Mark Roche (right) and business colleague Bruno Szmelter, in the Castle Inn, Bray. Photo: Leigh Anderson.
In an era when pubs across the country are closing their doors amid rising costs and changing drinking habits, the decision to re-open a large premises in County Wicklow after years of closure seems a bold one.
Yet at the northern entrance to Bray, a familiar building has been given a new sense of purpose under the stewardship of experienced publican Mark Roche. While the pub’s provenance goes back to the 1970s, first as Cullinane’s, then McCormack’s, Kenny’s and later, Kavanagh’s, this is a new chapter, one the new owner feels will give it a well-needed contemporary twist.