McKEOWN’S A SPORTS FAN’S HAVEN
BEST KNOWN AS A LOUTH GAA SUPPORTER JIM AND FAMILY’S BAR FOLLOWS ALL SPORTS
Being able to move with the times has been a major part of the success of Jim, Margaret and Pat McKeown when it comes to owning and running a pub and this can be seen in the astute moves they have made before turning their pub McKeown’s in Clanbrassil Street into one of the best run and most respected in the whole of Dundalk.
In his early days, Jim who hails from Darver/Dromiskin worked in construction before he decided to dip his toe in the pub trade. His first venture owning and running a bar can be traced back to 1965 when he made a successful bid on the Snug bar in Baileboro. He had a very successful ten years in the Cavan town before somewhere closer to home came on the market in 1975.
The Readypenny Inn became available and he jumped at the chance of taking it on as he saw the opportunity of servicing the local mid Louth trade along with a very lucrative passing trade on the road between Ardee and Dundalk. It was during his time there he realised that another move was on the cards and bought Charlie Reilly’s bar in Crowe Street in 1984.
He continued to run both for the next four years but with the changes in the drink driving laws (a major clampdown with increased checkpoints breathalysers and heavy fines for those caught) realised his days were numbered as the Readypenny Inn was a country roadhouse and sold it on in 1988 to concentrate on his pub in Dundalk.
Charlie Reilly’s proved successful to him and his family for the next four years, but when Michael Rice’s Bar in Clanbrassil Street came on the market in 1992, they knew that this was their ultimate move and successfully bought the premises off the then owner Ramie Sheeran who was retiring from the trade.
The bar itself had been in the Rice family for over 100 years and as many others was both a grocery shop and small bar at the rear. Primarily it had been run by Michael and sons Liam and Johnny continued the tradition. Although there were another two owners before Mr. Sheeran, he kept up the high levels of service for ten years before his retirement. The grocery shop had also disappeared during the years before he took over and it had an excellent reputation as a bar when Jim and family took over in early 1992.
However Jim and Margaret had major plans for the bar which now proudly boasted the McKeown name outside and over the next couple of months, completely renovated the premises with extraordinary attention to detail.
When they took over, the original bar ran the length of the main room and the staircase leading to the first floor left the bar extremely narrow throughout. With the help of builder Larry Connolly and Jim’s cousin artist Micheal McKeown an innovative design was drawn up to remove the staircase and knock into adjoining room which had housed the toilets for the pub and a small snug bar at the rear. This expanded the width of the bar and doubled the size of the premises.
But by doubling its size it left the extension extremely dark with no natural light gaining access due to an absence of windows. However their answer was extremely ingenious. They removed the floor from a room on the first floor and fitted two large roof lights to brighten up the extended bar.
They then made a complete replica of the original bar in the new extension which also included a lounge area at the rear, keeping as much of the original character as possible throughout. They finished off the look with a centre piece fireplace which was retrieved from a room on the first floor. The toilets were then relocated to the back of the premises and access to the remaining first floor rooms were gained by hiding the staircase beside the toilets. With an emphasis to detail, the brand new renovation dovetailed perfectly into the original bar and they reopened McKeown in September of 1992.
Such was the quality of their work that after only one year open the bar won Louth’s best newcomer award in the Black & White Pub of the year in 1994 and this gave them the impetus go to one to even bigger and better ventures in the years to come.
When the smoking ban was introduced in 2004 the builders were called in again, this time to create a compact space at the rear of the premises and over the years a small beer garden was included in this set up.
Never ones to stand still for too long, during the first lockdown the toilets were completely refurbished with tiles, paint and fixtures to improve the facilities on offer in the pub.
Another feature McKeown’s have become renowned for is their floral display which can be seen on the front of pub. They have been the recipients of a number of local Tidy Towns awards for this feature and all credit has gone to the late John McDonnell from Lurgangreen who was responsible for providing the wonderful colour down through the years.
Although live entertainment has never featured in the pub’s itinerary they are never short events to keep their regulars satisfied. Along with weekly draws, they also include such competitions as ‘ last man standing’ ‘Cheltenham competitions’ and are regulars for filling buses to various sporting occasions.
They are probably best known for their buses to Louth GAA games the length and breadth of the country. Jim has had a lifelong affiliation with the Louth team and was chairman of the Louth Supporters Club for many years. Since 1995 McKeown’s was the only place to call to if you wanted tickets and travel to any of their league and championship games. However over the years they have now amalgamated with various pubs throughout the country to keep this tradition alive.
Sport has always played an integral part of the pub’s culture with Jim having more than a passing interest in horse racing (being part of syndicates that produced such winners as Native Dara and Steel Duke) it has become a popular venue during the day to watch the best from various race tracks around Ireland and Britain. However, McKeown’s have also become renowned for their annual pilgrimage to Cheltenham and there aren’t too many courses left in Ireland that hasn’t had the pleasure of been visited by McKeown’s ‘on tour’.
Their tours aren’t just limited to cheer on the quadrupeds, they also regularly head for Dublin for FAI cup finals and European games thanks to the success brought to Dundalk FC over the six years that a certain Stephen Kenny and his charges were winning all in front of them. Although the pub has a fondness for the English Premiership, they can boast a very large Liverpool
following and have organised a number of trips to see their heroes in action in Anfield, much to the dismay of a number of cranky Everton fans who also drink there.
Another regular call to the local bus companies has been to facilitate their 30 strong Golfing Society which was set up in their first year in business. This has seen them pack their clubs twice a year to sample the best courses Spain, Portugal and Turkey have to offer. They also find time to play on different courses around Ireland at least eight times a year.
With the pub’s central location in town, their daytime trade is very brisk and since their inception they have continued to serve a great range of soup and sandwiches which have been lovingly prepared in the kitchen which is located on the first floor. Although the driving force of the operation Jim McKeown may have taken his retirement back in 2005 the pub can guarantee a welcoming staff that includes son Pat along with, Barney Carolan and Claire Boylan who have been part of the success story from the early days, it certainly is a pub worth visiting at any time of the day or until closing time.
So how has the lockdown affected the bar? Owner Pat said ‘We have been completely closed throughout the lockdown and have made all the necessary changes to fit in with the government guidelines. We have implemented social distancing throughout the place, introducing a number of tall tables and seating away from the counter. I think that the vaccine will definitely help us to get up and going again. I’m optimistic that the bounce effect will be strong throughout the pub industry. It has been a horrible year and people are itching to get back out to meet up with friends and celebrate again. I’m looking forward to 2021 so we can get back to as close to normal again.’