‘Running a pub is a way of life... we’re very happy with it’

All the stops are being pulled out for a 50th birthday celebration when I stop by at The Killumney Inn on a busy Saturday morning.

Tessie Sheahan is hoovering and dusting, making sure everything is ship-shape.

“I can pop out to the hairdresser next door any time!” says Tessie, sporting a sleek blow-dry. “I’m just back from there. It’s one of the perks to be so near her!”

Michael Sheahan has a bit of banter with his wife when our photographer asks them to step outside for a picture in front of their premises, previously owned by Michael’s parents.

“The wind is going to blow your hair away!” Michael quips.

Tessie is still game ball. “Let’s do it!” she says.

Michael is not of this parish. He was born in the Windy City. “I was born in Chicago and returned to Ireland when I was two years old,” he says. “My grandmother in Armagh reared me. I came back to Cork at 16. And I loved going to school in Grange.”

The school loved him.

“They loved my Northern Irish lilt!” says Michael.

“My dad had returned from the U.S, and he was managing the Briar Rose.”

Michael and Tessie have been living and working in The Killumney In Ovens for 43 years now.”

What was it like growing up in Armagh for Michael during The Troubles?

“Things didn’t really click until I went to school,” he says. “Fortunately, our family were not affected by The Troubles, even though it could be dangerous and scary at times.”

Michael started in the pub industry at the bottom of the ladder.

“I was the ‘pot man’! I collected the glasses and I cleaned all the tables and the ashtrays in the pub. Stocking the shelves was part of the job.”

He didn’t complain.

“Even as a youngster, I liked the company in here every day,” says Michael. “I got to know the regular customers, and they got to know me. To this day, we have very nice regulars who come in for the chat and for the dinner.

“Many older people live alone around here, and they like to meet for lunch during the week and at weekends too. Often, somebody could come in for lunch at 1pm and still be here talking at 9pm!”

It wasn’t always thus.

“For some of our elderly customers, it took them a long time for them to come back after covid,” says Michael. “They were nervous mixing with people. We were glad to see them out and about again.”

“One fellow used to come in when we opened earlier at 10.30am,” recalls Michael. “He’d sit at the counter and order a half pint of beer. He’d chat away to the staff for hours. He enjoyed and appreciated the company.”

The company is good, the pints are good, and the grub is good at the Killumney Inn.

“We serve wholesome traditional food,” says Michael. “It goes down well!”

How did he and his wife meet?

“I met Tessie in The Angler’s Rest,” Michael says.

They make a good team.

“I am going to Portugal next week with my daughter for a week’s holiday,” says Tessie. “When I come back, Michael is off on his motorbike to Spain and Portugal for three weeks. He gets to go away for longer.”

It’s a man’s world.

“It is, most of the time,” Tessie agrees. “Even though I do a lot of the work!”

Does raising a family together, living together, working together and thriving in business together prove tricky or testing at all?

“We’re well used to each other now!” says Michael. “Our kids are good to give us a hand and our staff, summer staff, and full-timers, are all very pleasant and obliging.”

The couple are well used to looking after their local customers very well, and very accustomed to looking after people passing through the area for their own reasons.

“Very often, people travelling home to west Cork stop off here for their lunch when they are attending hospital appointments,” Michael says.

“For many of them, The Killumney Inn is a regular stop-off on their journey home.

“Last week, we had a group of Italian tourists who called in on their way to Dingle. There are a lot of B&B’s in the area. So we get a lot of tourists visiting here.”

The locals often take over the joint.

“When Cork are playing a match, the Cork jerseys are jammed into the car park,” says Michael. “The place comes alive!”

The Killumney Inn has expanded over the years.

“I wanted to modernise the pub and I built on a kitchen and a restaurant,” Michael says. “The beer garden is another addition and on a nice sunny day people love to sit out there and relax with a drink or a cuppa, having a chat or a read of the newspaper.”

Michael, like his late father, was always ambitious.

“I wanted to create an open, well-run, clean, cheerful bar staffed by nice people for nice people,” he says.

“Expansion was always on the cards after I took over the pub. Now we can cater for all types of events; parties, the day after weddings, community gatherings, funerals, and match crowds.”

Michael and Tessie don’t rest on their laurels. “It is full-on, seven days a week,” says Michael. “We must keep on top of it and there’s not much rest. Things can change so fast as we saw with lockdown.”

What are the best things about owning a charming country pub near the city?

“You are your own boss,” says Michael.

Is he sure about that?

“Well, I suppose Tessie is the real boss!” he says laughing.

“Our life is a way of life. We know nothing else. And we are very happy with it. Yes, challenges include the rising costs of food and electricity. Getting staff proved hard enough in the past. We have a great group working here at the moment.”

Did Michael ever re-visit Chicago?

“I did once to have a look,” he says. “It is part of my heritage.”

His Harley Davidson and Triumph motorbikes are part of his leisure time when he rides off into the sunset with a few buddies.

“It’s funny, but we tend to be quieter in the summertime,” says Michael. “The winter looks after itself.

“We always say the wind and rain is good for business!

“On sunny days, people head for the coast. Sunday is always our busiest day when people come from near and far for the roast Sunday dinner. I suppose you’d call us a very friendly gastro pub.”

Tessie, putting the hoover away, calls out to her husband.

“What do you want for your lunch?

It’s a man’s world. For sure.