John Coffey’s Story The bar business is in John Coffey’s blood. He comes from several generations of publicans. Originally from Newbridge in County Kildare, he grew up over his father’s pub on the main street in the town. He knows the trade inside and out, and is well respected and liked by his…
Never pass a bar that has your name on it! Those immortal words, came in at number 8 on the ‘Rules of Travel’ of a certain Peter Charles McCarthy Robinson, who in 1998 wrote the wonderful book about Ireland, McCarthy’s Bar. He journeyed through the west of Ireland, from Cork to Donegal, in a hilarious…
‘Use it or lose it!’ Those are the words of Dr Ignazio Cabras of the University of York’s management school, who along with a group of British researchers is currently half way through a year long study of the Irish Pub. They will be looking at the vital economic role public houses play in…
The writing is on the wall for the humble pub quiz as well now. In a hilarious, but true piece, Sinead Moriarty writes in the Irish Independent about the death of the pub quiz as we know it. And the cause. Yes, you guessed it, the mobile phone. Well in fairness it was always…
It is really great to see one of the great old pubs back in business and thriving. The Wooden House in Kilmore Quay in County Wexford, has had a bit of a chequered history over the years, but it is certainly back to its best at the moment. You can read our 1991 entry on…
You can find short YouTube video (3mins) at the bottom of this page which tells the story behind our site. In the video we tell the story about a guide-book, The Famous & Historical Pubs of the South-East, which we produced in 1991. It sent us down memory lane … for a while; all…
Tuesday nights are special in The Nore Bar in Kilkenny city. In this small one-storeyed bar, sandwiched unassumingly between Greens Bridge and Stephens Barracks in New Street, they make their own entertainment on Tuesdays. The bar, which was owned by the Cleere family for many years has always had a loyal clientelle who like…
Got a good laugh from this billboard. Came across it recently in one of the most remote spots you can find in Ireland, Carnsore Point in County Wexford. Carnesore Point is the most south-eastern point on the island of Ireland, it is so far removed in fact from the east-coast urban areas, that the…
I took a trip to Wexford last week in the 23 degree sunshine on a research and fact-finding mission and came across a most wondrous sight. I stumbled on a pub that was in the throes of not only renovation, but also expansion. I first came across the Centenary Stores in Wexford Town 21 years…
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