24/10/2026
The lady behind it all 🙌🏻 Proud to be keeping the family business alive 80 years on.
👤 Margaret Magee – The oldest barmaid
This month marks the 80th anniversary of Magees Pub in Crossgar, where its owner, Margaret Magee, eventually became the oldest barmaid in the British Isles.
Ma (as she was affectionately known) was born at her family farm at Ballymullock just outside Larne in 1893. She worked on the farm in her early years, but the story goes that one morning she only got one egg for breakfast, while her older brother got two. So she decided then that she would stop working on the farm to find her employment elsewhere.
She travelled to Newcastle and was employed in the Slieve Donard Hotel, where she learned her trade in the hospitality industry. She met James Magee there, who bought and sold poultry in County Down, and they eventually married. They had three children in Newcastle – Jean, Edward and Margaret, and lived on the Dundrum Road, Newcastle. However, during the war period their house was commandeered for the war effort because it had a yard attached and was deemed necessary for the American troops due to its close proximity to the train station in Newcastle.
The Magee family then moved to Crossgar and Margaret bought the Public House premises at 66 Downpatrick Street in October 1946. At that time, the pub was only one room. Over the years she bought adjacent houses and extended the pub due to increased demand. She also bottled her own Guinness at the rear of the property! A bike company also manufactured bicycles in a shed at the rear of the pub at that time as well.
In the early 1970s during The Troubles when few people socialised in Belfast, Margaret had the foresight to further extend her Pub and constructed a large lounge bar at the rear of the pub where she hosted many bands and charity events over the years. She lived on the premises for all her life with her oldest daughter Jean who worked alongside her in what was one of the busiest pubs in County Down. Margaret had a remarkable career and genuinely worked behind the bar until she was 99 1/2 years of age! She reached her 100th birthday in November 1993 and received her telegram from the Queen as well as a more personal letter from the Lord Lieutenant of Co Down. She passed away in December 1993 during the week before Christmas Day.
Margaret was always a philanthropist for the needy people in Crossgar over the years, and she carried out many charitable acts over the years without seeking any praise or publicity. She was well known for her sometimes abrupt personality with difficult customers, but she had a true heart of gold. Even to this very day, she is fondly referred to as ‘Ma Magee’. She had a vibrant personality and nobody had a bad word to say about her.
The pub has been passed down a futher three generations, with its new Maggies W**e Bar named in her honour.
