'I'd be afraid €15m for rural pubs will go nowhere. Is Ballincollig rural? Carrigaline?'
Budget 2027. Publican Niall O'Mahony of O'Mahony's Bar, Newcestown, Co Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins
To say O'Mahony's Bar is at the heart of life in the village of Newcestown, 12kms from Bandon and 40kms from Cork city, would be an understatement.
Newcestown's only pub sits across the road from the church, and is a vital part of rural village life. "I'm a third generation publican. My grandfather bought the pub in 1932, and my dad took it over in 1960," said Niall. "I have two teenagers. Whether there will be a fourth generation in the trade is the burning question."
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Like many places across Ireland, the pub is a key part of local social life in Newcestown.
"This is a small rural village and we are the main centre. Christenings happen here, funerals happen here. We've had movie nights. We had a GAA fundraiser this year. 90% of the village's fundraisers are in this pub. This is a great community, and the community is great to the pub, but the pub is also great for the community. They go hand in hand."
As part of the Budget 2027 measures announced on Wednesday, Tánaiste and finance minister Simon Harris said €15m will be invested in rural Ireland to help "keep our pub doors open". Mr Harris said further details of how the money will be spent will be worked out with enterprise minister Peter Burke in the coming weeks.
Rural Ireland has seen 2,200 pubs disappear since 2005. In Cork, there were 1,221 pubs in 2005. That had fallen to 821 by 2025.
Given no announcement has been made in how the funding will be allocated, Niall believes the devil is in the detail for rural publicans. "How will the €15m be paid out - is it on rebates on kegs, or on rates, or on square footage? And what is a rural pub. Is Ballincollig rural? Is Carrigaline?" he asked.
"I'd be afraid €15m will go nowhere, and will hardly pay for a new padlock for every pub in the countryside, with all the other costs, and with minimum wage up again. It's a drop in the ocean. I know other things are important, but so is rural life."
Rising costs, which have hit all parts of the economy in recent years, have hit rural pubs like O'Mahony's hard. "Electricity is one of the biggest ones. I have five compressors and I'm only a small local pub - two to cool the beer, and three for the premises and the fridges. I'm paying about €1,800 every two months, and it was already up to about €1,500 last year. That's unsustainable," said Niall.
"I don't know what's coming down the line. I see some villages losing their pub and they are losing their identity."
One nearby village lost its pub for three years, which Niall said was "devastating" for that village. "They were like lost sheep trying to find a corner where they can fit in. And that's the worry for people. Isolation is a terrible fear. There's a knock-on effect for everyone, for older people especially."
