Residents of Limerick village join forces to save its last pub

David Raleigh

Residents of a Co Limerick village have pooled their money and pulled together to cancel last orders at their local pub.

The group, involving 25 men and one woman, bought the former Ahern’s pub in Kilteely, which was on the market for €300,000, as they feared it would be closed for good after the previous owners retired.

It has been rebranded as The Street Bar by the group, none of whom has pub trade experience. Among them is a barrister, a psychologist, a solicitor, a pharmacist, a carpenter, an accountant, a teacher, farmers, builders, electricians and others.

The idea came about as locals in Kilteely had seen the closure of a range of businesses – pubs, shops, post offices and a creamery – in the not too distant past and were keen to avoid another loss in their small community.

Noel O’Dea, a landscape gardener who invested in the pub, said the only other business in the village, a recycling venture, was set up by locals after the last recession hit “because employment was hard to get”. It now employs seven people.

“They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I tell you, it also takes a village to save its pub,” he said, adding that the bar “was our last meeting place”.

“We just couldn’t see the people in the village having no place to go to because otherwise it is just a group of houses.”

The ownership group is also considering how best to use a shop premises that was included in the pub sale.

“There were a few suggestions but I don’t think we would get away with some of them,” Mr O’Dea added.

Another member of the group, barrister Liam Carroll, said rural pubs are dying out all over the country.

While acknowledging there is little or no profit to be had in such a venture, Mr Carroll said he would still encourage others elsewhere to do likewise for the good of their communities.

“Hopefully we can keep it going, employ a few people and harness the community spirit that we have on tap here.”