The couple behind a popular Co Antrim bar are saying goodbye to the locals as they retire after 32 years.
Richard Hunter left behind a career as a convenience retailer to take Billy Andy's on in December 1990, but the bar had been a staple in the area near Larne for generations before that.
The pub is one of the few original licensed spirit grocers still left in the country. Dating back to 1847, it was founded by William Andrew McWilliams (Billy Andy) and his sister, Sarah Agnes, and passed down through generations of their family.
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Although officially known as the Mounthill Bar, it was always known locally as Billy Andy's - so Richard decided to stick with that name.
"Before I took over, the pub had been in the same family since 1847," Richard told Belfast Live.
"When I went to buy it, it was advertised as Robert Harry's and that was the guy who bought it back then, and the actual license said it was called the Mounthill Bar but all the locals knew it as Billy Andy's, after its original owner William Andrew McWilliams.
"I just thought, everybody knows it as Billy Andy's, we should just stick to that name instead of the Mounthill Bar.
"When I bought it in 1990, it was just the bar and the room next door was a shop, it used to be a general merchants grocers."
Just over twenty years ago, Richard's wife, Anna Arnold, got involved in the business at Billy Andy's.
She said over the years they've enjoyed the locals and "old characters" that would stop by from time to time.
"Back in the day, there were a load of characters that would be in here. There was a guy called Craig who had a wee tilted hat and a beard, he was a Scottish man. He worked at Canyon up in Mallusk and would sit in that corner and smoke like a trooper," Anna continued.
Richard added: "When he was moving over here, he was looking for a house to live in and his criteria was where's the nearest pub he likes. He came in here, liked the pub, and bought a house just down the road, so it was on his way home from work.
"We called him the grumpy old man because he would just sit there in the corner, have a smoke, and do his crossword puzzles.
"Around twenty years ago, word filtered through we were putting on an extension. A couple of old boys were in one night and mentioned it, and asked what we were building. I told them it was going to be a nightclub.
"I wish I didn't say that as they quickly downed their drinks, were off up the road, and word went around like wildfire. We had to bring the neighbours in and explain it was going to be a restaurant, not a nightclub."
Their restaurant extension was completed in 2002, and Billy Andy's is one of only a handful of venues in Northern Ireland mentioned in the Michelin 'Eating Out In Pubs' Guide.
As well as making sure they served good grub, it was also important to Richard and Anna that the restaurant had the same authentic feel as the bar.
Richard said: "Whenever we were building the restaurant we wanted to keep the same sort of rustic feel throughout the place.
"A lot of the materials used are reclaimed. The restaurant floors are from the Custom House in Belfast, and the bricks in the wall are from the old Laharna Hotel in Larne.
"On a Sunday we could be doing anything up to 200 covers. We were open seven days a week and it was always really busy. But once the pandemic happened it just completely changed. As we're so far out here, it's just harder to get chefs out to."
Billy Andy's is popular with tourists and locals alike, with many visitors flocking to the pub from the likes of America, Australia, and New Zealand.
As it's quite far out, they benefited from opening a four-bedroom B&B upstairs around eight years ago, which Anna said is sold out most weekends.
She said important aspects that make the pub stand out are its musical offerings and the trinkets and art that adorn the walls.
Anna said: "The music is very important here. Our diddly-dee boys as I call them, they've been with us for more than 12 years and they never let us down.
"There are about four or five core members, then the others are like session musicians who will come and go all afternoon. They're absolutely brilliant, they've been very good to us, very loyal.
"We had banknotes from all around the world up on the walls. We'd get a lot of people coming in from the likes of America, Australia and New Zealand. I think it's part of the charm of the place to have the photos, trinkets and banknotes up."
Following their retirement, Richard and Anna said they're finding it hard to let go, but looking forward to their future.
"My daughter said last night - it's not just a pub, it's been her home since she was about 12," Anna added.
"Her children are now nearly six and three and they love coming here, the space they have and the big sitting room we have upstairs. Everybody comes there for Christmas, I've had about 15 people in it for Christmas lunch. It's the end of an area.
"We were tired, we just wanted to stop and enjoy a bit of time with our family and grandchildren."
Richard said: "We were looking forward to jetting off on more holidays too! But it's really strange, it's hard to let go of the place."
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