The Pubs of Cork: I just had to buy this place, I had no clue what I was doing

The Rolling Stones sang, ‘you can’t always get what you want’. But sometimes you can - Geraldine Kidd did.

“I was living in Ballycotton, and when I saw Barnabrow House, near Cloyne, up for sale, I just knew I wanted to buy it,” says Geraldine.

Why?

“I had delusions of grandeur!” she laughs.

Is that why her favourite tipple is champagne?

“And because champagne is purer,” adds Geraldine. “I never suffer a hangover like I do sometimes with wine. That or Guinness is my favourite tipple.”

Mór Chlúana, the historical ‘shebeen’ bar at Barnabrow House, wasn’t always so grand as it is now. It didn’t have the solid teak counter, the soft furnishings, the open fire or the selection of books to read while you enjoy a tipple and relax.

“The bar used to be the cottages where the workers lived,” says Geraldine. “I know the buildings date back to 1801. A lot of the archives were lost in a fire.

“When I arrived here there were lots of animals about, not people.

“We did a lot of renovations, and I opened for business on Paddy’s Day, 1998. The building progressed by degrees.”

“I had visions of living ‘the good life,” adds Geraldine. “I had no clue what I was doing!”

She changed careers and did the three-month cookery school at neighbouring Ballymaloe Cookery School, which gave her a clue as to what her forte was.

“I like the hospitality business,” says Geraldine.

She learned more about Mór Chlúana from the local workmen who helped with the renovations of the bar and the building.

“Legend has it that Mór Chlúana was a fairy goddess that dwelt in Cloyne near a fairy fort,” says Geraldine. “She was very beautiful and came here to Barnabrow for a visit. The house itself was an encumbered house, always leased or mortgaged. A lieutenant owned it at one point and he kept horses.”

The bar is at the top of a romantic trail, near the fairy trail, snuggled by the hills of east Cork.

“It is small and cosy,” says Geraldine. “People who come here enjoy their privacy, even though I like to chat to people who come into the bar, it is good to be discreet also.

“Mór Chluana is a hidden gem where people can meet up without interruption.”

Geraldine is a fan of snugs.

“When I lived in Dublin, I liked the lovely snugs there, like Ryan’s near Heuston Station. There is something cosy about them.”

I tell Geraldine that in my family pub in Oranmore, Co. Galway, the snug was reserved for women in the 1970s.

“That is right,” says Geraldine. “You’d always see women in the snug. Times have moved on.”

Can Geraldine, always discreet, let one or two famous names drop that were patrons at Mór Chlúana?

She laughs.

“Gay Byrne came in here when he was appearing at the Grainstore in Ballymaloe some years ago. Mary Harney was here and Sinead Sheppard, former member of the band Six, got married here 14 years ago. The wedding party enjoyed cocktails out on the deck sheltered by the trees after the celebratory toasts in the bar.”

Geraldine, a people-person, likes to stay in the background, making sure that everything is ship-shape.

“My staff rotate throughout the year,” she says. “They tend to be college students. With Ballymaloe so close by, there is an awareness of good food and good hospitality in east Cork.

“The snug, Mór Chlúana, has a real traditional rustic vibe, and often traditional music sessions are part and parcel of the bar.”

Geraldine often hosts private parties at Mór Chlúana. “I remember when I had young children and the barman got sick and I had to take over,” she says. “I served a party 17 people all evening. You could say I learned on the job!”

The lady likes a party. “It felt like I was at the party myself!” she recalls.

There was a different party animal in Mór Chlúana once upon a time.

“We had twin goats, and one of them was rejected by the mother,” says Geraldine. “I brought him in front of the fire in the snug and my neighbour came over with a wine bottle filled with beestings milk, a thick, nutrient-dense milk produced by a cow immediately after giving birth. I put a teat on the wine bottle and fed the goat.”

Did it do the trick to revive the goat?

“The goat got better and then it got sick again with an abscess on its spine,” says Geraldine.

“The beestings milk did the trick again. It is highly prized in farming and Irish tradition for its unique properties. When I brought the goat into the kitchen beside the Aga, he was jumping from one couch to the other! Mighty stuff!”

I think I’d rather a glass of champagne myself.

“Me too!” says Geraldine.

The feisty goat became a regular. “He appeared in the bar when there was a pre-drinks wedding party going on,” says Geraldine. “The Dublin people thought it was hilarious. They made a big circle around him. The poor goat was terrified. I had to get help from my son to catch him by the horns to let him into the field.”

What did people think?

“They thought it was a fertility ritual!”

The five donkeys and the pygmy goats often make for good conversation over a tipple.

“I called the goats Eeny, Meeny, Miny, and Moe,” says Geraldine. “There is 30 acres here, so they have plenty of scope.”

And access to the bar?

“On the rare occasion, yes!” she laughs.

Santa makes an appearance at Christmas.

“The children travel up the fairy ring to greet Santa where he starts his magical journey,” says Geraldine, who has hosted rugby teams, hen parties, and parties from afar in Mór Chlúana.

“I’m often in bed and can hear the revelry,” she says. “I remember one group of lads from Down Under who came here for a wedding. They had a secret code to give to the barman to get drinks for their mates. Only the Aussies could buy the drinks, no Irish allowed!

“Seemingly, Ireland is the only country that operates a paying bar for weddings. It is not usual in Europe the USA or Australia.”

Mór Chlúana is a popular haven for people near and far.

“Another time, we had Japanese guests and they came to the bar all dressed in kimonos. A beautiful sight,” says Geraldine.

She got what she wanted when she set her sights on Barnabrow House and acquired it, but says she has to stay on top of everything given the cost of living, the overheads, and staffing challenges in running a business.

“I try to streamline it and see what works and capitalise on that,” says Geraldine. “It’s a full-time job and it's hard work, but I really enjoy it.”

She is living the good life.