Hat-trick makes LCN Awards history

Three of LCN’s most sought-after awards have this year gone to the mid-Ulster market town of Magherafelt, where two cutting-edge venues have let operators in Belfast know that they won’t be having things all their own way…

Secret’s Nightclub and Mary’s Bar – both venues in Magherafelt which are owned by Henry and Teresa McGlone – made LCN Awards history this year when they collected no fewer than three awards between them at the gala evening recently in The Europa Hotel.

A capacity audience saw Secrets – which only opened last year – take the title of Best Nightclub for 2015, despite a stiff line-up of competition that included El Divino and the Kremlin and brand new Belfast club, Chinawhite.

The same venue also collected the award for Best Use of Social Media. This was the most popular category for 2015 and Secrets came out top against excellent entries from Galgorm Resort & Spa; Rita’s in Belfast and The Enniskillen Hotel, among others.

Finally, Mary’s was named Bar of the Year for the second time – the venue took that title in 2009 during the inaugural LCN Awards.

It was an unforgettable evening for staff who attended the gala event at The Europa and speaking to LCN afterwards, Mary’s general manager, Thomas Doherty, said that they had been “completely overwhelmed and shocked” by the awards that they’d won.

“It was absolutely fantastic,” he added. “The people who really deserve these awards are the people who work hard at the venues and I’m really delighted for them.”

Mary’s Bar on Market Street has belonged to the McGlone family since 2008, although it existed on the site for many years before that. Firmly aimed at a slightly older crowd (25 years and over), it’s decorated in plush fabrics and deep colours, creating an air of comfortable opulence in the venue that suits its grown-up audience.

A full a la carte menu is available in the evenings and the lunch-time offering has been tailored to serve a busy town centre take-away trade.

And there’s a great line-up of music at Mary’s between Thursday and Sunday each week, ranging from live acoustic to DJ sets.

“A lot of people are blown away by the way that Mary’s looks,” says Thomas. “They don’t realise how big it is until they go upstairs, it’s the size they can’t take in.”

A small refurbishment programme has now been planned in for Mary’s and that should get underway within the next six weeks or so. It will include new carpets, new light fittings and some re-decoration.

Secrets opened its doors in August last year to replace its predecessor, the phenomenally successful Opera nightclub, which had been on the spot for 15 years.

“Since the opening, people have said to us that it was long overdue and that Magherafelt really needed a nightclub like this,” adds Thomas. “People had been leaving the town to go to venues in Cookstown, Omagh and other places, but we wanted to give people what they needed here, the nightclub experience. Our customers are over the moon with it, they value what we’re doing here and they are always telling us what they would like to see in the club, which is great.”

Thomas singled out the marketing manager at Secrets, Catherine Donnelly for particular praise:

“She lives and breathes our social media 24/7,” he added. “I don’t know when she actually sleeps!”

The judges at the LCN Awards – Spotcheck NI – labelled Secrets “an exceptional venue” and said that the effort the owners had gone to was clear:

“Each area of the venue is stylishly decorated, well thought-out and a pleasure to be in,” they said.

Henry and Teresa also own Dorman’s Bar which is adjacent to Secrets in Magherafelt and which the family opened in 1907. A refurbishment of the front bar at that venue is currently underway and should be ready soon.