Secrets revealed…
Hospitality entrepreneur, Henry McGlone and his wife, Teresa, have just unveiled their newest venture in Magherafelt…
The new £1.5m Secrets nightclub is part of an entertainment complex in the south Londonderry town of Magherafelt that will eventually also incorporate restaurant and live music facilities. It replaces the phenomenally successful Dorman’s bar and The Opera nightclub, which closed in February after trading for 15 years.
Work on the new venue began after Easter and followed 18 months of planning. The design brief was undertaken by O’Donnell O’Neill Associates, who have offices in Belfast and Dublin and are well-known for completing some of the most innovative hospitality fit-outs in the country, including Shiro, the new Asian-themed bar and restaurant at Bedford Street in Belfast.
Speaking to LCN recently, Catherine Donnelly, marketing manager at Secrets, revealed that during the planning stages of the project, Henry and Teresa had travelled abroad extensively to research some of the world’s most popular club venues:
“During one trip to New York, they were on 5th Avenue and noticed a long queue outside one particular place,” she says. “It turned out to be Abercrombie and Fitch’s iconic store – that line is an almost permanent fixture! Henry and Theresa went inside and what they saw there became the inspiration for much of what you’ll see in Secrets.”
The club itself has capacity for more than 1000 revellers – placing it on a par with Northern Ireland’s other leading dance venues. There are five bars inside, including the extensive facilities in Secrets’ elaborate beer garden and smoking area where comfortable leather seating is able to accommodate up to 300 people at a time inside an eye-catching series of wooden cabins.
Elsewhere, Secrets boasts a plush VIP lounge in decadent red velvet. The walls are lined with prints by leading Belfast artist, Terry Bradley, and it’s here that the New York influence is most readily evident. Guests can have their cocktails mixed by award-winning mixologist, Nathan Evans, formerly of Shu and Benedict’s in Belfast, who will also manage the venue.
There are four booths in the centre of the main club area – two offering a limited capacity for private parties and two offering a luxurious, fully-screened experience with champagne and private waiter service.
The dance floor itself is overlooked by the entire club on the level above. A state-of-the-art sound system is complemented by clever use of LED lighting to create a club experience to rival anything else Northern Ireland has to offer.
It is hoped that by the end of next year, when all elements of the development are in place, around 100 new jobs will have been created.
The original Dorman’s licensed premises opened in Magherafelt in 1907, owned by the late Joe Dorman and later, by his son, Desmond. Dorman is Theresa’s maiden name and she and Henry took on the venue in 1987, subsequently instigating a series of refurbishments.
“I genuinely don’t think that there is anywhere like this in Northern Ireland, perhaps in Ireland,” added Catherine. “So much has gone into creating this unique experience and Henry has insisted that everything be absolutely perfect before we let anyone in.
“We opened last weekend and we have had an amazing response. Everything went well and people told us that they just couldn’t believe that this was open in Magherafelt. I don’t think that any of this would look out of place in a city like New York or London.”
Dorman’s and The Opera were wildly successful venues for many years, attracting club-goers to Magherafelt from all over the north. Secrets nightclub and the other facilities that will be developed on the site next year are taking that heritage to the next stage while boosting the local economy and securing the town’s place on the circuit of Ulster’s top clubs.
