dark mahogany wood, Guinness on draught, and decor sourced entirely from Ireland.

Landlady Lisa Mernock, 47, a Dublin native who moved to Spain at 19, stated that the goal was to replicate a pub from home. "Every single person who walks in that door is just shocked" by the authenticity, she told the Daily Mail. Mernock and her partner, Alan Malone, who owns bars in Dublin and has built venues across Europe, designed and constructed the pub's interior in a Dublin workshop over several months. Items were transported to Spain via ferry and a 40-foot container, with some pieces, like handcrafted chairs from a nunnery and pews from churches, being repurposed.

The process of recreating the pub was lengthy. The building in Los Boliches had been vacant for 17 years. Mernock cited the difference in building materials and the more relaxed Spanish pace as reasons for importing everything from Ireland, noting that sourcing items locally was a "nightmare" and that it was "quicker" to have them shipped. Despite the logistical challenges, including a 12-hour journey for some items, only one piece of antique furniture—a grandfather clock—was damaged.

A significant challenge involved installing a stained glass dome crafted by Malone. The couple had to partially dismantle the pub's front to fit it. They are still adding to the establishment, with plans for a "snug," or private room.

The Wild Rover serves Guinness for €6 (£5) a pint, a price point noted as being lower than averages in London (£6.72) and Dublin (up to €11 or £9.20). The pub is staffed entirely by Irish personnel. Mernock emphasized the pub's authenticity, stating, "I have all-Irish staff and everything has come from Ireland, it's authentic. A lot of them [Spain's Irish bars], it's just fronting."

Since opening, the pub has been "busy, busy, busy," according to Mernock. She credits social media, particularly TikTok and Facebook, for raising awareness, with many patrons mentioning they had followed the pub's development journey online.