678 Edinburgh Road, Cranhill, Glasgow. G32. Demolished.
The Dalriada opened in 1963 by Rio Stakis and was demolished in the 1990s. At the end there was a lot of violence in the pub, someone was severely attacked in the lounge, this was the last straw, the place closed down shortly afterwards.
Interior view of the Dalriada, the bar was massive.
Janet Munro email me on the Dalriada, Janet has an extensive knowledge on Cranhill and surrounding area. .. The Dalriada Hotel on Edinburgh Road was not in Easterhouse. The front door was in Carntyne Road between Springboig and Carntyne. The Hotel had seven bedrooms this was the requirement for a 7 days licence. There were very few places opened on a Sunday. When the Dal was owned by Rio Stakis and was named by his friend Mr Phillips who was a French teacher at Cranhill Secondary School, it was named The Dalriada because that is what the Roman’s called this part on Scotland.
It was said the Dalriada had the longest bar in Scotland at one time. I worked in the Public Bar in 1974 as a bar-maid. The upstairs lounge could hold around 500 people and there was live music on every week-end and also during the week. Some great bands played in the Dal.
On a Sunday night the Public Bar was so crowded it was about 6 deep at the bar with men trying to order drinks. Many a time I told a man “If you want a pint find a glass.” Every Sunday night at least two boxes of pint glasses had to be opened so that drink could be served. In 1974 a pint of Tennents lager cost 2/6p.
Dalriada or Dál Riata (as it was called in Ireland) was the kingdom of the Scots who migrated from County Antrim in Ulster to Argyll and eventually gave their name to Scotland. Aidan mac Gabhráin who reigned from 574 to 608 as king of Dál Riata built a strong navy and waged aggressive war raiding as far as the Isle of Man and the Orkney Islands. He was less successful in land battles and lost the Battle of Degsastan in 603 to the Angles. The kingdom’s power in Ulster was greatly diminished by a decisive defeat by the O’Neill (Uí Néill) in 637 at the Battle of Mag Rath.
Thank to Cranhill arts project.
From then on the Dalriadans focused on their lands in Britain. Their rivals were the Picts to the north and the Angles of Bernicia to the east. On the south they were bordered by Strathclyde a British kingdom. Dunadd, in Argyll, was probably the seat of the kings of Dalriada. It has been excavated archaeologically and in addition to fortifications many moulds for the manufacture of jewellery were found. A census of Dalriada exists, the Senchus fer n’Alba.
Dalriada was conquered militarily by the Picts but eventually overwhelmed them culturally. Kenneth MacAlpin, a Dalriadan, was first King of the united Picts and Scots reigning from 840 to 857, as the king of Alba or Scotland. The Viking raids of the 10th century broke the sea communication between Ireland and Scotland and contact was lost with the western lands of Dál Riata, but not before the Stone of Scone was brought over.
Dalriada Hotel advert 1976.
Mr. J. M. Black was the manager of the Dalriada in 1976.
Entertainment in our lounge bar Monday – Saturday.
For good food, excellent service, come in and have a meal in our Steakhouse.
Fully Licensed.
Open 7 days a week. 11 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. – 5 p.m. to 11.30 p.m.
Enquiries Welcome for small weddings, parties, Etc –
Catering for up to 25 people –
Funerals up to 50 people.
Do you remember the Dalriada? If so please leave a comment.
END.
The Dalriada was the first project that I was in charge of as an apprentice quantity surveyor in 1962. It was a lot of responsibility for a 22 year old . It entailed many site visits and the authorisation of payment to the builders and contractors.
My granny managed this hotel in the 1980s her name was Mrs Jean Kerr. She lived in the flat attached to the hotel. I used to stay with her here for weekends we had our dinner in the steak house and would help collect in the glasses in the lounge. I remember Jan that worked in the office. Great memories of this place.
I believe jean Kerr was my wife’s aunt, she came from Girvan and her husband was a firefighter.?
My father was Jimmy Black who was the general manager from 1970 /1977 I went ST Andrews across the road from the Dal I had my dinner in the steak house at dinner time most days my Mum worked in the cocktail bar a few days a week her name was Lily she is 91 now my Dad died in 2005 my name is Jim I am 62 now good times in the Dal
Please may I ask where you lived?
Anybody remember my grandad William mcdowall?
