_{By MICK ROBERTS ©}

Often mispronounced, there’s a pub in Sydney’s west with an unusual name.

The Keighery Hotel in Auburn is named after one of Australia’s best-known racing identities of the first half of the 20th century.

The Keighery surname has Irish roots, primarily originating from the Gaelic name Mac Eochaidh, meaning “son of Eochaidh” (horseman) and is pronounced ‘KEE-gur-ree’ or ‘KEE-gree’.

Greg Keighery built the hotel bearing his name in 1931, and, besides a high profile in sporting circles, he was one of Sydney’s best-known publicans.

Born in 1869 in Dandenong, Victoria, he became host of Her Majesty’s Hotel, next to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Sydney, at the age of 43 in 1912.

Keighery saw 69 Melbourne Cups during his long life. He first attended a race meeting when he was nine years of age, and raced many prominent horses, and greyhounds.

Keighery took a strong interest in some of Australia’s most treasured sporting institutions, and was a member of the Australian Jockey Club, Tattersall’s Club, Victorian Racing Club, and Sydney Cricket Ground Trust. He was also a prominent member of the Sydney Royal Agricultural Society and Auburn Bowling Club.

After hosting the Auburn Hotel through the 1920s, Keighery built a new pub on the corner of Station Road and Rawson Street at Auburn in 1931.

Keighery’s Hotel was built at a cost of £30,000 and was described at the time of opening as being the most “up-to-date” in the State.

“A feature of the building is the use of a special brick, made by Wunderlichs at Rosehill … It is the first time a brick of this nature has been used in a building. This type of brick may also be found in the fireplace in the men’s lounge. Leading to the 20 bedrooms on the first floor, is a stairway of the old fashioned type-made with Queensland maple. It is an excellent piece of work, all hand-made.”

Keighery’s life ended at the hotel he built at the age of 84 in 1953. Twelve of his children and 35 of his 50 grand children were in the hotel at the time of his death.

The old publican and sporting identity left £100 over the bar for his friends to drink to his memory at his hotel after the burial ceremony. Based on a price of 10 pence (10d) per schooner, a total of 2,400 schooners of beer could be purchased with £100 in Sydney in 1953. The wake was attended by many sportsmen, businessmen and parliamentarians.

Keighery Hotel remains a treasured institution in Auburn and has been modernised to become one of Sydney’s largest poker machine revenue pubs.

_{© Copyright Mick Roberts 2026}

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Categories: Australian Hotels, NSW hotels, Publicans, Sydney hotels

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