01/11/2026
Sometimes I wonder why I keep plugging away at keeping Hole in the Wall going.
For sure, I'm a retiree and should be doing things that retirees do. 19th hole. Flights abroad. Patisseries in Paris etc.
And yet, Hole in the Wall and everything involved in making it function is getting me out of bed. It has been a routine part of one's day for over 16 years - and more.
A question could be why? Or what is the drive?
It is hardly known. Even locally.
It doesn't generate a life sustaining salary for me. Taxman puts paid to that. It struggles to maintain itself and evolve. The tourism machine or local authorities of Ireland give it no support.
A banker was in recently. She'd been w the bank when they forwarded the money as a loan to revive the building. From the surprise she expressed that the place is working at all, I begin to think that the bank expected me to fail and that they were to recoup their loan money through disposal of a house that acted as a guarantee? Hardly, is it? Yeah, I suppose? Mind you, on recalling the pressures applied by bankers when they, as a group, screwed people they lent to in order to save their own skins, that Hole in the Wall is still on my hands is a mystery.
As anno domini advances, question does arise. And there's quite a few odds and ends that need tidying up and full exploitation of what Hole in the Wall can present to the tourism industry stands awaited.
There's a bad review about Hole in the Wall from back when it opened after the Covid disaster. And the woman who posted it on TripAdviser refused to amend it when asked, after sauntering in, the other night. If over 400 reviews are v positive and a review fits none of the pattern it supports the logical observation that hers was a misinterpretation of what happened. It matters little to Hole in the Wall now. But reflects poorly on the person who posts. Raises questions.
On checking recent TripAdviser posts in search of another misdirected barrage, the reason for plugging away with the 'product' that is, and can be, Hole in the Wall surfaced.
It was posted in June 2026 (and missed by me until today). Marc is considered a significant contributor to reviews by TripAdviser. He's considered a Superstar Authority by the organisation. He certainly knows how to pitch reviews.
Anyone with a soupçon of negativity towards Hole in the Wall would be drawn in by his introduction. Hard to find, small, Guinness tap etc etc. But he got it. And something of what it represents. The word "regales" identifying the USP.
Must write it all up sometime. Forgotten more than I recall, though! No Guinness due to a failed coupling won't be forgotten though!
Time to write up the programme for the weeks ahead.
Niamh Strong in March 2027!
