HERE is a glimpse inside a new Irish pub that opened its doors on Westfield Street this weekend.

Punch Tarmey's was unveiled after a complete transformation of the former Zoo bar by the owners of the Eccleston Arms, Mikhail Hotels and Leisure Group.

The fixtures and fittings were shipped over from Ireland to complete the authentic feel.

Many of the people who worked on the refit are from a Dublin based design team and they have spent several months working with the team in St Helens overseeing the renovations.

Andrew Mikhail, chairman of Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group, said: “After months of hard work, it looks amazing inside and we are really looking forward to opening the doors and letting people see how we have transformed it and invite them in for an authentic Irish experience.”

There is a boxing theme to the pub which is in honour of Mr Mikhail’s, great grandfather, Michael Tarmey, who was a champion boxer in the early 1900s.

He started as a bare knuckle fighter in Dublin and won a fighting tournament with the prize of two tickets to sail to Liverpool. Michael and his 19-year-old bride moved to England in 1902 to start a new life together.

His life was spent between working down coal pits and bare knuckle fighting.

He won many tournaments in England and became well known in the area and gained the nickname, Punch Tarmey.

Michael Tarmey used to spend a lot of time in the Sacred Heart Church and Club, just a few hundred yards away from the site of the new Punch Tarmey’s.