Farewell to The Betsy

June 14, 2026

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’ !000^th 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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