Dripsey’s former Griffins Garden Centre opens new restaurant, gift shop and grocery store

After months of closure, the Dripsey landmark opens a 100-seater restaurant and shop, led by a passionate local duo

An aerial shot of the former Griffins Garden Centre in Dripsey, on the banks of the River Lee, where local man John Buckley and his wife Kiera Buckley have just opened a new restaurant.  Picture: Larry Cummins

After a turbulent few years and an eight-month closure, the restaurant at the former Griffins Garden Centre in Dripsey has re-opened under new management — who will also operate a giftware store and small grocery shop at the well-known premises.

The c 8-acre garden centre, where the “home grown”, has always been championed, has been leased by home grown local man John Buckley, and his Fermanagh-born wife Kiera, for a five-year period. The couple also run The Boathouse cafe in nearby Coachford.

While running the new restaurant is the focus of their Dripsey expansion, the couple have not ruled out the return of a garden centre down the line.

“There is huge demand for a garden centre to open here and we have had a few interested parties talking to us, but for now, we are concentrating on the restaurant,” Mr Buckley said.

John and Kiera Buckley at The Boathouse overlooking the River Lee at Dripsey, Co Cork. Located in the former Griffins Garden Centre which then became Mc'D's Garden Centre. Picture: Larry Cummins

Since opening their first business in Coachford two years ago in a former Gala store, which Mr Buckley renovated, the couple are now employing 36 staff, both part-time and fulltime.

“When we drew up a business plan two years ago, my hope was to have six employees by now and to be well established in Coachford. We are up to 36 staff across both premises and nearly everyone working for us is within a five-mile radius,” he said.

Indoor dining area. John and Kiera Buckley at The Boathouse overlooking the River Lee at Dripsey, Co Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins

The Dripsey restaurant is a much bigger enterprise than the Coachford café and has indoor seating for more than 100 people and additional patio seating for c 20 more. It was previously occupied by Perry St Cafe, which closed last August. Perry St had operated from the garden centre while it was leased to Galway company McD’s Garden and Home store. However, McD’s went into liquidation last August, having operated at the Drispey location for less than two years. Prior to that, it had been a successful family business, run by Margaret Griffin and her husband John Fehilly for 35 years. They took the decision to close in November 2021 after John was diagnosed with cancer. He had been the chief grower at the garden centre, producing up to 360,000 plants per annum, with polytunnels spread across 4 acres. He now uses some of the space at the garden centre to display his collection of vintage tractors on fundraising days for the Irish Cancer Society.

Mr Buckley, who trained as a carpenter and went on to be a naval diver, as well as captaining the LE Órla during covid, grew up in Dripsey. “Myself and my family were up and down the road to Griffins the whole time,” he said. The closure of the garden centre had been a big blow for the whole community, Mr Buckley added.

The couple’s foray into hospitality was on the back of wanting a better work/life balance following the birth of their first child.

“Kiera, a baker, always had an itch to run her own business and have her home-baked goods on display. So when a vacant property in our local village [Coachford] came up, we thought it was perfect timing,” Mr Buckley said.

John and Kiera Buckley on the terrace at The Boathouse overlooking the River Lee at Dripsey, Co Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins

“Since we opened in Coachford, a friend opened a pub right next door. It’s like a little renaissance in the village,” Mr Buckley said.

Such was the demand for Kiera’s baking – including being asked to cater for private functions – that they later converted a horse box, which is still in use. Last year, their Coachford premises won two Best in Cork awards for Best Coffee and Best Breakfast.

“We’ve been incredibly lucky with staff. There’s been a very low turnover, so we’ve been able to set quality standards. Staff we had two years ago are still with us and we have parents whose kids have also come to work for us. My wife is the brains behind it all and thankfully, the local community is very supportive,” Mr Buckley said. That support includes garden centre landlady Margaret Griffin, who has volunteered to return to the centre to deliver talks on gardening to the general public.

The new premises, which had a soft launch last weekend, is set to open six days a week, with the exception of Sunday. The Boathouse in Coachford opens Tuesday through to Sunday.