![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5002661_3_articleinlinemobile_Copy_20of_20Aherne_27s_20Townhouse_20_26_20Seafood_20Bar_2c_20Youghal_.jpeg\" "\\"David")
David Fitzgibbon and his brother John took over Aherne\u2019s in the early 1990s. \tPicture: David Creedon<\/p>\nAfter more than 30 years as the co-owner of Aherne\u2019s Townhouse and Seafood Restaurant in Youghal, David Fitzgibbon is taking to the hills.<\/p>\n
One of the country\u2019s best-known seafood restaurants has been sold, and David is eyeing up some much-needed leisure time.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing in this business, we always had to take our annual holidays in November,\u201d says David, who is co-owner with his brother John and who is also head chef. Their wives, Gaye and Kate are involved in the day-to-day business as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always loved Donegal and its hills,\u201d says David. \u201cBut who wants to go to Donegal in November?\u201d<\/p>\n
Now that sale agreed for the North Main Street in Youghal premises is sorted, David, who is retiring, can spread his wings wherever his fancy takes him.<\/p>\n
Why now?<\/p>\n
\u201cI have the bus pass now!\u201d says David, laughing. \u201cSo it is well time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The business has been running for more than 100 years, through three generations of the same family.<\/p>\n
There was a time when Madge and Jimmy Aherne sold pints of Guinness and pounds of butter. When their daughter Betty married a dashing Dub, army Captain Jerry Fitzgibbon, it was the start of a new era for Aherne\u2019s, which is in the same family since 1923.<\/p>\n
Betty and Jerry\u2019s sons, David and John, took over the business from their parents in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n
Aherne\u2019s, situated by the River Blackwater on the Cork\/Waterford border, has a history of longevity.<\/p>\n
David Fitzgibbon and his brother John took over Aherne\u2019s in the early 1990s. \tPicture: David Creedon<\/p>\n
Ann Cronin has worked there for 45 years. She has no notion of retiring.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur famous brown bread is Ann\u2019s secret recipe,\u201d says David. \u201cWorking here was Ann\u2019s first summer job, and the rest is history.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ann\u2019s memory serves her well.<\/p>\n
\u201cJerry Fitzgibbbon interviewed me and his wife Betty asked me how soon could I start?\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n
Ann soon got into the swing of things.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went in on a Wednesday with no waitressing experience at all and I am here ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over time, Ann went on to work for David and John who was also a Captain in the army.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are like second family to me,\u201d says Ann, 73. \u201cI felt at home straight away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ann has served some distinguished guests down the years.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe late Derek Davis enjoyed coming to east Cork for fishing,\u201d says Ann. \u201cHe was often in and out of here for his lunch or his dinner. Derek was very nice. A real gentleman.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cI also had the pleasure of serving former president Mary Robinson, who is a lovely lady and so friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is a framed letter from 1970 in the lounge from Taoiseach Jack Lynch thanking the Ahernes for their hospitality.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a lot of visitors of note over the years,\u201d says David. \u201cSome had to be put to bed after a good night!\u201d<\/p>\n
Now the Fitzgibbon brothers are putting the family business to bed.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve had a long innings and have a long connection to the premises.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember at age 11 in primary school and cycling home,\u201d says David. \u201cIt was always really busy here at lunchtime. I\u2019d drop my bike and work the lunch hour.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was chauffeured back to school.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe CEO of Seafield Fabrics came in most days for his lunch. I got a ride with him back in his car to school! I thought nothing of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I could drive, I remember driving over to Ballycotton Seafood on a Friday night for fresh fish.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting to know the regular holiday-makers coming to Youghal every summer was lovely. We enjoyed catching up and sharing our news with one another.\u201d<\/p>\n
Good news travels fast.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of our trainee chefs was heading to Dublin,\u201d says David. \u201cWhen he brought his CV with him to Trocadero Restaurant and they saw that he had worked here, he was asked to start work the same night.\u201d<\/p>\n
David himself served his time at Arbutus Lodge in Cork, Kelly\u2019s of Rosslare, and Nico\u2019s in London, where Paul Flynn was head chef.<\/p>\n
Time moved on, and the brothers moved home to their toots.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad was getting older,\u201d says David. \u201cJohn and I took over the business building on 14 bedrooms in the early \u201990s.\u201d<\/p>\n
What way was the Irish economy back then?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe borrowed \u00a3350,000 and we paid back \u00a367,000, the interest was so high,\u201d says David.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question then was could you afford to pay back the interest and not the loan.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, trade was good for the Fitzgibbons in sweet Youghal Bay, the fresh fish was plentiful, and the punters came from near and far.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocal trade was always the backbone of the business,\u201d says David.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we were fortunate that people from Cork, Dungarvan and Clonmel continued to travel to dine here over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Businesses everywhere floundered during the crash 18 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe crash of 2008 changed everything,\u201d says David. \u201cWe were lucky to bounce back. The family always prided family and tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aherne\u2019s was traditionally a fine dining experience in a cosy welcoming atmosphere.<\/p>\n
People enjoyed a tipple here too.<\/p>\n
![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5002664_3_articleinlinemobile_Copy_20of_20Aherne_27s_20Townhouse_20_26_20Seafood_20Bar_2c_20Youghal_.jpeg\" "\\"David")
David and Gaye Fitzgibbon, of Aherne\u2019s Seafood Bar in Youghal, Co. Cork.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember this guy who had no food. He had lots to drink,\u201d says David.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were worried when he fell asleep at the counter and we couldn\u2019t wake him up. Before, he might dose off and wake up again. But not this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
What did David and his crew do?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe called the ambulance and the guards,\u201d says David. \u201cThe man woke up as he was carried out the door!\u201d<\/p>\n
Some memories never fade.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ironman event brought great community spirit and energy to the town,\u201d says David. \u201cIt gave Youghal that extra profile.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stories were handed down in the bar.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cMy dad told me that on the last night of filming of Moby Dick, there was a free bar for the whole town!\u201d\n <\/p>\n
Will David miss sharing stories with his patrons?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll miss meeting people,\u201d he says,<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone was always in good form coming in here. They were out for enjoyment and a good time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve met so many interesting people from all over the world. I do think the hospitality trade is for young people. The 40 years we were here has flown by.\u201d<\/p>\n
What did David and the staff talk to the holidaymakers about?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question was always, what brought you here?\u201d<\/p>\n
David says that even being at \u2018the end\u2019 of the county, people always enjoyed coming to sweet Youghal Bay and enjoying what its surroundings had on offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had some brilliant summers,\u201d says David.<\/p>\n
Now he is looking forward to more brilliant summers at a slower pace.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be great to be off in the summer,\u201d says David.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I am asked, can you? Will you? I can say yes, yes, yes!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After more than 30 years as the co-owner of Aherne\u2019s Townhouse and Seafood Restaurant in Youghal, David Fitzgibbon…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":348937,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,43164,61,60,10414,34582],"class_list":["post-348936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-east-cork","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-pub","tag-youghal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348936\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}