{"id":526370,"date":"2026-06-09T15:04:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T15:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/526370\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T15:04:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T15:04:13","slug":"the-pubs-of-cork-my-pub-is-like-a-hub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/526370\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pubs of Cork: My pub is like a hub"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s no wonder people are languishing in the lovely warm sunshine as I arrive at Farrells Bar in Youghal. The pub has won numerous awards for its fabulous outdoor area out front overlooking Youghal Bay.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing named the best outside space of 2025 was a great boost,\u201d says owner, Michael Farrell. \u201cWe got best party venue too in 2017.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sun has put everyone in a good mood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sun shining is an added bonus,\u201d says Joan Lecane, 84, from Douglas, who spends seven months of the year at her mobile home in Youghal, and is a regular at Farrells.<\/p>\n

There are other bonuses too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the staff,\u201d says Joan, enjoying her regular tipple that adds to her joie de vivre.<\/p>\n

\"JoanJoan Lecane from Douglas in Cork, spends seven month of the year at her mobile home in Youghal, and is a regular at Farrells. Picture by Noel Sweeney<\/p>\n

\u201cI like the quality of what they do, and I like that the staff always know me and welcome me back when my sister and I come to stay in Youghal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael Farrell, one of eight children, took over the pub from his parents, Billy and Philomena, in 1999. He grew up in sweet Youghal Bay.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere weren\u2019t as many houses around us back in the day,\u201d says Michael, who is farming as well as running the family pub.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt was much more rural. These days a lot of our customers walk to the pub.\n <\/p>\n

\u201cHere at the cross, we are both town and country. As soon as the weather picks up, we\u2019ll see a lot of Cork people arriving to Youghal. Often, three generations of the same family come to holiday in Youghal every year. It\u2019s like a tradition with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaytrippers visit Youghal all year round too. We\u2019ve got to know many of them,\u201d says Michael.<\/p>\n

Walkers flock here too.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boardwalk for them is really popular,\u201d says Michael. \u201cIt is the best thing that happened to Youghal. It is a more popular choice for people than walking the Greenway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why did Michael choose to go into the pub business?<\/p>\n

\u201cI bought the pub from my mother,\u201d he says. \u201cAt the time she was running it with the help of two of my sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael, a father of three, growing up in the business, knew what he was letting himself in for. \u201cI knew there was a lot of hours involved,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I knew the run of things since helping out in the bar during school holidays.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cI always remember that match days were the busiest days. Nothing much has changed in that regard.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

Some things have changed though.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember local vendors selling fruit and vegetables in here to the Cork crowd in the summer! A good bit of bartering went on!\u201d<\/p>\n

A good bit of cr\u00e1ic went on.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt still does!\u201d says Michael.<\/p>\n

In later years, he expanded the premises.<\/p>\n

\"MichaelMichael Farrell of Farrells Pub in Youghal. Picture by Noel Sweeney<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hilltop across the road closed its doors soon after I took over the pub here,\u201d Michael says. \u201cI added on to the pub with two party rooms that host gatherings and celebrations at weekends. The outdoor area became hugely popular.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rain often prevented people from enjoying the great outdoors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d have to run out and close the umbrellas when it rained,\u201d says Michael.<\/p>\n

That was a regular occurrence, wasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

\u201cFor sure!\u201d says Michael. But he found a solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put up permanent canopies outside eventually. They work by remote control.\u201d<\/p>\n

That proved to be a good move.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe demand for outdoor seating and socialising grew, especially when we had music gigs,\u201d says Michael. \u201cNo matter what the weather; the show still went on!\u201d<\/p>\n

What does he like about the pub trade?<\/p>\n

\u201cI like interacting with all the regular customers who I have got to know well over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael never has a problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople leave their problems outside the door, and they don\u2019t want to listen to your problems. Farrells is a great family pub, and it is in a great location. People like that they can use the facilities all year round.\u201d<\/p>\n

When people get hungry, they can order a pizza from behind the bar.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to see anyone hungry!\u201d says Michael. He wants to see happy customers.<\/p>\n

\"FarrellsFarrells Pub in Youghal, which is renowned for its outdoor space. Picture by Noel Sweeney<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople expect a lot more when they go out for food and drink nowadays,\u201d he says. \u201cThe cost of living has gone up, and people want to get good value for their money.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving sports events live on TV and having regular entertainment laid on in the pub is a given. In the hospitality trade today, you have to be on the top of your game. Every day is a new day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where does Michael like to go for a drink?<\/p>\n

\u201cHere!\u201d he laughs. Home is where the heart is!<\/p>\n

\u201cI like having a pint here with my friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pub trade is 24\/7.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, the hours are long, and it is seven days a week,\u201d says Michael.<\/p>\n

He has a lot of help at hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have 17 local staff, some of whom are students,\u201d says Michael. \u201cStudents get work here for four or five years while they are in education. They are always friendly and they offer a good service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Any awkward customers?<\/p>\n

\u201cI have the motto that a stitch in time saves nine,\u201d says Michael. \u201cIf anything is brewing, I try and deal with it before it develops. I think we had a customary visit from the guards once in five years.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did that pan out?<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople were asking, what\u2019s wrong? What could be wrong in Farrells!\u201d<\/p>\n

Old and young pay a visit to the pub. \u201cWe have a good mix coming in here,\u201d says Michael. \u201cOlder people like to come here to chat and discuss the news of the day. Some of the lads are in their 80s. It\u2019s like a hub here, a meeting place, especially for people who may feel isolated. Company is vital. That and connection add something worthwhile to people\u2019s day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael always has a full day. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of work goes on behind the scenes,\u201d he says. \u201cThe farming makes for a good balance. I like both jobs and I try and work the two together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The people of Youghal are all in it together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ongoing support from the people of Youghal is very important to us,\u201d says Michael. \u201cThey are very loyal to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael has a motto. \u201cMy parents always said to treat people like you would like to be treated.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s no wonder people are languishing in the lovely warm sunshine as I arrive at Farrells Bar in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526371,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[74],"tags":[20149,18,19,17,17827,82,58305],"class_list":["post-526370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-east-cork","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-pub","tag-technology","tag-youghal"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116720769122289412","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526370","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=526370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526370\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}