![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5163346_4_articleinlinemobile_EOHKilumneyInn13.jpg\" "\\"Michael")
Michael and Tessie in the pub\u2019s beer garden Pictures: Eddie O\u2019Hare<\/p>\nAll the stops are being pulled out for a 50th birthday celebration when I stop by at The Killumney Inn on a busy Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
Tessie Sheahan is hoovering and dusting, making sure everything is ship-shape.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can pop out to the hairdresser next door any time!\u201d says Tessie, sporting a sleek blow-dry. \u201cI\u2019m just back from there. It\u2019s one of the perks to be so near her!\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Michael Sheahan has a bit of banter with his wife when our photographer asks them to step outside for a picture in front of their premises, previously owned by Michael\u2019s parents.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThe wind is going to blow your hair away!\u201d Michael quips.<\/p>\n
Tessie is still game ball. \u201cLet\u2019s do it!\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Michael is not of this parish. He was born in the Windy City. \u201cI was born in Chicago and returned to Ireland when I was two years old,\u201d he says. \u201cMy grandmother in Armagh reared me. I came back to Cork at 16. And I loved going to school in Grange.\u201d<\/p>\n
The school loved him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey loved my Northern Irish lilt!\u201d says Michael.<\/p>\n
Michael and Tessie in the pub\u2019s beer garden Pictures: Eddie O\u2019Hare<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad had returned from the U.S, and he was managing the Briar Rose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael and Tessie have been living and working in The Killumney In Ovens for 43 years now.\u201d<\/p>\n
What was it like growing up in Armagh for Michael during The Troubles?<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThings didn\u2019t really click until I went to school,\u201d he says. \u201cFortunately, our family were not affected by The Troubles, even though it could be dangerous and scary at times.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
Michael started in the pub industry at the bottom of the ladder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was the \u2018pot man\u2019! I collected the glasses and I cleaned all the tables and the ashtrays in the pub. Stocking the shelves was part of the job.\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t complain.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven as a youngster, I liked the company in here every day,\u201d says Michael. \u201cI got to know the regular customers, and they got to know me. To this day, we have very nice regulars who come in for the chat and for the dinner.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany older people live alone around here, and they like to meet for lunch during the week and at weekends too. Often, somebody could come in for lunch at 1pm and still be here talking at 9pm!\u201d<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t always thus.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cFor some of our elderly customers, it took them a long time for them to come back after covid,\u201d says Michael. \u201cThey were nervous mixing with people. We were glad to see them out and about again.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\u201cOne fellow used to come in when we opened earlier at 10.30am,\u201d recalls Michael. \u201cHe\u2019d sit at the counter and order a half pint of beer. He\u2019d chat away to the staff for hours. He enjoyed and appreciated the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company is good, the pints are good, and the grub is good at the Killumney Inn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe serve wholesome traditional food,\u201d says Michael. \u201cIt goes down well!\u201d<\/p>\n
How did he and his wife meet?<\/p>\n
\u201cI met Tessie in The Angler\u2019s Rest,\u201d Michael says.<\/p>\n
They make a good team.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI am going to Portugal next week with my daughter for a week\u2019s holiday,\u201d says Tessie. \u201cWhen I come back, Michael is off on his motorbike to Spain and Portugal for three weeks. He gets to go away for longer.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
It\u2019s a man\u2019s world.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is, most of the time,\u201d Tessie agrees. \u201cEven though I do a lot of the work!\u201d<\/p>\n
Does raising a family together, living together, working together and thriving in business together prove tricky or testing at all?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re well used to each other now!\u201d says Michael. \u201cOur kids are good to give us a hand and our staff, summer staff, and full-timers, are all very pleasant and obliging.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5163349_4_articleinlinemobile_EOHKilumneyInn09.jpg\" "\\"Michael")
Michael Sheahan in the restaurant at The Killumney Inn<\/p>\n
The couple are well used to looking after their local customers very well, and very accustomed to looking after people passing through the area for their own reasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery often, people travelling home to west Cork stop off here for their lunch when they are attending hospital appointments,\u201d Michael says.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many of them, The Killumney Inn is a regular stop-off on their journey home.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cLast week, we had a group of Italian tourists who called in on their way to Dingle. There are a lot of B&B\u2019s in the area. So we get a lot of tourists visiting here.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
The locals often take over the joint.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Cork are playing a match, the Cork jerseys are jammed into the car park,\u201d says Michael. \u201cThe place comes alive!\u201d<\/p>\n
The Killumney Inn has expanded over the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to modernise the pub and I built on a kitchen and a restaurant,\u201d Michael says. \u201cThe beer garden is another addition and on a nice sunny day people love to sit out there and relax with a drink or a cuppa, having a chat or a read of the newspaper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael, like his late father, was always ambitious.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to create an open, well-run, clean, cheerful bar staffed by nice people for nice people,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cExpansion was always on the cards after I took over the pub. Now we can cater for all types of events; parties, the day after weddings, community gatherings, funerals, and match crowds.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
Michael and Tessie don\u2019t rest on their laurels. \u201cIt is full-on, seven days a week,\u201d says Michael. \u201cWe must keep on top of it and there\u2019s not much rest. Things can change so fast as we saw with lockdown.\u201d<\/p>\n
What are the best things about owning a charming country pub near the city?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are your own boss,\u201d says Michael.<\/p>\n
Is he sure about that?<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I suppose Tessie is the real boss!\u201d he says laughing.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur life is a way of life. We know nothing else. And we are very happy with it. Yes, challenges include the rising costs of food and electricity. Getting staff proved hard enough in the past. We have a great group working here at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Did Michael ever re-visit Chicago?<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI did once to have a look,\u201d he says. \u201cIt is part of my heritage.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
His Harley Davidson and Triumph motorbikes are part of his leisure time when he rides off into the sunset with a few buddies.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s funny, but we tend to be quieter in the summertime,\u201d says Michael. \u201cThe winter looks after itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always say the wind and rain is good for business!<\/p>\n
\u201cOn sunny days, people head for the coast. Sunday is always our busiest day when people come from near and far for the roast Sunday dinner. I suppose you\u2019d call us a very friendly gastro pub.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Tessie, putting the hoover away, calls out to her husband.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want for your lunch?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a man\u2019s world. For sure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"All the stops are being pulled out for a 50th birthday celebration when I stop by at The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":596525,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[73],"tags":[187774,79,18,19,17],"class_list":["post-596524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-echo-instagram","tag-business","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116957272390586374","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596524","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=596524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/596525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=596524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=596524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=596524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}