Eoghan’s journey from classroom to behind his bar
EOGHAN TOOK BRAVE STEP OF LEAVING THE CLASSROOM BEHIND TO OPEN DROMISKIN BAR
After spending 14 years working as a secondary school teacher in both the classroom and as an educational consultant, Eoghan Herity got the notion to owning a pub, a strange thought for a person who had never worked behind a bar, but one that saw the culmination of him not only owning, but actually building one of the most popular bars in mid Louth, Herity’s Bar (Tig Hig) in Dromiskin.
The idea first came to Eoghan in the mid nineties while working as a history teacher in Bush Post Primary School, he did find time to check out one or two pubs when they came up for sale, but they turned out to be well above what he had in mind.
At this time in his educational life Eoghan had moved out of the classroom and was the Adult Education Guidance Officer for the VEC in the whole of County Louth and was splitting his time between Dundalk and Drogheda. It was during this period that he read about the law changes pertaining to rural pubs. Up until that point, a new pub couldn’t open within a distance of a mile from an existing one. But the laws had then changed and this gave Eoghan the idea of opening a second pub in the village that he grew up in.
Up until that point the only licensed premises had been Ginnety’s Bar, but this now gave him the opportunity to do exactly what he wanted. Ginnety’s had been somewhat of an institution in Dromiskin. It had been run by three generations of the Ginnety family. But by the time 1996 came along owner Matt Ginnety decided it was time to retire and sold the premises.
Directly opposite the pub on the crossroads was a shed, also owned by Mr. Ginnety that was adjacent to a paddock owned by Eoghan’s family, and when Matt decided to sell the shed the following year, Eoghan decided on purchasing it.
In the early 2000s he put together a plan, approached an architect and when the drawings came together in a way that suited him, he put them forward for planning permission while seeking a
financial institution to back his project.
Never having worked behind a bar, he decided some experience in the trade was necessary. While working in Drogheda he visited Clarke’s Bar in Fair Street for his regular coffee, then being run by Fionnula Keenan. There he spoke of his impending plans, and Fionnula suggested that they might be able to help each other in the form of her being able to take a rare break and Eoghan to get a chance to run a pub for himself. They arranged a meeting and on a sheet of paper Fionnula outlined key points in her daily routine, ranging from opening in the morning to doing the bank lodgment. She then got up from the table laid her keys beside the sheet of paper and told him she’d see him in six weeks! This took place over a period between January and February 2002.
In the coming months planning permission was granted, a loan secured from the Ulster Bank, and construction commenced on the site of the shed and paddock in October 2002. Herity’s Bar opened its doors for the very first time at 7.50pm Wednesday 30th April 2003.
Eoghan had been very particular about what he wanted in his pub. The premises is divided into two spaces with a bar and lounge area in each, but yet it has an all in one feel. A visit to the technicians in Harp Lager here in town saw that the cool room for the draught be located directly behind the bar and many have said that this short feed has gained the pub the reputation of having some of the best beer on tap and the stout has already gained legendary status throughout the county.
On its opening in April 2003 Herity’s hit the ground running and the place was packed continually for a number of years afterwards. Even though the village could then boast two bars, it didn’t seem to affect either and both remained hugely popular until the untimely fire in October 2007 when Ginnety’s was accidentally burned to the ground.
Being the only pub in the village Eoghan ran the place exactly how he wanted to and this certainly worked with the locals who took to the place and made it their regular haunt. They have become a very interactive group and are hugely generous whenever the pub lends its name to any charity events like Cancer Research, Multiple Sclerosis, Irish Heart Foundation, Children’s Hospital Crumlin and any local needy causes.
The pub is also extremely sport orientated. With a number of strategically positioned televisions, they enjoy everything from soccer, rugby and GAA with local club St. Joseph’s taking pride of place in the bar. Since the resurgence of Dundalk FC over the last six years (mostly put down to the leadership of Stephen Kenny), the pub have also amassed a big travelling contingent who regularly make their way to away games in Dublin as part of the Black & White Army.
Surprisingly one of the most popular facets of the pub’s activities is their football buster which runs every week. Now in the capable hands of Jason Mulligan and Jim Byrne the buster can have as many as 60 people participating on any given week. The pub also prides itself in the fact they also sell lottery tickets for the two most important institutions in Dromiskin, the Parish Draw and St. Joseph’s GFC draw, the latter being expertly marshalled by Gerry ‘ The Crow’ Kinahan and Oliver Corrigan.
But it hasn’t always been plain sailing where Herity’s has been concerned. It successfully rode the crest of the wave during the Celtic Tiger, but Eoghan can pinpoint the start of the pub’s journey into the last recession to a week in September 2008. Along with its competitors, it had to cut its cloth to suit and had to wade through to survive, which it did.
This year’s pandemic brought the doors closed on March 15th and they remained that way until September 21st when it reopened for a mere 16 days and has been closed ever since.
This is now the start of the third week of the six week closure, so what can Eoghan see for the future of Herity’s bar? ‘ This pandemic is a very serious thing both for the people and for our trade. I’ve had to fight before during the recession and believe me I’m up for the fight again this time. Whenever these unforeseen circumstances are brought to an end, I will be waiting with open arms and an open front door, ready to welcome everyone back so we can continue where we left off at the start of the year.’
Herity’s is very much a family run business with his mother Mary B. overseeing meticulously all the bookkeeping duties. He even suggested that his son Cáelem (the junior celebrity pint puller) will now be old enough to join the team and continue to make Herity’s a pub you can relax and enjoy a few drinks in for many years to come.