‘The cash flow is zero and the stock is now going out of date’
KAT E O’Leary and her staff at The Laurels Bar in Killarney would normally be teeming with anticipation at this time of year as Killarney gears itself for the hectic tourist season. Instead, the premises is empty and staff are having to cope with job losses.
Kate is the third generation of her family to run the popular public house on Main Street.
“For me, personally, this has been very hard as my parents were away when I had to make the decision to close down,” Kate says.
“It was emotional as this had never happened in my grandfather or father’s time. I felt so bad but at the same time I had to protect my staff, customers and my parents from the virus. We were all so upset and it was just an awful feeling.”
Kate says that she keeps in touch with her staff and encourages them to keep the ‘spirits up’. She feels everyone agrees that closing the pubs was the right decision as health comes first.
“It was the right decision. But we’ve promised to have a big party for the staff when all this is over. We have a super team and I know we’ll come back from this,” she says.
Killarney is the tourist capital of Ireland and enforced closure is a double blow for publicans at a time when tourists would be flocking to town. The realisation that 2020 may have to go down as ‘a loss’ is one gaining traction by the day.
“I think the nine percent (tourism VAT rate) served us well for a long time and I think we’re going to need it back again,” Kate says.
“The cash flow is zero and there is stock going out of date. But we’re in the best town in Ireland and we’ll come back. The one thing about Killarney is that businesses are so good at coming together, this will stand to us.
“I always say to the staff that we’re so lucky we don’t work in an ordinary pub in an ordinary town. The people coming into us are always in great form and this creates a very positive work environment. Please god we’ll see these days again.”
Lastly, Kate praises Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for his
THE CLOSURE WAS EMOTIONAL AS NOTHING LIKE THIS HAD EVER HAPPENED IN OUR HISTORY IN THE LAUREL’S BAR