27/10/2025
The time has come to say goodbye. O’Connell’s Bar will close to the public on Thursday, October 30th 2025, at whatever time I become too emotional to carry on.
I would like to thank all the staff and customers who have passed through our doors since we first opened, 64 years ago.
There has been a lot of good times over the years, and also some sad times. We remember our many friends, the likes of Timmy Fitz and John Kavanagh to name just two, who have passed away, but whose memories, like all the others, will never be forgotten.
But the good times, oh the good times, and we have had so many. From birthdays to anniversaries, births, christenings, weddings, and the odd good funeral. Sporting events from the Jack Charlton era, to Champion’s League finals, to All Ireland’s. The meteoric rise of Charleville hurling, and of course, the North Cork football champions. We celebrated them all, the good times and bad, and boy did we have fun doing it.
To all the musicians and DJs who kept us entertained over the years, and a special mention to Tommy Gammell, we thank you for your music and the joy it brought us.
To my family, my wife Monica, sons David and Mark, and daughter Ciara, the 40 years I’ve been running the pub would not have been possible without your help and support. My brother Philip, sisters Catherine (Katie) and Mary-T, and their families, thanks for the belief ye had in me over the years, and for trusting me to carry on our parents’ legacy.
And of course the staff, especially our longest serving members, Alan Fitzgibbon, Josie O’Connell, and Keith Ward, and all the others who played their part in making the place such a great venue over the years, I thank you.
While I am so sad that the pub will be closing, we now move on to the next chapter in our lives. I sincerely wish to thank everyone who shared our journey, and look forward to meeting with you to share our memories, and reminisce on the good times we had.
We’ll miss you, but thank you.
-Tadgh
