REOPENING: Brigitte and Ellie Whelan, John C and Joan O'Shea pictured with Ginny the dog in their new 'cabús' as they prepare to reopen this coming Monday. Photo: Grigoriy Geniyevskiy

EXCLUSIVE

By Sean Moriarty

After six months closure one family run Killarney pub is both excited and apprehensive ahead of finally reopening their bar this coming Monday.

After many false starts, 'Wet Pubs' - those that do not serve food - will finally get the chance to reopen their doors next week.

Bar owners and customers will have to adjust to a new way of operating including having counter service replaced by table service, social distancing rules will have to observed, customers will have to remain seated, and strict closing times will be in operation.

Despite the new rules, implemented to reduce the spread of COVID-19, publicans across the town are looking forward to welcoming back customers for the first time since March.

John C O’Shea and his mother Joan are both excited and apprehensive to reopen Jack C’s on the top of High Street.

Joan has been behind the counter of the popular bar for the last 50 years and apart from obvious days like Christmas Day, Good Friday and family funerals, her bar has never been closed.

The O’Shea family took the decision to close their doors on Saturday, March 14, two days before the official Government announcement that closed all public houses at the start of the pandemic’s restrictions.

They have made a few noticeable changes to their bar as they prepare to welcome back their customers and friends.

These include a screen at the bar and sectioning off the seating areas.

Joan – ever the traditionalist – uses the Irish word 'cabús' to describe these new sections.

The word loosely translates into a snug or cubbyhole while the old US-English word caboose is a small train carriage, often used to house engineers and coupled to the rear of a large freight train.

“I can’t wait to meet everyone,” she told the Killarney Advertiser. “I have spent the last six months saluting them on the street.”

John warned that while there are many restrictions facing pub owners, the onus is on the customer to follow the new guidelines too.

“The pubs will do their bit but it is up to customers to obey the rules too,” he said.

However, he said he won’t believe he is actually open until he sees customers on the premises.

Previous Government proposals included potential reopening dates in June, July and August and he remains cautiously optimistic that Monday’s date will remain on schedule.

“We have had the rug pulled from under us too many times in the past,” he said.