Leap of faith as iconic West Cork pub Connolly's reopens

PASSING through the village of Leap in West Cork, you might be forgiven for not knowing how much musical history is contained within the unassuming pub near the bottom of the gently inclining thoroughfare.

But walk into the building, which is some 450 years old, and you can feel it, sense it, and see it on the walls — Connolly’s is one of those special places that Ireland does so well.

Its motto? ‘No sleep till... Connolly’s of Leap.’

Under the watchful eye and curious ear of the late Paddy McNicholl, who recorded — on cassette — practically everything that happened in the back room (Steve Albini wouldn’t let him record a Shellac gig there in 1998), the venue became beloved of countless bands from Ireland and much further afield.

The pub closed in November 2006, and Paddy passed away in 2010. The latest phase of the venue’s history began in October of this year when his wife Eileen and their son Sam secured a dance licence. And so, across 10 gigs over the next two weeks or so, beginning Friday, new memories are set to be made at Connolly’s.

Born in 1990, Sam recalls spending much of his childhood just watching the bands soundchecking, practising, hanging out with his father. “I really really missed it after it closed and there was always this thing in the back of my mind that I’d love to open it up.”

There wasn’t just one reason behind Connolly’s closure almost nine years ago to the day.

“It was a shift in the culture. There was a massive recession that hit Ireland as well. It really did affect a lot of rural pubs. The tourism in West Cork was hit. People’s leisure spending tightened a bit, they weren’t coming out to rural pubs as much. The music scene kind of lulled.

“My dad was getting older. He didn’t have that mad crazy spark he had when he was younger. He’d been doing it for 25 years. He hadn’t really become complacent or anything, he was just a bit more chilled, didn’t have the drive to get everyone down.”

Upcycling and refurbishment are the tenets of Connolly’s 2.0. The new bar counter is made of the old snooker table, a new dancefloor has been installed, and the balcony has been reinforced — don’t worry, though, the Pink Floyd hammers backdrop is still adorning the stage.

Only announcing the reopening and lineup last week, there was a massive outpouring of love on social media. “It’s crazy,” says a humbled Sam. “And that has nothing to do with me whatsoever. This project is about Ireland, it’s about culture in Ireland.”

There are many stories that illustrate the legacy of Connolly’s but the one involving Father Ted himself probably best exemplifies the magic that Paddy McNicholl fostered.

“Dermot Morgan came to do stand-up at the place and Dad gave him a wireless microphone and Dermot went on walkabout around the village. He went to other bars, walked across the road with the wireless microphone and did standup in one of the bars over there, with the people in Connolly’s all listening to it. And he asked Dad not to record it,” says Sam. But Paddy managed to record it anyway.

As the venue gets back on its feet, Sam says he hopes people will come down and immerse themselves in West Cork. “Everything goes in cycles, everything has its day and its time and its moment. Fingers crossed this will work and be a success, that people come out and support it.”

Connollys of Leap reopens with Donal Dineen and Talos on Friday