Family-run pubs are an institution in Ireland. Yet, these charming generational spots are increasingly at risk as many landlords considering retirement don’t have family to take over from them.
This fact has undoubtedly inspired Dutch beer brand Heineken to play a version of the generation game by trying to change that pattern in one Irish pub - it's launching a search for a successor to take over McLoughlin’s Bar.
Over the past two decades, pubs across Ireland have faced closure. Figures from Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) show that since 2005, an average of 114 pubs have closed every year.
The highest percentage of closures came from more rural counties, such as Limerick, Roscommon, and Cork, while Dublin had the lowest percentage of closures. Many of the pubs facing closure are independent locations that have been run by families for generations.
Family fortunes
More than 40% of rural publicans say they are considering retirement, yet 84% have no family to take over their legacy.
For one pub on the rural Achill Island, Heineken has kicked off a campaign to keep it independent. Joseph ‘Josie’ McLoughlin owns McLoughlin’s Bar on the west coast of Ireland. He’s been behind the bar for the past 43 years. He was born upstairs in the pub and is the fourth generation of McLoughlins' to run the venue.
Like many families in Ireland, McLoughlin’s family now live all over the world and he has no-one to pass the pub on to. So now, at retirement age, he is looking for a namesake to take over the running of the pub and keep the family name above the door.
After keeping the pub in the family for 155 years, he explains: “I have no one to leave the pub to, and I’d resigned myself to looking for a buyer outside the family and seeing my name being lost to history. That would just break my heart.”
“The name McLoughlin is woven into the very fabric of this pub. The past 50 years have been incredibly fulfilling for me and I’d love to see that story continue, finding a McLoughlin descendant to take it forward. If I could guarantee the McLoughlin name would still be above the door of the pub in another 155 years, I’d die a happy man,” he says.
Heineken’s campaign to find a new independent owner is aimed at the 88 million Irish descendants spread across the globe. Ahead of St Patrick’s Day, it’s offering a succession package to “the new McLoughlin” including business support, initial investment guidance, and mentorship.
“When we heard Josie’s story, we just knew we had to do something to help. Pubs in Ireland are more than just places to enjoy a drink; they are living pieces of history, places of laughter, song, and kinship,” says Mark Noble, Marketing Manager at Heineken Ireland.
“With many of these institutions facing uncertain futures, we want to rally the Irish diaspora, inspiring a new generation of pub owners to take on not just a business, but a cultural legacy. For those who have longed to reconnect with their Irish heritage, this is more than an investment; it’s a homecoming: the chance to own a piece of Ireland, to pour a pint for old friends and new, and to keep the spirit of the pub alive for generations to come,” he adds.
