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Actor Steve Coogan outside the Dufferin Arms during filming
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Dame Judy Dench outside Killyleagh Castle
THE pub which featured in the movie Philomena has had to put its Oscars party on hold – because it doesn’t have a licence.
And the famous Dufferin Arms in Killyleagh, Co Down, hasn’t had the proper paperwork to sell liquor for SIX years.
The bar was used to film Oscar-nominated Philomena with James Bond actress Judi Dench and had planned to throw an awards party next month.
But it’s turned out her character may have had a licence to kill but the premises didn’t have a licence to sell booze.
The oversight came to light recently when the Crown Bar in Belfast had to close its doors temporarily after landlords realised its licence had run out.
Killyleagh publican Austin McCullough says the story prompted him to check the Dufferin Arms’ licence, and he realised it had run out six years ago.
He’s now facing a bill of up to £70,000 to reinstate the licence because of the length of time it’s been expired, and legal fees.
The landlord of 14 years also had the heart-breaking task of laying off up to 20 staff until he’s back in business.
Bar staff, waiters and cleaners have been told it could be weeks before the bar can open again because the earliest court date he could secure was March 4.
Mr McCullough has taken full responsibility for the mistake: “It is my fault and I hold my hands up but I never did this knowingly,” says the popular landlord.
“When we first closed I was hoping we would re-open very quickly but now I need to buy a new licence, which will take time.
“Unfortunately the staff had to be laid off during that time and this is a blow to the town as we have had to close our community room which is used for the bridge and book clubs and various events,” he says.
The pub’s predicament has garnered sympathy locally and a notice on its door directs customers to the neighbouring Picnic Delicatessen with the warning ‘no booze though…they don’t have a licence either.’
Its Oscars party planned for March 2 has also had to be cancelled, when the bar hoped to make the most of its worldwide platform.
The interior was used to film scenes between Judi Dench and Steve Coogan for the movie Philomena in 2012.
The 69-year-old actress was a huge hit during filming in Killyleagh when she toured the shops, signed autographs and posed for pictures with locals.
Ms Dench has been nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Philomena Lee, an Irish woman who was forced to give her three year old son up for adoption by nuns in an Irish convent because she was a young unmarried mother.
Coogan plays journalist Martin Sixsmith who took up her story and helped her search for the child she’d lost.
The film, which was also shot in Rostrevor and Bryansford, has been nominated for best picture, best adapted screenplay and best original score.
The pub won’t be able to open its doors again until two days after the glittering awards ceremony but it’s expected they will have a belated Oscar’s party.