Corkonians Abroad: ‘I left Cork to run an Irish bar in Germany’

Tell us about your early life in Cork, Eamonn

I grew up in Myrtleville, my parents bought Bunnyconnellan’s in 1976.

Before that, we lived in the city where my father owned the Marina Bar (luckily, he sold it on before Ford’s and Dunlop’s closed down).

I moved to London after college and worked in Langan’s Brasserie for 18 months before I moved to Germany in December, 1993.

What brought you to Germany?

I moved to Hamburg with a family friend - John Kerr, he was opening up an Irish pub and needed someone with bar experience to help him out. We were very green back in the day and learned a lot from each other.

We brought all the staff over from Cork, rented a large apartment, and we started our German adventure.

Opening up Finnegans with John (who sadly passed away recently in Cork, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to get to the funeral due to other commitments) was a daunting experience. Organising accommodation, and getting all the paperwork for staff and ourselves was difficult - in the mid-1990s, Germany was a very bureaucratically unfriendly place.

Living in Germany wasn’t all so bad, although you do miss the simple things (Barry’s teabags, the Examiner, proper spuds) so any time someone came to visit, they were swiftly given the shopping list!

When I first arrived in Hamburg, it was a major culture shock, not the fact that it was a large city (as I had already lived in London for two years previously) but the fact that very little English was spoken.

Although Hamburg has a reasonably OK educational system, most of the shop workers were originally from Eastern Germany (DDR) where they were taught Russian and not English as their second language.

Even though I studied European Business Studies and did a little German before I came over, it was difficult to do the simple things (shopping, doctor appointments, and of course the dreaded bureaucratic side of things).

Luckily for us, the Irish pub scene back then was booming, Germans love to adopt other cultures (hosting the World Cup in 2006 changed this, when they were proud again to fly their nation’s flag).

The business of bars

Working in the hospitality business isn’t for everyone, but as I was raised in the business I didn’t mind working when most people get to be off.

Occasionally, I would get a weekend off and spend time at the Baltic Sea with my son and then wife. Or we’d watch some local rugby team play a home game.

In 2013, I opened my Irish pub - Paddy’s Bar (named after my father - Paddy O’Brien). Lorenzo, my son, came on board after he finished school in 2015, and he helps to run the bar with me.

It’s a very successful business and we employ over 10 full-time/part-time staff.

Germans love travelling to Ireland, love the traditional Irish music pubs, so they expect those type of pubs in their own country.

It’s difficult sometimes explaining to them that not every pub in Ireland has that traditional feel. City pubs have a more business feel to them and that’s what I have now.

Paddy’s Bar is more of an ‘after work’ drinking establishment with office workers meeting up for four or five pints…. sometimes even staying on for the live music or karaoke!

I’m not 100% sure if there’s much of a difference in the pub scene in Ireland and Germany anymore. Years ago, pubs in Ireland were more socially acceptable with families hanging out, nowadays it’s more socially appropriate to meet outdoors or at some sports club.

Pubs in Germany are not the friendliest of places (Irish pubs excluded of course!). Everyone buys their own drinks. Even if you buy a German a pint, don’t expect him to buy you one back…

What is life like for you in Germany?

Having lived in Germany now for more than 31 years, I have become very Germanised - ‘Eingedeutsched’.

I always had this romantic notion to move back to Cork, but it always got more difficult over the years. Now I’m happy to stay here - well, for the time being at least.

Seven years ago, I opened another Irish pub - Paddy’s Anchor in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and began to buy rental properties there so that’s my retirement plan sorted!

We are currently opening our next Irish pub - The Irishman - situated closer to the red light/night life area of St Pauli. It’s a much bigger bar with more live music bands and karaoke nights planned... and as with all pubs, live sports is very important.

We show all the usual football, rugby, and GAA! Corcaigh abú.

What is your lifestyle like?

I have a great lifestyle nowadays, Nina, (the second wife, comes from Serbia), she helps out where she can, renovating the new pub, handyman jobs, etc, and we love the international flair Hamburg has to offer.

I do miss home, if I’m allowed to call Cork my home after 34 years living abroad, but I could never see myself moving back now.

Germany will never be home though, home is where the heart is, where you visit family and friends, and where my ashes will be spread when that time comes too.

Hamburg has changed a lot in these last 31 years, mostly for the better, although the somewhat very bureaucratic German culture does get very annoying at times.

I usually jet off to Gran Canaria once a month, but due to opening another pub recently in Hamburg, I have taken time off from travelling there.

I will need to go soon though to sign tax papers, due to being ‘Non Residente’ the rules are different for me - more strict as non-resident, so hopefully in another year or two, I will apply for Spanish residency and it gets much easier bureaucratically-wise there then.

Las Palmas is a great city, with a lively nightlife and very social.

The ‘digital nomad’ lifestyle has changed the whole city, making it a melting pot of cultures.

Paddy’s Anchor hosts lots of events - live music, karaoke, killer pool, pub crawls, and outings.

During the dreaded covid lockdowns, I started more running, competing a good few 10kms, and got to finish three half-marathons, although a dodgy knee has put a halt to that now.

We love going out for walks, we try to eat in different countries’ restaurants each month, concerts, cooking at home, and of course I love a pint or three with the locals in the pub.

Travelling is our main hobby, each year we try to experience something new.

So far, we’ve done F1 in Abu Dhabi, the summer Olympic Games in Paris, U2 in Las Vegas, hiking around The Azores, safari in Kenya, charity work in Tanzania, Expo in Dubai, and this week we’re off to Japan for the World Athletics Championships.

Cork will always be part of my culture, lifestyle, sporting, and musical tastes.

Long live The People’s Republic of Cork!