Hi Jim
Are you Ann Marie’s sister ? I was friendly with Annemarie and we went on holiday together several times with all the girls we worked with. I worked part time in the Mail Coach with May and Andy McGraw they were friendly with your dad and often I would be asked if I wanted to go and help your Dad out when he was short of staff. So Annemarie together with a few other girls would go . It was great and we had a lot of happy memories working there. How is Annemarie would love to make contact with her .
Kathleen
Hi Jim
I was a friend of Anne Marie where can I contact her. We worked together and had some great holidays
Thanks
Kathleen
My name john o neil i sang sometimes at weekends with my band mates good times. Ther was a band dont remember the name but the leàd singer was a wee guy called willie a great guitarist and singer i learned a lot of guitar work from him if anyone knows him it would be great to talk to them cheers to great times
I Ioved the Dal in the seventies when my Dad Jimmy Black was the general manager I stayed in the rooms most weekends because the family house my dad had was in Bothwell so when I was a teenager it was brilliant after having a drink my dad had since 1970 to 1978 great days always ate in the steak house drank in the big lounge we had scheme playing there when they were starting out and also wee Willie’s band were regularly playing do everybody remember Greta and Lorna the old glamour girls in the lounge 💔
I worked in the office with Betty McDonald and Christine . I remember Jean Kerr so well. She was Lounge Manager then got promoted to Manager. Big May and Wee May barmaids, Cathy Chalmers and Marion in the Steak House, Billy the chef etc And yes Greta and Lorna the glamour gals in the lounge. It was my first job and I was only 18 . Boy did I grow up quickly! It was brilliant and I will never forget it.
I remember the Dalriada well. At that time in about 1960 my family lived in Garthamlock. It was a real novelty for us to eat out in a pub. We had gammon steaks with pineapple on top! Real class.
I worked for the parks department, I was based in Cranhill park. Every Friday at lunch time me and two of ma mates had about 3 pints each at the Dalriada within 30 mins.
We felt drunk as skunks.
Does anyone remember Davy Grant who was a regular. He stayed in Bellrock street cranhill at the time. I’ve been searching to try and reconnect with him
I worked with a few different bands in ‘the Dal’ over a 6 or 7 year year period.
‘Jaspa’ (1974/75. )were a 5-piece band, all from the east-end of Glasgow, featuring members:
Kenny Sloane (Vocals)
Gordon Robb (Drums/vocals)
Ian Jarvis (Guitar/vocals)
Colin Stewart (Bass guitar/vocals)
Kenny Turner (Guitar/vocals)
We gigged in the Dal on a residency basis – every week – for around 18 months or more.
‘Juliet and the Romeos’ (c. 1981) a 5-piece band featuring:
Lorraine Fehlberg (vocals)
Robert Miller (keys/vocals)
Ivor Gaffin (bass/vocals)
Ian Clark (drums)
Kenny Turner (guitar and vocals)
‘Soho Strut’ (c.1984) 4-piece band featuring:
Pat Sweeney (bass vocals)
Tony McCauley (drums)
David Wilson (keys)
Kenny Turner (gtr/vocals)
Another of the bands – friends of ours – was led around 1974/75 by:
Willie Miller (Vocals/guitar) and had members
Alistair Sinclair (keyboard/vocals)
Alan Galloway on drums.
As at August 2026, I’m still gigging in the Star Bar, Eglinton Toll, every Sat afternoon between 3pm and 6pm – singing, playing, and generally disturbing the peace – better hurry-up and check me out, I’m gettin’ auld.
Cheers! KT.
It should be mentioned; the reputation of ‘violence’ in the Dalriada that’s been emblazoned across certain rags is vastly and grossly exaggerated – imagine that, eh? – and while there were occasional skirmishes, it was nothing like the descriptions in these publications.
Having gigged there for around 18 months I witnessed – probably – 1 such ‘handbags-at-dawn’ incident, quickly suppressed by the very capable bouncers – which has me wondering; just what were those burly, capable dudes employed for? There was hardly a bit of trouble in that pub yet they were handsomely paid!
News articles frequently use lurid and ‘sensational’ wording to attract readers, they utilise devices to imply that this-or-that hostelry was the *only* pub in Glasgow that had a couple of bevy-merchants effing-and-blinding at one another at the end of the night – Lillian Gish!