Origins
The Ponderosa is nestled atop the Sperrin Mountains, on the Glenshane Pass, midway between Maghera and Dungiven in the Townland of Curudda. The location has been a watering hole for weary stage coach travellers since the 1850’s, and while the roads have changed and the building has been rebuilt, it serves a similar purpose to this day.
On our walls in the bar you will see copies of the original land and building valuations dating back to 1860 when it was Bradleys Bar, leased to Patrick Bradley by land owners William and Eliza Buchannan for the grand total of one pound.
Ireland's Robin Hood
The Ponderosa is nestled atop the Sperrin Mountains, on the Glenshane Pass, midway between Maghera and Dungiven in the Townland of Curudda. The location has been a watering hole for weary stage coach travellers since the 1850’s, and while the roads have changed and the building has been rebuilt, it serves a similar purpose to this day.
On our walls in the bar you will see copies of the original land and building valuations dating back to 1860 when it was Bradleys Bar, leased to Patrick Bradley by land owners William and Eliza Buchannan for the grand total of one pound.
Declaration of Independence
Another famous story that echoes along the old Glenshane Pass connects the road with the first Declaration of Independence. Destined for King George III in August 1776, rough seas forced the ship transporting the Declaration to dock in Derry. A rider was instructed to transport the document to Belfast where it was to be sent onto London. However, unbeknownst to the transporters, a man had broken into the cargo hold of the ship and copied every word of the declaration before transmitting it to the Belfast Newsletter. Having sealed the “scoop of the century”, the Newsletter printed the contents of the Declaration before the document reached the King of England. It is worth noting that the Declaration was transcribed by a Maghera man, Charles Thompson, who served as Secretary to Congress. Thompson was born in the Townland of Gorteade in 1729 (which coincidentally is home to The Ponderosa’s current owner), and following the death of his mother, moved with his father and brother to America in 1739.
A lesser known fact about the Declaration of Independence is that of its 56 signatories, 9 were of Ulster/Scot descent.
WWII Tragedy
The old road also witnessed a Second World War plane crash on 4 September 1943, when a Cessna UC-78 Bobcat utility plane made its final flight, crashing into the mountains of Northern Ireland, killing all three aboard. Those killed included Captain Loren Lee Miles of the 8th USAAF, Commodore Logan, Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Northern Ireland, and David Grimes, vice-president for engineering with the Philco Radio Company. The three men were on their way to attend a meeting in London with General Eisenhower.
To this day, whether standing at the top or the bottom of the mountain, much of the old road remains visible to the naked eye. On a clear day visitors can make out the sweeping corners that snake past gorges and the deep veins cut into the side of the mountain by the last ice age.
Recent Ownership
In 1963 Bradley’s Bar, as it was then known, was sold to Matt Regan, who ran it with his son Niall. The American show Bonanza, which was set on a ranch called The Ponderosa, was a huge television hit at the time and Matt Regan was jokingly compared to its patriarch Ben Cartwright (played by Lorne Green), while Matt's son Niall and brothers bore a resemblance to Cartwright's three sons. The joke stuck and Glenshane's Ponderosa was born. Niall had twenty eventful years in The Ponderosa“a bar so remote there was no phone or electricity” (light in those harsh winters came courtesy of a generator).
In 1983, the Regans sold it to the late Philip Marquess and his brother John.
Philip also owned and managed Walsh's Hotel in Maghera whilst John ran things at the Ponderosa until December of 2013.
New owner, Karl McErlean, originally from Maghera, has now successfully injected new life into Ireland's Highest Bar and Restaurant and will continue to do so for many years to come.
The Ponderosa, Ireland's Highest Bar and Restaurant
