ONE of the world's most famous pubs, Durty Nelly's in the shadow of Bunratty Castle in Co. Clare, has been sold for almost $20 million, a record price for a bar outside Dublin.The keys to the pub, a first stop for decades for many American tourists entering Ireland via nearby Shannon Airport, were handed over at the weekend by Humphrey O'Connor, who ran it for 25 years after buying it for a then record all-Ireland price of almost $2 million.New owners are Co. Clare businessmen Sean Lyne, owner of the Queen's hotel in Ennis; Maurice Walsh, former general manager of the Queens, the Clare Inn and the George Boutique Hotel in Limerick; and property developer Noel Conlon, who sold a flourishing accountancy practice in 2003 to concentrate on his extensive property interests.Walsh, who will manage Durty Nelly's for the new ownership, revealed plans to bring the pub into the 21st century but insisted that the original character and appeal will be retained throughout."Durty Nelly's is one of the best-known Irish pubs in the world," he said."This is, of course, the original of the species and we tend to build and grow on its international status and heighten its reputation as a traditional iconic Irish bar that serves the best in traditional beverages and food as well as a home for traditional Irish music and song. Traditional music, great food and great service will be the hallmark of Durty Nelly's."Durty Nelly's has been the inspiration for more than 200 copycat pubs around the world.Famous visitors in recent years included actor John Travolta, the late soccer legend George Best, and former Republic of Ireland soccer manager Jack Charlton.Durty Nelly's was first established in 1620 but gained its name from a local woman who lived more than six centuries earlier and who was keeper of a toll-bridge over the river Owengarvey that flowed past her door on its way to the Shannon.Nobody knows the precise origin of her name, but legend has it that she was a charmer who accepted "payment in kind" from virile men who couldn't afford the toll fee. She is also credited with inventing poitin.