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BreakingNews.ie
3 hours ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Residents of Limerick village join forces to save its last pub
Residents of a Co Limerick village have pooled their money and pulled together to cancel last orders at their local pub. The group, involving 25 men and one woman, bought the former Ahern's pub in Kilteely, which was on the market for €300,000, as they feared it would be closed for good after the previous owners retired. Advertisement It has been rebranded as The Street Bar by the group, none of whom has pub trade experience. Among them is a barrister, a psychologist, a solicitor, a pharmacist, a carpenter, an accountant, a teacher, farmers, builders, electricians and others. The idea came about as locals in Kilteely had seen the closure of a range of businesses – pubs, shops, post offices and a creamery – in the not too distant past and were keen to avoid another loss in their small community. Noel O'Dea, a landscape gardener who invested in the pub, said the only other business in the village, a recycling venture, was set up by locals after the last recession hit 'because employment was hard to get'. It now employs seven people. 'They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I tell you, it also takes a village to save its pub,' he said, adding that the bar 'was our last meeting place'. Advertisement 'We just couldn't see the people in the village having no place to go to because otherwise it is just a group of houses.' The ownership group is also considering how best to use a shop premises that was included in the pub sale. Ireland Operator of Hogan's pub lodges plans to convert fo... Read More 'There were a few suggestions but I don't think we would get away with some of them,' Mr O'Dea added. Another member of the group, barrister Liam Carroll, said rural pubs are dying out all over the country. While acknowledging there is little or no profit to be had in such a venture, Mr Carroll said he would still encourage others elsewhere to do likewise for the good of their communities. 'Hopefully we can keep it going, employ a few people and harness the community spirit that we have on tap here.'
Sunday World
7 hours ago
- Business
- Sunday World
Pint-loving punters pull savings together to save local pub from closure
BELOVED BOOZER | The 26-person group, including 25 men and one woman, purchased Kilteely's only watering hole, Aherns pub, after it went on the market for €300k Some of the 26-person group that pooled their savings together to save their local pub from closure, in Kilteely, Co Limerick. Photo: Brendan Gleeson The 26-person group, including 25 men and one woman, purchased Kilteely's only watering hole, Aherns pub, after it went on the market for €300,000. The sale had threatened to quench the communities thirst for craic, however after pooling their pennies together, the devoted pub-goers saved their beloved boozer — proving that friendship, froth, and a dash of community spirit are the perfect cocktail. The group renamed the premises, The Street Bar, and extended an invitation to the White House for President Donald Trump to come and visit and drink his first pint of non-alcoholic 'Kilteely cream'. One of the pub's local investors, landscape gardener, Noel O'Dea said: 'They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I tell you, it also takes a village to save its pub.' Not one of the 26 investors has pub trade experience, but they refused to drown their sorrows over the impending pub closure. Mr O'Dea said: 'The pub is the heart of any community, and because all the shops and pubs here were gone, this was our last meeting place.' 'We just couldn't see the people in the village having no place to go to, because otherwise it is just a group of houses.' Lamenting the loss of two pubs, two shops, two post offices, and a creamery locally, O'Dea said the only other business in the Limerick village, a recycling venture, KDI (Kilteely Dromkeen Innovation), employs seven people, which was also set up by locals, 'after the last recession hit and because employment was hard to get'. In what must be the most expensive 'round' ever, the local pub group each invested up to €15,000 each to keep the drinks pouring and the craic flowing. The eclectic group, which includes a clinical psychologist, barrister, solicitor, pharmacist, carpenter, accountant, farmers, a teacher, sign-maker, builders, electricians, is also considering how best to use a shop premises included in the pub sale. 'There were a few suggestions but I don't think we would get away with some of them,' O'Dea joked. One of the group said they should invite the media loving US President Donald Trump, who does not drink alcohol, to their pub to sample his first pint of non-alcoholic 'Kilteely cream' or his favourite tipple Diet Coke. O'Dea laughed: 'Yeah, we could, sure listen, why not, send out the invitation.' Extending the invite to presidents, prince/princesses and paupers, O'Dea added: 'We have a festival every year and it's on in two-weeks time, and this year we are going to have Ireland's first-ever Black Pudding Festival, so everyone is welcome.' 'We are starting that off this year, we're asking butchers and anyone who is good at making food at home, because the art of making pudding is dying out and we are just trying to revive it —during the festival we'll serve you the perfect pint and pudding!' Embracing the venture, another member of the group, barrister Liam Carroll, said: 'Rural pubs are dying out all over the country, so we decided to come together to save ours, and hopefully we can keep it going, employ a few people and harness the community spirit that we have 'on tap' here.' Mr Carroll also encouraged other communities to group together to keep their dying pubs alive: 'Yes, I would encourage others to do the same thing, there is little or no profits in this type of venture, but it is vital to keep local communities from dying out.' The rebranded Street Bar, Kilteely, County Limerick, opened its doors last Saturday. Some of the 26-person group that pooled their savings together to save their local pub from closure, in Kilteely, Co Limerick. Photo: Brendan Gleeson Today's News in 90 Seconds - August 19th
Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
‘It takes a village' – Group of locals pool savings together to save town pub from closure
Some of the 26-person group that pooled their savings together to save their local pub from closure, in Kilteely, Co Limerick. Photo: Brendan Gleeson The 26-person group, including 25 men and one woman, purchased Kilteely's only watering hole, Aherns pub in Co Limerick, after it went on the market for €300,000. The sale had threatened to quench the communities thirst for craic, however after pooling their pennies together, the devoted pub-goers saved their beloved boozer — proving that friendship, froth, and a dash of community spirit are the perfect cocktail. The group renamed the premises, The Street Bar, and extended an invitation to the White House for President Donald Trump to come and visit and drink his first pint of non-alcoholic 'Kilteely cream'. One of the pub's local investors, landscape gardener, Noel O'Dea said: 'They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I tell you, it also takes a village to save its pub.' Not one of the 26 investors has pub trade experience, but they refused to drown their sorrows over the impending pub closure. Mr O'Dea said: 'The pub is the heart of any community, and because all the shops and pubs here were gone, this was our last meeting place.' 'We just couldn't see the people in the village having no place to go to, because otherwise it is just a group of houses,' he said. Lamenting the loss of two pubs, two shops, two post offices, and a creamery locally, O'Dea said the only other business in the Limerick village, a recycling venture, KDI (Kilteely Dromkeen Innovation), employs seven people, which was also set up by locals, 'after the last recession hit and because employment was hard to get'. In what must be the most expensive 'round' ever, the local pub group invested up to €15,000 each to keep the drinks pouring and the craic flowing. The eclectic group, which includes a clinical psychologist, barrister, solicitor, pharmacist, carpenter, accountant, farmers, a teacher, sign-maker, builders, electricians, is also considering how best to use a shop premises included in the pub sale. 'There were a few suggestions but I don't think we would get away with some of them,' O'Dea joked. One of the group said they should invite the media loving US President Donald Trump, who does not drink alcohol, to their pub to sample his first pint of non-alcoholic 'Kilteely cream' or his favourite tipple Diet Coke. O'Dea laughed: 'Yeah, we could, sure listen, why not, send out the invitation.' Extending the invite to presidents, prince/princesses and paupers, O'Dea added: 'We have a festival every year and it's on in two-weeks time, and this year we are going to have Ireland's first-ever Black Pudding Festival, so everyone is welcome.' 'We are starting that off this year, we're asking butchers and anyone who is good at making food at home, because the art of making pudding is dying out and we are just trying to revive it —during the festival we'll serve you the perfect pint and pudding.' Embracing the venture, another member of the group, barrister Liam Carroll, said: 'Rural pubs are dying out all over the country, so we decided to come together to save ours, and hopefully we can keep it going, employ a few people and harness the community spirit that we have 'on tap' here.' Mr Carroll also encouraged other communities to group together to keep their dying pubs alive: 'I would encourage others to do the same thing, there is little or no profits in this type of venture, but it is vital to keep local communities from dying out.' The rebranded Street Bar, Kilteely, Co Limerick, opened its doors last Saturday.
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
‘Community spirit on tap': Residents of Co Limerick village join forces to save its last pub
Residents of a Co Limerick village have pooled their money and pulled together to cancel last orders at their local pub. The group, involving 25 men and one woman, bought the former Ahern's pub in Kilteely, which was on the market for €300,000, as they feared it would be closed for good after the previous owners retired. It has been rebranded as The Street Bar by the group, none of whom has pub trade experience. Among them is a barrister, a psychologist, a solicitor, a pharmacist, a carpenter, an accountant, a teacher, farmers, builders, electricians and others. The idea came about as locals in Kilteely had seen the closure of a range of businesses – pubs, shops, post offices and a creamery – in the not too distant past and were keen to avoid another loss in their small community. READ MORE Noel O'Dea, a landscape gardener who invested in the pub, said the only other business in the village, a recycling venture, was set up by locals after the last recession hit 'because employment was hard to get'. It now employs seven people. 'They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I tell you, it also takes a village to save its pub,' he said, adding that the bar 'was our last meeting place'. 'We just couldn't see the people in the village having no place to go to because otherwise it is just a group of houses.' The ownership group is also considering how best to use a shop premises that was included in the pub sale. 'There were a few suggestions but I don't think we would get away with some of them,' Mr O'Dea added. Another member of the group, barrister Liam Carroll, said rural pubs are dying out all over the country. While acknowledging there is little or no profit to be had in such a venture, Mr Carroll said he would still encourage others elsewhere to do likewise for the good of their communities. 'Hopefully we can keep it going, employ a few people and harness the community spirit that we have on tap here.'
