Tag Archives: Darragh McAllister

FOUR Fianna Fáil candidates have been selected for convention to see who will be co-opted onto Clare County Council and fill a vacant seat in the Ennis Municipal District. This follows the departure earlier this year of former Ennis Municipal District councillor Mark Nestor who announced he was leaving politics to join the priesthood. The Ennis Fianna Fáil Comhairle Ceantair have confirmed that Bernard Hanrahan, Amanda Major, Darragh McAllister and Tom O’Callaghan will be vying to fill the open seat on the local authority. The convention to determine who will take the place of Nestor is set to take place later this month. Clarecastle’s Bernard Hanrahan is no stranger to the chambers of Clare County Council and is a staunch member of the Fianna Fáil party having served as a councillor in the Ennis area for a decade from 1999 to 2009. Amanda Major, who is originally from Nigeria, has lived in Clare for 18 years becoming an Irish citizen …

NINETY-TWO pubs closed in Clare between 2005 and 2021, almost a quarter of the total number, figures from the Vintners Federation of Ireland show. It’s no secret that the pub trade has been in decline for years, and the Clare figures aren’t even the worst in the country, with nine counties of the 26 in the Republic, losing even more. Ten Clare pubs closed for good during the pandemic and Ennis publican Darragh McAllister said he wouldn’t rule out more, because things are quite unstable. “At the moment it’s impossible to tell, we haven’t seen a noticeable trend. The feedback is that things are up and down all over the place, until it settles down it’s impossible to tell. People say they have a great week and suddenly for no reason they’ve a terrible week and it wipes out the good of the previous week.” While he said a lot of people have already left the industry, more will consider …

FORCING pubs and restaurants to close at 5pm would amount to a lockdown, said publican and President of Ennis Chamber Darragh McAllister this afternoon. “It’s essentially a lockdown without calling it a lockdown. Even pubs that do serve food, no one is open for long before 5pm. I think there’s a game being played here and unfortunately we’re the ball. There’s no way NPHET can imagine the Government would accept that, I think they’re deliberately lowballing, they’d like to see something like 7pm or 8pm,” he said. Businesses like his own would be essentially shut by a 5pm closing time, he stressed. “It’s a closure. It seems to me a cynical move, because without calling it a closure they’d get away without paying the PUP to the tens of thousands who’d have to be let go, because there’d be no work for them at all before 5pm.”

WHILE publicans had been hoping to see the end of a dark chapter for the sector on Friday, those hopes were dashed with news that some restrictions will be staying in place, potentially until February 2022. While normal opening hours can resume, from Friday there will still be a requirement for customers to have a Covid certificate, table service must remain in place with a maximum of ten adults per table, social distancing will remain, while collection of contact tracing information will continue. Face masks are required but can be removed for the consumption of food or drinks. Specific guidelines for nightclubs are to be made available. Publican Darragh McAllister is also President of business advocacy group Ennis Chamber. Following this week’s news that restrictions will be continuing, he said there was disappointment among his colleagues. “It is hugely disappointing, but I have to admit that because there have been so many false dawns there weren’t too many hopes raised. …

PUBLICANS received bad news last week when the return of indoor dining and drinking was put on hold, and that has been compounded since, with wet and miserable weather deterring people who might have been content to socialise outdoors. Speaking on Tuesday, Ennis publican and Ennis Chamber President, Darragh McAllister said the change in weather brought a big change in business. “Oh completely, it’s down by over half. We kind of knew it was coming as well, with people unsure about the weather they wouldn’t head out into it. It had a massive effect, it was always going to do.” While there are a number of pubs open again, he says few are profitable due to the restrictions and increased obligations on publicans. “The few places that can do it are still limited, there are only so many people you can have anyway. In reality the whole thing isn’t viable without the supports that are in place, it’s not viable …

Chamber chief and publican believes new reopening regime better than last year’s A NEW chapter in the Covid recovery story begins on Monday, when restaurants and pubs can begin outdoor service once again. As visitors to Ennis on weekend evenings during May would have observed, certain pubs have been giving takeaway services for some time, but from Monday people can stay and consume their drinks in the outdoor sections of pub grounds. For those without outdoor areas but not doing take away, it will be the first time to open in 2021, although indoor drinking and dining won’t resume until July 5. Publican and President of Ennis Chamber of Commerce Darragh McAllister is planning to reopen Lucas’ Bar on Parnell Street on Monday. Delighted to be finally getting the chance to do so, he admitted to a certain level of apprehension too. “We’re over the moon, but yeah, there are a few nerves as well. It’s a bit like the …

WHILE some Covid-19 restrictions are about to be lifted, Ennis publican Darragh McAllister feels it could be a little while yet before pubs are back. “We’re looking forward to Thursday to see what will be said,” Mr McAllister told The Champion. “The general reopening is on the way now, but I’d be very cautious about getting anyone’s hopes up just yet.” Some people may have been surprised to see takeaway pints being sold over the last week, but it is in order, Darragh explained. “Every seven-day licence is also an off-licence, and as off-licences for the duration of the pandemic have been considered essential retail, anyone with a licence can trade. “Now, it’s not particularly viable for everyone. Most of the stock you normally sell in a pub you wouldn’t find the same things in an off-licence, you’d be talking about buying in stock in the hope that people would come to you instead of going to the place they …

DARRAGH McAllister has been elected to the role of President of business advocacy group Ennis Chamber at this week’s AGM. A well-known publican in Ennis, Darragh together with his business partner Dylan Hayes, runs Lucas’ Bar and Considine’s Bar, both located on Parnell Street.Colin Ryan, Branch Manager, Bank of Ireland, Ennis was elected Vice President. Mr McAllister takes over as President of Ennis Chamber from Allen Flynn, Old Ground Hotel, who held the position during the unprecedented, turbulent Covid times experienced over the past 12 months.Speaking after his election, Mr McAllister said, “I am delighted to take on this role, no doubt it will be challenging, especially in this climate, but I’m up for it.”He said the past 12 months have been among the most challenging in living memory, for both business and private life. “The spectre of March 2020 continues to haunt us, in new and varied ways. What many have lost can never be replaced and, without a …