The Pubs of Cork: 'It's more than a business, it’s my second home'

Ó Súilleabháin’s bar - or ‘Johno’s’ as it is affectionately known by locals - has been a mainstay on the corner of Church Street and Douglas West for more than 70 years.

In fact, it changed the face of Douglas back in the 1950s when the original owner, the eponymous John, took matters into his own hands to improve access to the premises.

“There was a wall going up the back road that my father decided to knock down,” said Donal O’Sullivan, son of John and current owner. “One morning he went out early with a sledgehammer and knocked the wall, and that’s the reason that the back of this road goes through the village.”

It’s hard to imagine a time before the busy back Douglas road existed, but when John O’Sullivan opened his pub in April, 1955, the now affluent suburb was just a rural village.

“It was in the country,” says Donal. “There were fields around it.”

John had learned his trade working in his brother’s pub in the city. His decision to open his own business out in ‘the country’ proved a success, with the pub celebrating its 70th year in business last spring.

John O’Sullivan died ten years ago, but he worked behind the bar until he was 90. A black and white photo of him at work in his youth takes pride of place in the pub, which was originally known as The New Look.

“It was the first place to have a television”, says Donal. “People used to be peeping in the window to watch whatever was on at the time.”

Not just known for its high-tech facilities, The New Look also served as a clubhouse for local GAA team and soccer teams, as Donal notes: “My dad would say that on a Saturday afternoon the Guinness would be pouring out the bottom of the door. They’d all be drinking after their matches. We used to have an old room where they’d change their clothes, go and play different matches, and then come back”.

Donal bought the pub from his father in 2001. Despite spending time working in different establishments in Dublin, he has always been involved in the family business and has worked in Ó Súilleabháin’s since he was 19. He oversaw significant renovations in 2006, where they started to prioritise their food offerings - but this wasn’t their first venture into serving food.

“Years ago, there used to be chickens on a spit rotating at the end of the counter. You can imagine coming in and smelling the roast chickens. You couldn’t resist that!”

The food continues to bring in the customers - though nowadays this is mostly based on Google reviews rather than tempting aromas! Since the covid pandemic, Ó Súilleabháin’s has rebranded as a gastropub.

“[The pandemic] pushed us down that line and people are very happy with it,” notes Donal. “People want food and drink. They want to be able to have something to eat while they’re out.”

If a visitor from the mid-20th century were to walk into Ó Súilleabháin’s today, it’s not just the lack of rotisserie chickens they would notice. The clientele has changed.

“Before, we would have been predominately men, but it’s predominately women now,” Donal explains. 

“Women tend to eat out a lot more and they meet friends for cocktails, wine, and food. Women are more social like that.

“Men might go to a regular bar, but when there’s more of a food aspect, it’s women.”

Ó Súilleabháin’s operates a late bar on Saturday, which has proven a big draw for people planning parties. It also helps to attract a younger crowd, offering an alternative to a night out in the city. Consumer behaviour has changed significantly since the pandemic, though, with big nights out becoming less popular. The late-night vibe in Douglas never came back after 2020.

“People are kind of out early, home early,” says Donal. I ask why.

“Oh, just the whole thing. They don’t want to be sick in the morning. They might have to drive kids to sports or whatever they’re doing. Young people are doing Hyrox (an indoor fitness competition) and going sea swimming on a Sunday morning. They’re not coming out of the bar at two in the morning. And look, it’s the cost.”

The ever-increasing expense of nights out aside, there’s also a whole cohort of young people who never got into the habit, as Donal notes: “If you were 18 to 21 in 2020 - now 25, 26 - all those years where you would have been going to nightclubs were lost to covid. They never got into it. We lost that generation.”

With the market changing, Ó Súilleabháin’s have a broad consumer base in mind. Douglas is a suburb packed with families, and the pub has become a destination for not just their special occasions, but general meals out. “The food we serve is family friendly,” says Donal. “It’s not fine dining, it’s good quality bar food. Wings and burgers and stuff like that. You can come with your 16-year-old or your grandparents.”

On the day I visit, there are locals propping up the bar and families in for lunch with small kids in high-chairs. Donal tells me they often get young people coming in just to munch on a portion of wings. Friday mornings are particularly busy with builders calling in for their breakfast. “We try to hit most markets,” he acknowledges.

The bar continues to be a family business, with Donal’s daughters - Abby, Isabel, Emily and Róisín - all involved to some extent. All four worked the Christmas Eve shift with their dad last year. Despite having a staff of 70, the pub retains its family-run feel.

Donal may be the owner of a successful pub, but he stresses that the sector is not without its challenges.

 “Costs - costs of produce, costs of electricity, costs of everything. It’s very, very hard for the consumer to adjust to the pricing that we have to do to make it work.

“I’m a consumer. I’m aware of how expensive it is to go out. But this is it - we are now a high-cost economy and this is the result of it.”

Donal credits hard work and constant innovation to Ó Súilleabháin’s success. They now have solar panels on their roof in an attempt to bring down electricity costs. They ensure the pub is kept to the highest possible standards.

“If there is any negative feedback,” says Donal, “we change and adjust. We make sure we keep up with technology - social media drives that on. We’re lucky to have a car park. That helps us in the village. And, you know, not to praise myself, but it’s owner-driven and you have to keep on driving the standards.”

Being the owner of his family business gives Donal a sense of pride, but a huge sense of responsibility as well. If something goes astray, it’s hard not to take it personally. “It’s more than just a business. It’s your second home.”

As one of Douglas’ most popular pubs, Ó Súilleabháin’s is likely considered a second home by more than just Donal. In its seven decades of serving food and drink - from its rural beginnings to its sprawling suburban present - the pub has become something of an institution in the village. What would Johno make of the establishment in 2026?

“I hope that he would be proud of the changes we have made,” says his son. Looking around the busy bar at customers enjoying their lunch, it’s hard to imagine otherwise.