Billy O’Sullivan was the last person to talk to Sophie Toscan du Plantier
11:19, 15 Dec 2025Updated 11:22, 15 Dec 2025
Billy and Der O’Sullivan in Crookhaven(Image: O’Sullivan’s Bar)
The West Cork community is paying tribute to legendary business man and beloved grandfather Billy O’Sullivan, who has passed away at the age of 88.
Billy was the second generation in his family to run O’Sullivan’s in Crookhaven – famously the most southerly pub in Ireland – and turned it into a hotspot for tourists from all over the world.
His family shared the sad news this morning, saying: “He had a very full and happy life. We will celebrate it as we try and understand our lives without him.”
Billy, his family and the famously friendly O’Sullivan’s on the pier is a much loved spot for Cork people who have holidayed there for generations and visitors from all over the world who have made their way to the area.
The publican employed countless young people from the Mizen peninsula and all over county over the years as Leesiders flocked to Crookhaven in their droves every summer.
Billy O’Sullivan – RIP(Image: O’Sullivan’s Bar)
He is known across Cork as a man who worked tirelessly for his community all his life – caring passionately about village life and always looking for ways to help Crookhaven thrive.
In the late 60s, Billy was given a camera and used it to capture incredible footage of what life was like in Crookhaven at that time.
After going through the hard but worthwhile work of cataloguing all of the footage and converting it to digital form – the video now serves as a remarkable time capsule and can be watched on YouTube here.
Billy was the last person to speak to Sophie Toscan do Plantier and shared his experience in the high profile Netflix documentary series ‘Sophie: A Murder in West Cork’.
After the O’Sullivans announced the news of Billy’s passing on social media this morning, the comments section quickly filled up with tributes.
One person wrote: “So sorry to hear this , very fond memories of Billy and Angela when we regularly visited in the 70s.”
Another user said: “Sorry to hear of Billy’s passing, had some great summers there, back in the late 80s and nineties!”
O’Sullivan’s will remain closed for the coming days as the family plans his funeral. He will be fondly remembered at Crookhaven’s Winter Fair, which his family has been closely involved in organising.