The Pubs of Cork: 'The pub was always part of my life'

Unlike her great-grandparents, Anne Barry, née Tracy, didn’t arrive by pony and trap at The Nook in Youghal to set up shop. She took a jet plane from London to take over the family pub.

“The Nook was always part of my life,” says Anne, who worked in finance in London before relocating home nine years ago.

She loves sweet Youghal Bay.

“As a child, I used to swim out the Front Strand,” says Anne. “Now we have a house there.”

She is delighted her twin boys, Sean and Eoin, 13, can enjoy all the things she did as a child.

“I have great memories of growing up in Youghal, and of my grandmother Maureen, who was a popular figure in the town and who had a great relationship with her regular customers here in The Nook. I remember the lads coming in for a pint and walking across the strand to Redbarn to the dance afterwards.”

Does Anne miss the Big Smoke?

“I miss the buzz of a big city sometimes,” says Anne who is married to Emmet. “But Youghal is home.”

This morning, the pitch pine pub counter is laden with goodies like home-made bread and butter pudding, tea brack, and rhubarb pie ready for the regular daytime coffee gang.

The Nook recently celebrated its 125th year.

“We had a fabulous party here to mark it,” says Anne.

“Meeting up again with all the old-timers, the familiar locals, the many day-trippers coming to Youghal was fantastic. There was plenty music played, songs sang, and stories told.”

Love stories began in The Nook, on Youghal’s North Main Street.

“So many couples met here in the ballroom of romance out the back,” says Anne.

“The lounge and dance hall my grandfather Joe built on was music central. The bar was packed seven nights a week. The floors were packed with dancers. There was full employment in Youghal in the 1970s. Everywhere was buzzing.”

One local fisherman remembers winning a bottle of rum for catching the first salmon of the season on St Brigid’s Day, February 1.

“And there was a ‘name that tune’ competition, run by the resident band here,” says Anne.

“The prize money rolled over each week if nobody guessed the tune.”

One clever punter used his contacts. “He rang his friend, band leader Mick Delahunty, who had the answer straight away!”

Con and Conor are regulars in The Nook.

“We know exactly the time they come in for their coffee break every day,” says Anne. “It is brewing when they are on the way.”

Why such a strict routine, lads?

“We really like the coffee and scones here!” says Con. “Our office is a couple of doors down. Everyone knows who we are.”

Conor has disappeared.

“He’s left me to pay!” says Con laughing.

The regulars are welcome every day in The Nook.

“My dad, Michael, now 72, pops in every day,” says Anne. “He loves pottering about, overseeing things and meeting old friends. He loves the chats.”

Anne loves that customers come from further afield to visit The Nook.

“People come here from Cork, Dungarvan, Waterford,” she says. “The Nook seems to be part of people’s outings to enjoy a pint or to meet up. We are lucky with our fabulous locals too. They are reassured that we are open seven days a week from 10am onwards.”

Anne sets up shop early seven days a week.

“The cleaning and cooking is done and we are ready to roll by 10am.”

Eavan Foley rolls up her sleeves earlier to make the delicious home-made goodies displayed on the counter inside the door. Where did she learn her craft?

“My mother Phyliss had a B&B,” says Eavan, cutting a decent slice of new season rhubarb pie.

“I have no formal qualifications. I never went to Ballymaloe Cookery School, for example. I didn’t do any cookery courses.”

She learned from the best.

“Mum is a great baker,” says Eavan.

Cameron Smyth behind the bar is part of The Nook clan.

“I love working here,” Cameron says. “We are like a small family.”

The pub, a step away from Walter Raleigh House, has lots of history.

“The front was a grocery store,” says Anne. “In the late 1970s, it changed to an off-licence. When the big supermarkets came to town we set up the food business, serving toasties, lunch, cakes, and desserts.”

Anne learned from the best too.

“Grandad Joe had great vision. He always made the right changes at the right time to progress. He had great gimmicks.”

Like what?

“He’d put up a bottle of whiskey for the best singer on the night,” says Anne.

Was that a bit risky if the winner decided to indulge in his prize?

“It was a baby bottle of whiskey,” laughs Anne.

Is the cráic still as good in The Nook as it was in the good old days?

“I think people don’t socialise in the pub as much as before,” says Anne. “Young people spend money to go out for one good night at the weekend, which is good. People don’t tend to go out during the week, which is understandable. The smoking ban changed pub trends a lot. The pub business can be challenging with the high cost of rates for instance.”

Anne looks on the bright side of life “The cráic is still good!”

How good?

“Well, a while back we had a good-humoured customer enjoying a fine afternoon out in the beer garden.”

He lingered in the fine weather.

“At midnight, I found him sound asleep in the beer garden,” says Anne. “I couldn’t rouse him.”

But she did eventually.

“I poured a glass of water over his face! We had a good laugh about it afterwards.”

Are the twins game ball to take over the reins of The Nook, which has been in the same family for 125 years?

“I’d like it if one of them took over the business some day,” says Anne.

They are getting a handle on the business.

“They can both pull a good pint!”

Anne, taking over the reins from the generations who made their mark here, is quite happy in home sweet home.

“There is no place quite like Youghal,” says Anne.