{"id":480687,"date":"2026-05-12T10:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T10:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/480687\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T10:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T10:22:11","slug":"the-pubs-of-cork-if-a-storm-blows-in-we-have-to-batten-down-the-hatches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/480687\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pubs of Cork: If a storm blows in, we have to batten down the hatches"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is situated just 10 metres from the Atlantic Ocean, and boasts spectacular views of the harbour, so no wonder Donal and Mark Crosbie are loving working together at their pub, The Bulman Bar & Restaurant in Kinsale.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bulman always had a great reputation,\u201d says Donal. \u201cWe want to maintain and build on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brothers set out to make a splash when they took over the pub from Pearse and Mary O\u2019Sullivan in November 2022. \u201cWe want to put our own spin on it,\u201d says Donal.<\/p>\n

The historic maritime seaside building dates back to the 1800s and was once a single-storey pub, The Thatch.<\/p>\n

It is now very much a family affair.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur sister Jenny works with us and she looks after front-of-house,\u201d says Donal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe fished her back from South Africa where she was working a tour guide,\u201d adds big brother Mark. \u201cShe is currently on maternity leave. With a baby on board, Jenny will be looking for a babysitter!\u201d<\/p>\n

Donal, who is married to Dara, is head chef at The Bulman and adds: \u201cI take care of all the admin, the payrolls, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n

He explains that the locals are a crucial part of the business.<\/p>\n

\"BrothersBrothers Mark and Donal Crosbie, co-owners of The Bulman Bar, pictured outside the historic pub in Summercove, Kinsale, overlooking the harbour. Picture: Chani Anderson<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we are located in such a nice spot beside the sea, much of our business tends to be seasonal,\u201d says Donal. \u201cWe rely on the locals a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tourists flock to the pub when the sun is shining, and in the cold winter evenings, they can sit by the fire, drink in the sea views, and watch the sea-swimmers, the day-trippers and the fishermen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe meet a lot of Americans and people who have holiday homes here in Kinsale,\u201d says Donal. \u201cNow they are locals!<\/p>\n

\u201cKinsale has a multi-national scene all year round. We like to shop local for our fresh produce for the restaurant upstairs. Our lobster comes from Eamon O\u2019Neill. In the evenings we try and introduce more meat dishes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bulman has a long reputation for good food, a welcoming ambience, great music sessions, and a good vibe.<\/p>\n

Have brothers Donal and Mark a good vibe?<\/p>\n

Donal laughs.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the rare occasion we butt heads,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd we both learned from any mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Donal, who has two young children, is aware of the importance of a good work-life balance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be very easy to be married to the job. I try and keep work and home separate, making the necessary time for both.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt\u2019s good to have a life\/work balance and to keep work and home life separate.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

So I assume that he doesn\u2019t bring his work home?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t! Dara and I are both culinary people,\u201d says Donal. \u201cWe share the cooking. When I get home, I take over and try to spend quality time with Dara and the kids. I love being at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recent years have been a bumpy time for business.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very difficult during covid and even post-covid,\u201d says Donal, who worked in Corrigan\u2019s Mayfair and in Chapter One in Dublin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went in here head-first. It was a case of sink or swim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hospitality business is very fast-paced,\u201d adds Donal. \u201cAnd it can be a rat race. As we all know, costs are soaring, with inflation, the cost of energy, and gas has gone up.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the open fire is so inviting and welcoming.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lovely mix of people who gather by the fire of an evening,\u201d says Donal.<\/p>\n

\"BrothersBrothers Donal and Mark Picture: Chani Anderson<\/p>\n

They are often entertained.<\/p>\n

\u201cMark is a musician,\u201d says Donal. \u201cOften, we have music sessions at the weekend. In October, during the Jazz Festival, we have seven or eight gigs. There is a great buzz.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark wasn\u2019t always in the hospitality business.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did separate things for a while,\u201d says Donal. \u201cMark was in Dublin and he got the opportunity to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why?<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the premises and I love the location!\u201d says Mark. \u201cThe building is so old and quirky. The historic presence is very appealing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did being a publican always appeal to him?<\/p>\n

\u201cI never considered being a publican!\u201d says Mark.<\/p>\n

He jumped in at the deep end then.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to be taught how to carry a plate, several plates! I\u2019m not qualified!\u201d<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t long getting the hang of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a way to hold yourself when dealing and engaging with people,\u201d says Mark.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur team of professionals working here are amazing. I studied them and now I work harmoniously with them and with huge enjoyment.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is qualified in the things that matter to people.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes! A big smile certainly helps!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"InsideInside the Kinale venue. Picture: Chani Anderson<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are so close to the ocean that when a storm whips up, we have to batten down the hatches,\u201d says Mark.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoors that swing open have to be secured. Finding leaks in the building during a serious storm is not uncommon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark is also a piano player. \u201cMy grandad played the piano and my dad does too,\u201d he says,<\/p>\n

\n \u201cI like to give chances to music groups or bands who may be travelling around Ireland. It\u2019s good to give them a go.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

Mark is always game to give people a chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou roll with the dice and see what happens,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The Crosbie brothers haven\u2019t left anything to chance.<\/p>\n

The local seafood, crab, scallops, lobster and of course the fish and chips, are a well-known staple at The Bulman.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to see people enjoying themselves and having a good time,\u201d says Mark.<\/p>\n

The \u2018best pub in Ireland\u2019 contender, adjacent to the historic Charlesfort, has it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe like that the pub has bonhomie, that it\u2019s warm and friendly, and it\u2019s not too pretentious,\u201d says Mark.<\/p>\n

So, he\u2019s glad he took the plunge to work with his brother in The Bulman three years ago?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe energy is great here. I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It is situated just 10 metres from the Atlantic Ocean, and boasts spectacular views of the harbour, so…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":480688,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[75],"tags":[18,117,19,17,36083,17827],"class_list":["post-480687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-kinsale","tag-pub"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116561113914132871","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480687","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=480687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/480688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}