{"id":653363,"date":"2026-10-13T10:58:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T10:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/653363\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T10:58:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T10:58:19","slug":"the-pubs-of-cork-name-of-former-gardas-pub-inspired-by-his-tattoo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/653363\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pubs of Cork: Name of former garda\u2019s pub inspired by his tattoo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eoghan Healy\u2019s son Liam is not talking in jest when he says when the family pub in Midleton opened, punters jokingly referred to it as \u2018The Bridewell!\u201d<\/p>\n

Why was that?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s because I was in the guards for 34 years,\u201d laughs Eoghan. \u201cThe customers were having the cr\u00e1ic and the bit of banter!\u201d<\/p>\n

The bar on Connolly Street in the town is named Jesters. How did it get that name?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really want to know?\u201d asks Eoghan.<\/p>\n

I do.<\/p>\n

\u201cDad has a number of tattoos, jesters and harlequins,\u201d says Liam. \u201cWe thought the jester logo was catchy so we called the pub Jesters.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s better than Bridewell!<\/p>\n

\u201cJesters was previously known as An Teach Beag before I bought it after covid in 2021 when I retired,\u201d says Eoghan. \u201cIt had been closed for three and a half years, and I thought it had potential being located in the middle of town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why did Liam, of Ballinlough, fancy swapping being on the beat for life as a publican?<\/p>\n

\"Eoghan\u2019sEoghan\u2019s tattoo gave the pub its name.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always liked the idea of owning my own place,\u201d says Eoghan. \u201cAnd Liam here has always been involved in bar work, and my other son, Tadgh, is a keen barman too. We are really enjoying it.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can teach an old dog new tricks, I joke.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can, to be sure!\u201d says Eoghan. \u201cLearning new skills is great and walking into a place every day where you enjoy working is great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liam added: \u201cWe got a great welcome in Midleton, and have a great relationship with all the other publicans in the town. They were very supportive, giving us good advice when we opened.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was no joke taking on a new business after covid was it?<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember walking in here the first day and saying to myself, \u2018Am I mad?\u2019\u201d says Eoghan.<\/p>\n

The bonhomie of the cosy pub, with a sporting ethos and a love for music and chat, along with the cheerful, colourful jester characters decorating the walls and a vivid mural of Midleton in years gone by, make for a merry spot for a cohort of regulars.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a diverse range of customers,\u201d says Liam. \u201cWe have the older, retired people, then the younger crew, which is nice. We know all our customers by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe customers know the three Healy men.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve grown our own clientele,\u201d says Liam. \u201cMost of them sit in the same spot in the pub where they might play cards or board games, and a game of darts is always on the go. Our darts team are very enthusiastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

What sort of bar did the Healy\u2019s envisage Jesters to be when they opened up?<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you asked me what sort of bar I had in mind, I couldn\u2019t tell you,\u201d says Eoghan. \u201c I am heavily into sport, and I\u2019m involved with the local rugby club and team. Along with our customers, we enjoy regular pub outings, and we visited Kenmare Golf Society recently.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LiamLiam and his father Eoghan Healy, are owners of Jesters in Midleton. The bar trade can be difficult, but all the pubs in the town feed off each other and offer something different, says Liam.\tPicture: Noel Sweeney<\/p>\n

One year into opening, in October, 2023, the pub was flooded during Storm Babet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did better than the vast majority of businesses affected in Midleton,\u201d Eoghan says. \u201cA foot-and-a-half of water poured in, and Liam here stacked everything up high. Outside the front door, the car park was under three feet of water. I had to cycle through the floods to get here in the days following the floods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone rowed in.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople called in, asking what jobs they could do,\u201d recalls Eoghan. \u201cThey all got jobs doing something cleaning up for four days.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe helpers were drinking coffees and eating chips standing up!\u201d<\/p>\n

Liam was good to go, taking over the morning shift from his dad as things settled down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got into bar work part-time when I was in college,\u201d he says. \u201cAs I got more used to bar work, I decided that nine to five every day was not for me. And I couldn\u2019t sit at a desk day in, day out. The routine of it wasn\u2019t for me.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cI really liked the bar gig. I like the semi-chaos of the bar. I like getting to know the customers and being a friend to them. Leaving your stresses at the door and having a smile on your face is part of the job.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

What does Eoghan like about his second career as a publican?<\/p>\n

\u201cI like the way of life,\u201d he says. \u201cI like the cr\u00e1ic. I like having to work no nights. I did nights long enough! We have seven staff working here, and I jump it when it suits me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eoghan can turn his hand to DIY. \u201cBefore lockdown, a pipe burst and we had to do some updating and rewiring. We haven\u2019t touched the beer garden yet. That is our next project.\u201d<\/p>\n

And what\u2019s Liam\u2019s next project?<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting married!\u201d he says laughing. \u201cThat and buying a house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liam admits running a pub can be difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trade can be tough, but I think in a town like Midleton all the pubs feed off each other,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people seek peace and quiet having a drink, some seek out live bands, others want pub grub and music sessions. All the pubs have a different atmosphere, and I think Jesters has a unique atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connolly Street is a friendly place. \u201cAngela and Dave in the corner shop across the street for 30 years now are great neighbours. There\u2019s a nice buzz on the street and a nice coffee shop on the corner.\u201d<\/p>\n

The season of good cheer is looming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m on the Christmas lights committee,\u201d says Eoghan. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to be involved in activities in the town and be part of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do the Healy men see eye to eye where business is concerned?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t fight,\u201d says Liam. \u201cWe have debates! We talk about the next step forward and the choices we should make.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LiamLiam and Eoghan Healy outside of Jesters.Picture: Noel Sweeney<\/p>\n

The Friday afternoon music sessions are a good choice. \u201cLocal musicians strike up a tune for an hour or so,\u201d says Liam. \u201cPeople enjoy a bit of a music session after work before they head home. We see the friendliest faces.\u201d<\/p>\n

People have that \u2018Friday\u2019 feeling?<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is in a good mood,\u201d says Liam.<\/p>\n

Mum is in a good mood too at times.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is always available for wine-tasting!\u201d says Liam. \u201cAnd when we are experimenting getting the cocktail mixes right as well! Mum keeps an eye on us.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are the best sellers?<\/p>\n

\u201cCoors for sure,\u201d says Liam. \u201cAnd Guinness and Budweiser in the beginning. The young gang tend to like Beamish. Blarney Brewing Company keeps us stocked up with IPAs, Indian pale ale, and New England pale ale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eoghan says being a publican is a lifestyle.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cYou\u2019re not in it to make money. You always have company.\n <\/p>\n

\u201cHuman contact is great and there is always something to talk about; what match is coming up in the Premier League, what\u2019s happening in the town.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd chatting to people, cheering up somebody\u2019s day, is always satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Eoghan Healy\u2019s son Liam is not talking in jest when he says when the family pub in Midleton…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":653364,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,43164,61,60,30122,10414],"class_list":["post-653363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-east-cork","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-midleton","tag-pub"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653363","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=653363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/653364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=653363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=653363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=653363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}