The pub remains open while the search for a new owner is underway
Chaplin’s Bar in Bandon(Image: Daft)
West Cork has no shortage of top-class local pubs, and now one long-serving publican is getting ready to step out from behind the bar after almost four decades behind the counter. Chaplin’s Bar in Bandon was purchased by Councillor John Collins and his late wife, Mary, back in 1988, and as he prepares for retirement, John says there’s plenty to look back on fondly.
John entered the pub trade at 18, and after taking a liking to it, he spent several years working at Foley’s Bar in Ballineen before trying his hand at running his own pub. The Bandon-Kinsale councillor rented out another pub in Bandon and spent some time running it before Chaplin’s hit the market, and he decided to take a chance on it.
What followed was a decades-long career filled with familiar chats behind the bar, brilliant sporting moments, and, of course, plenty of pint pulling. Now in his sixties, John continues to run the pub as he searches for a buyer who will keep the doors open for many years to come.
The listing on Daft.ie highlights the bar’s great location – just a ten-minute walk from the town centre – its impressive trading figures and potential for growth as Bandon continues to expand. The bar comes fitted with a very cosy, traditional interior, a well-maintained coldroom, an outdoor seating area, bathrooms and a two-bedroom apartment on the first floor for potential publicans who fancy the world’s shortest commute.
The counter at Chaplin’s(Image: Daft)
As for the price, it has not been publicly listed but will be made available to prospective buyers upon application. John says the decision to sell wasn’t taken lightly, but that at this stage in his life, he needs to spend more time on other affairs.
He told CorkBeo: “Before I bought Chaplins, I spent four years working for a good friend of mine at Foley’s Bar in Ballineen. After that, I rented a bar in Bandon in 1987 and spent some time running it before Chaplin’s came up for sale, and I took a chance on it.
“I started out in bars at 18, and I got to like the trade. At that time, a lot of people were heading abroad, and after working in Foley’s, I was either going out on my own or immigrating.
“I’ve had Chaplin’s for 38 years. I was involved with other bars in Cork during that time, and I rented Chaplin’s out between 1996 and 2008, but since then, I’ve been back behind the bar here. Now I’ll be 61 in April, and I’m getting older; I’m finding I need to spend more time on other affairs, and this business needs someone who can commit the time to it.”
John’s time at Chaplins was not without its challenges, and over the last 38 years, it has survived everything from massive unemployment spikes and recessions to more recent problems like the pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
However, no matter what was going on outside his doors, John kept the taps flowing inside Chaplin’s and put the challenges down to ‘a simple fact of life.’
The cosy traditional pub has a lot to offer(Image: Daft)
John continued: “When I was starting off here in the 80s, unemployment was very high at the time, and since then, we’ve faced our own challenges throughout the years.
“Challenges are a natural part of business. Every trade has been hit by the cost of living crisis, and before that, it was Covid, and before that it was the recession. The bar and restaurant business was hit particularly hard during Covid, and I’m sure there will be different challenges over the next twenty years – but that’s life, and these challenges can always be overcome.
“We’ve had some fabulous times here. Italia ’90 was an extraordinary time because even for people who didn’t have an interest in soccer, it was such a big occasion. We’ve had great GAA wins like the Cork double, a good few local victories; it’s been great here down through the years.
“In the early days, my late wife Mary and I lived over the bar until 1996, and we even had our first child here. I’ve had nothing but a good time here, and I’ve made some fabulous friends.”
While John said he’d welcome someone with new ideas, he’d also be happy to impart some wisdom to any new owner who wanted to take over the reins at Chaplins.
He concluded: “The next person who comes in will have their own ideas. I’d have no problem if they want to take my advice, but we all have our own ways of doing things.
“It’s been a great local bar for all its time here, and it’s very personal; you’d know most of your customers on first-name terms. We’ve run it quite well and built up lots of friendships – I think you’d want somebody personable to fit in well here, the bar has that feel about it.”
You can find out more about Chaplins via the Daft.ie listing here.