Farewell to The Betsy

June 14, 2026
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Posted By: Dr. Stephen Murray,
BSc BDS FDS RCSEng MSc MOrth RCSEdin

A few days ago, I heard that The Betsy in Swords closed suddenly. I was sorry to hear this. It was just across Swords Main Street from the practice and it was a location for many Swords Orthodontics lunches for birthdays and maternity leaves and even a Christmas party.

Over my time at Swords Ortho it has had a few incarnations. It was The Empire at one stage and even The Slaughtered Lamb- and in that manifestation it was a rock venue that was the scene for Pat McManus’ !000th gig and on the night he was supported by Bernie Marsden. Bernie was an original guitarist with Whitesnake and rumour had it years ago that McManus had declined a position in Whitesnake to focus on his own band at the time, Mama’s Boys.

This is a photo from the big snow of a few years ago when the bar was The Empire. It became The Betsy, and now it has closed.

I don’t know what will happen with the venue now, but I wish all the best to the people who were working there – it must have been a shocking, disorientating upheaval to them all.

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