The Village Pubs of Cork: 'We read about Irish pubs closing: we decided to take one on'

A pub at a five-crossroad junction is a rare thing - and it is even rarer to find one run by a new-to-the-parish American.

Out the road from Clonakilty, towards Dunmanway, after about 12km of windy roads and sharp turns, Tots Pub appears.

Its pebbledash facade gives it a 1980s or ’90s appearance, though the pub itself dates back to the 1800s.

On entering, you recognise its vintage. The counter greets you immediately, then you notice the colourful walls, cluttered with photos and memorabilia, all under a relatively low ceiling. A door down the back leads to an extra space with a pool table and dart board, similar in vintage.

When I arrive, the area is in the middle of a power cut. I’ve been in Tots before, but seeing it in the darkness of a winter afternoon, lit only by candles, its long history as a village pub feels more pronounced.

The lights are due back on at 5.30pm or 6pm.

Since July, 2025, the pub has been leased by Jonathan ‘Jon’ Miller, from Michigan, and his Tipperary-born wife Marian Cawley, who have taken on the running of the business following the retirement of long-time publican and owner Vincent Dullea.

For Jon, running Tots and living in West Cork marks a huge change in direction. He spent nearly 30 years working as a chemical engineer in the automotive industry, most of that time with Ford Motor Company.

“I worked in automotive interiors for about 25 years and then nearly five years in battery development,” Jon says, speaking from behind the dimly lit counter “ It’s a big change, but one we were ready for.”

Marion, who is originally from Nenagh, is a trained chef. For years, they mulled over the idea of moving to Ireland and doing something within the food business. The idea of running a pub came later.

“We’d always talked about moving back. We were reading about pubs closing and thought maybe there was a way to take one on and keep it going, and eventually bring food into it,” Jon says.

They looked at several options around the country, Marian says, including one in Waterford, but it was West Cork that stood out.

The couple had spent many Christmas holidays in the Clonakilty area, often staying for extended periods.

“When this place became available, we came down just to have a look and a drink. There was an immediate good feeling about it,” Marian explains.

Jon officially arrived to start work on July 7, having flown from Detroit to Dublin and driven south. He arrived shortly before opening time.

That first evening coincided with a farewell gathering for a local man heading to Australia.

“The place filled up and we just worked away. That was my introduction to it,” he says.

As with his fellow American publican at The Algiers in Baltimore, featured last week in this series, Jon too notices an Irish quirk - the importance of serving drinks in the correct glass.

“It’s very different,” he says. “In the States, a bar might have 40 beers on tap, but they all go into the same glass.

“Here, everyone has a preference, different branded glasses, different shapes. People are very particular,” he says smiling.

“But people have been very patient and very helpful,” he adds. “There’s a strong sense of goodwill here.”

The couple say they have been struck by how welcoming the local community has been, and by how central the pub remains to daily life in the area.

“You realise quickly that it’s more than a business. It’s a social place, a meeting place,” Jon says.

The lights suddenly come back on. With them, the owners of Tots, Vincent and Carmel Dullea, arrive.

The building itself has a long history, dating back to the late 19th century. It shows. Character permeates the walls, which made it an ideal location for a recent episode of the traditional Irish music Show Ceól Tire on TG4.

Vincent, whose family has owned the pub for three generations, says the adjoining house likely dates from around 1868 or 1870.

“There was an O’Sullivan man ran the pub for a time in the late 1800s. But my grandmother Kate Nyhan came here around 1900 with her husband John Ryan, and they started the bar as we know it,” said Vincent.

Tragedy marked the early years. Ryan died around 1910, leaving Kate widowed. She remarried a few years later, but her second husband also died young, in 1915, just months before their daughter was born.

“My mother, Mary Catherine Juliet, was born in early 1916,” said Vincent. “She was an only child, small, and everyone locally called her ‘Tot’. That name stayed with her.”

Although the pub was known locally as Tots for many years, the name was not officially used until much later.

“It was always called Tots by people around here,” Vincent says. “But it wasn’t really formalised until about 30 years ago.”

Mary ran the pub for many years, later marrying Charles Dullea, a retired Garda, in 1950, and her uncle was Rev Canon Ó Connell of Enniskeane who was involved with The Boys of Kilmichael Flying Column - 36 gunmen and scouts who were led by Tom Barry when they successfully ambushed the Black and Tans on November 28, 1920.

Vincent, one of five children, grew up in the house and attended Ballygurteen school just up the road.

After qualifying as a secondary school teacher, he spent more than 15 years teaching in Cork city and around the county. When his mother died in 1994, he returned home and took over the running of the pub in 1995.

“I ran it from then until last year,” he says. “Nearly 30 years altogether.”

During his time behind the counter, Vincent has seen significant changes in the rural pub trade.

“When I was young, pubs opened early and stayed open all day. Farmers would call in after the creamery in the morning. Tradesmen and workers would come later.” He says.

A flax mill a few miles away was a big employer locally and provided a steady flow of customers to Tots.

“You’d have 15 or 20 men coming in together after work. That was a big part of the business then,” Vincent says.

Weekends are now busier than weekdays, and people tend to drink earlier in the evening.

The pub has long been associated with local sport, particularly hurling, football and road bowling. Competitive scores have often passed through Ballygurteen, and Tots has hosted county and provincial finals over the years.

“It’s always been part of community life,” says Vincent.

He and his wife Carmel, who is from Glounthaune, decided last year that it was time to step back from running the pub.

“It wasn’t because business was bad. We were just ready to slow down a bit,” Vincent explains.

Leasing the pub to Marian and Jon felt like the right decision.

“Our main hope was that the place would stay open and continue serving the area,” he says.

For Jon and Marian, stepping into a pub with such a long history brings a sense of responsibility. “You’re very aware that you’re only the current custodian,” Jon says. “There’s a lot of history here.”

He says he has also noticed similarities between rural West Cork and the area of Michigan where he grew up.

“We lived between two towns, on dirt roads, surrounded by farmland,” he says. “There’s a familiarity to it.”

While Jon says he still feels like he’s settling in, he says every day brings something new. “It hasn’t been repetitive. Every day is different.”