Cork publican confirmed as new owner of popular Douglas watering hole

Publican Kieran Horgan, owner of The Bishopstown Bar, has been confirmed as the new owner of the South County pub and restaurant in Douglas.

Mr Horgan, who also owns the Arches bar in Mallow, as well as several Dublin pubs, bought the well-known Douglas watering hole in a deal valued at €1.8m-2m.

The landmark premises, which has been owned and run by the O’Connor family since the 1970s, was acquired by the well-known publican in the last week or so.

The South County, run by husband-and-wife team Tom and Maebh O’Connor and employing about 30 staff, has long been popular with both locals and tourists.

While widely regarded as a traditional Irish pub, it also developed a strong reputation for food, live music, and hospitality, regularly hosting live music sessions, gigs, and tour groups.

Operating for more than  200 years

According to the pub’s website, it has operated as a licensed premises for more than 200 years, with records showing refreshments were served there as far back as 1802, when Douglas was still a small village outside Cork city.

The modern era of the business began in the mid-1970s, when John and Mary O’Connor bought the pub from Beamish & Crawford.

At the time, the brewery owned a number of “tied houses” — pubs linked to the South Main Street brewers.

Their sons, Tom and Colm O’Connor, later took over in 1997 and 1998 after working in hospitality in the United States.

In the late 1990s, they refurbished the pub, expanded the food offering, and introduced regular live Irish music sessions.

A further major renovation in 2009 added the Guinness beer garden, upgraded kitchens, and eco-friendly features such as solar-powered hot water and rainwater harvesting.

Over the years, The South County built a reputation as a traditional Irish pub, featuring dark timber interiors, snug areas, open fires, whiskey selections, and live music several nights a week.