'I thought we were heading towards a boom period,' says Cork publican Ernest Cantillon

The owner of Sober Lane and Electric talks about new obstacles facing the industry post-Covid

Ernest Cantillon invested nearly €1m in both Electric and Sober Lane during the pandemic so that both establishments would be revamped when the restrictions were lifted. Picture: Denis Scannell

Ernest Cantillon went against the grain when he opened his first pub in Cork. Both his parents studied law and his siblings ended up joining their father’s law firm.

Mr Cantillon now hopes that his own children won’t follow in his footsteps by going into the pub business.