![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4654937_62_articleinlinemobile_Village_20pubs_20of_20Cork_20logo_20online.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nA pub at a five-crossroad junction is a rare thing – and it is even rarer to find one run by a new-to-the-parish American.<\/p>\n
Out the road from Clonakilty, towards Dunmanway, after about 12km of windy roads and sharp turns, Tots Pub appears.<\/p>\n
Its pebbledash facade gives it a 1980s or \u201990s appearance, though the pub itself dates back to the 1800s.<\/p>\n
On entering, you recognise its vintage. The counter greets you immediately, then you notice the colourful walls, cluttered with photos and memorabilia, all under a relatively low ceiling. A door down the back leads to an extra space with a pool table and dart board, similar in vintage.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When I arrive, the area is in the middle of a power cut. I\u2019ve been in Tots before, but seeing it in the darkness of a winter afternoon, lit only by candles, its long history as a village pub feels more pronounced.<\/p>\n
The lights are due back on at 5.30pm or 6pm.<\/p>\n
Since July, 2025, the pub has been leased by Jonathan \u2018Jon\u2019 Miller, from Michigan, and his Tipperary-born wife Marian Cawley, who have taken on the running of the business following the retirement of long-time publican and owner Vincent Dullea.<\/p>\n
\n For Jon, running Tots and living in West Cork marks a huge change in direction. He spent nearly 30 years working as a chemical engineer in the automotive industry, most of that time with Ford Motor Company.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cI worked in automotive interiors for about 25 years and then nearly five years in battery development,\u201d Jon says, speaking from behind the dimly lit counter \u201c It\u2019s a big change, but one we were ready for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marion, who is originally from Nenagh, is a trained chef. For years, they mulled over the idea of moving to Ireland and doing something within the food business. The idea of running a pub came later.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d always talked about moving back. We were reading about pubs closing and thought maybe there was a way to take one on and keep it going, and eventually bring food into it,\u201d Jon says.<\/p>\n
They looked at several options around the country, Marian says, including one in Waterford, but it was West Cork that stood out.<\/p>\n
The couple had spent many Christmas holidays in the Clonakilty area, often staying for extended periods.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen this place became available, we came down just to have a look and a drink. There was an immediate good feeling about it,\u201d Marian explains.<\/p>\n
Jon officially arrived to start work on July 7, having flown from Detroit to Dublin and driven south. He arrived shortly before opening time.<\/p>\n
That first evening coincided with a farewell gathering for a local man heading to Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe place filled up and we just worked away. That was my introduction to it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
As with his fellow American publican at The Algiers in Baltimore, featured last week in this series, Jon too notices an Irish quirk – the importance of serving drinks in the correct glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very different,\u201d he says. \u201cIn the States, a bar might have 40 beers on tap, but they all go into the same glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere, everyone has a preference, different branded glasses, different shapes. People are very particular,\u201d he says smiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut people have been very patient and very helpful,\u201d he adds. \u201cThere\u2019s a strong sense of goodwill here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple say they have been struck by how welcoming the local community has been, and by how central the pub remains to daily life in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou realise quickly that it\u2019s more than a business. It\u2019s a social place, a meeting place,\u201d Jon says.<\/p>\n
The lights suddenly come back on. With them, the owners of Tots, Vincent and Carmel Dullea, arrive.<\/p>\n
The building itself has a long history, dating back to the late 19th century. It shows. Character permeates the walls, which made it an ideal location for a recent episode of the traditional Irish music Show Ce\u00f3l Tire on TG4.<\/p>\n
![\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4937486_2_articleinlinemobile_Copy_20of_20Untitled-965.jpg\" "\\"")
Vincent at the bar.\u00a0Picture: Noel Sweeney<\/p>\n
Vincent, whose family has owned the pub for three generations, says the adjoining house likely dates from around 1868 or 1870.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was an O\u2019Sullivan man ran the pub for a time in the late 1800s. But my grandmother Kate Nyhan came here around 1900 with her husband John Ryan, and they started the bar as we know it,\u201d said Vincent.<\/p>\n
\n Tragedy marked the early years. Ryan died around 1910, leaving Kate widowed. She remarried a few years later, but her second husband also died young, in 1915, just months before their daughter was born.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother, Mary Catherine Juliet, was born in early 1916,\u201d said Vincent. \u201cShe was an only child, small, and everyone locally called her \u2018Tot\u2019. That name stayed with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although the pub was known locally as Tots for many years, the name was not officially used until much later.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was always called Tots by people around here,\u201d Vincent says. \u201cBut it wasn\u2019t really formalised until about 30 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary ran the pub for many years, later marrying Charles Dullea, a retired Garda, in 1950, and her uncle was Rev Canon \u00d3 Connell of Enniskeane who was involved with The Boys of Kilmichael Flying Column – 36 gunmen and scouts who were led by Tom Barry when they successfully ambushed the Black and Tans on November 28, 1920.<\/p>\n
Vincent, one of five children, grew up in the house and attended Ballygurteen school just up the road.<\/p>\n
After qualifying as a secondary school teacher, he spent more than 15 years teaching in Cork city and around the county. When his mother died in 1994, he returned home and took over the running of the pub in 1995.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ran it from then until last year,\u201d he says. \u201cNearly 30 years altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n
During his time behind the counter, Vincent has seen significant changes in the rural pub trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was young, pubs opened early and stayed open all day. Farmers would call in after the creamery in the morning. Tradesmen and workers would come later.\u201d He says.<\/p>\n
A flax mill a few miles away was a big employer locally and provided a steady flow of customers to Tots.<\/p>\n
![\"Jon](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4937489_2_articleinlinemobile_Copy_20of_20Untitled-966.jpg\" "\\"Jon")
Jon Miller has been leasing the bar since last July. Picture: Noel Sweeney<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d have 15 or 20 men coming in together after work. That was a big part of the business then,\u201d Vincent says.<\/p>\n
Weekends are now busier than weekdays, and people tend to drink earlier in the evening.<\/p>\n
The pub has long been associated with local sport, particularly hurling, football and road bowling. Competitive scores have often passed through Ballygurteen, and Tots has hosted county and provincial finals over the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always been part of community life,\u201d says Vincent.<\/p>\n
He and his wife Carmel, who is from Glounthaune, decided last year that it was time to step back from running the pub.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t because business was bad. We were just ready to slow down a bit,\u201d Vincent explains.<\/p>\n
Leasing the pub to Marian and Jon felt like the right decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur main hope was that the place would stay open and continue serving the area,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
For Jon and Marian, stepping into a pub with such a long history brings a sense of responsibility. \u201cYou\u2019re very aware that you\u2019re only the current custodian,\u201d Jon says. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of history here.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says he has also noticed similarities between rural West Cork and the area of Michigan where he grew up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lived between two towns, on dirt roads, surrounded by farmland,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s a familiarity to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Jon says he still feels like he\u2019s settling in, he says every day brings something new. \u201cIt hasn\u2019t been repetitive. Every day is different.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A pub at a five-crossroad junction is a rare thing – and it is even rarer to find…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294210,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[79,18,19,17,17827],"class_list":{"0":"post-294209","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-pub"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115928342538986849","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}