Sean’s Bar Gin

Sean’s Bar Gin was distilled for Sean’s Bar in Athlone by their neighbours along the Shannon, Lough Ree Distillery. It was distilled using a range of bespoke botanicals, including Gorse, a native Irish shrub common to Athlone.

We were engaged to design packaging for the gin that captured the essence of Sean’s Bar, both today and historically. As Irelands oldest pub, Sean’s Bar has a rich and documented history dating back to 900AD. During renovations in 1970, the walls of the bar were found to be made of wattle and wicker dating back to the ninth century. Old coins which were minted by various landlords for barter with their customers were also discovered. One in particular, was minted by William Moorhead, a prominent merchant and owner of The Three Blackamoor Heads Inn - now the site of Sean’s Bar. This token featured the symbol of a bird on a tree. We recreated this symbol and featured it on pack as a link to the pub’s origins.

We wanted to use a typeface that also has some historical significance in Ireland. Duibhlinn is based on the standard Gaelic typeface of the 1930s, one version of which was recast by Michael O’Rahilly in 1913. We also sourced a historical map of Athlone from Ordnance Survey Ireland to feature on pack marking the location of the pub.