‘It was our local’ – How 13 loyal customers teamed up to give rural Waterford pub a new lease of life

Haughton's pub, at Haughton's Cross, is located adjacent to the N25 in Ross, Kilmeaden, about 12km from Waterford city and close to the popular Waterford Greenway. The premises is believed to date back 200 years and exudes old world character and charm.

Bucking the nationwide trend for pub closures, Haughton's is now open again for business on the weekends and Friday evenings, having been saved by 13 regulars who set up a committee and are its shareholders.

The previous owners, Gerry and Margaret O'Connell, retired from the trade in August last year. One of the 13 friends, Sean Lyons, said Haughton's was their local and they couldn't bear see it lie empty and idle.

"It was our local," said Sean. The men are close friends in the village who enjoy trips away together and Haughton's was the centre of that life.

"There are other pubs around, but they're serving food and there wouldn't be the same atmosphere. One of the lads, Don Flynn, approached the owners and said would they be interested in leasing it out. They were unsure what they were going to do with it."

Haughton's has a special character and atmosphere, said Sean. A drinks licence is understood to have been in place since 1900, but the pub has been there for much longer. "We figure the pub is maybe 200 years old. We know there has been a building there for 200 years anyway."

The licence has been transferred to the new management team, who operate it as a not-for-profit enterprise.

There is a TV, but only used for sports events, no wi-fi, and customers are encouraged to chat away from their phones.

"The TV is rarely if ever put on. It's the kind of place that you go into, and sit near the fire and have the chat, a sing-song, or a game of cards," said Sean. "It's not a modern pub in any way nor would you want it to be."

Some of the 13 friends have skills which enabled them to easily reopen the pub – one man is an accountant who handled the books, while another is a trainee solicitor who took care of the legal issues.

"I'm an engineer. We're all involved in businesses or trades – one of the lads is an electrician, one is a mechanic, one is a carpenter. One of the lads works in stock control in stores. We all have different skills sets," said Sean. "We're old friends. Most of us are from the area, or not far from it, or moved in quite a while ago. We're all mates from quite a long time."

The opening hours are Fridays and Saturdays, from 6pm to close, and on Sundays from 4pm until close. Haughton's opened on Halloween night to cater for that night's special festivities, and companies have expressed an interest for group nights out.

The friends take turns pulling the pints, and all proceeds are put back into the voluntary business.

"Our goal is to just have it open. Any money that we generate is put back in. Potentially, if we can build up a pot, we will try and hire someone, or at least take certain shifts that takes a bit of pressure off of us."

A report from the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) showed that 2,054 pubs have closed down within the past 20 years. For many, this represents the death knell of the beating heart of many Irish villages.

Sean said it hasn't been easy to re-open Haughton's, but they feel passionate about the project.

"We feel strongly that way. We wouldn't have done what we did, only for that. I don't know if this is a model, because if you were to run it as a business, it may be difficult. Our goal is to have it open. If all 13 of us were in it to make money, that would be a difficult proposition."

Many pubs that are family owned, or have no rent, and if they had to go and buy a pub in a country area, it would be "very difficult". "Our expenses are very low, because we're doing it all ourselves. Having said that, the support we've got since we re-opened has been phenomenal."

Haugthon's is on the main Cork to Waterford road, but still set in a quiet rural area. There would have been a lot of passing trade over the years, coming from GAA matches in Waterford city or Dungarvan.

"We're getting a lot of that. People calling out to have a look. The atmosphere is great and anyone who comes really enjoys it and wants to come back. It's taken a lot of energy to get it up and running but so far it's been great," added Sean.