WHEN the flames were eating up the interior of the High Chaparral Pub in Geesala, shooting up into the air and lighting up the dark sky, it wasn’t the walls that were destroyed.

On the morning of February 7 this year, exactly half a year ago from today, the blaze eradicated a life’s work and memories.

SHOCKING PHOTOS: Only ruins of Mayo pub left after fire

John Munnelly, the third generation owner, was standing outside, watching the fire devour photos, memorabilia and furniture that held the stories of a whole community.

“You can get depressed or move on,” he says now, half a year later, asked how he was feeling in that particular moment.

John’s sister Caitriona felt devastated, as she watched the flames engulf her childhood memories: “The blaze was 12-14 feet high in the air, the pub was on fire, and my heart was burning, too,” she said with a heavy sigh.

Caitriona had to inform her parents, who themselves had grown up with the pub and ran it together for 30 years before passing it on to two of their sons.

“That was the hardest thing I had to do after the pub burnt down, to wake up my parents that morning and tell them. I knew they’d heard the sirens and everything.

And I just said to the family standing in front of the pub: I said to them, ‘what do I do? Mom and dad are going to hear all this commotion. What will I do?’ And they said, ‘you have to tell them’.”

So Caitriona had to break it to Annie (90) and Eamon (92) gently: “I said, the chimney and the pub was on fire. It wasn’t the chimney at all. But, you know, I left it at that for that moment.”

WATCH: Devastating fire burning Mayo pub down to the ground

A WINDY NIGHT

JOHN remembers the conditions of the night the fire erupted: “It was windy. I left the pub at closing time and went home.

Around 5 am, a neighbour knocked on my door and the alarm across the road was ringing— they’d seen flames.”

John ran up, but it was too dangerous to enter the pub. He rang the fire brigade; they arrived within half an hour.

“Once the back windows popped there was no stopping it. They fought it from outside until the power was disconnected.

With alcoholic drinks stored inside, it was an inferno, but they kept it from spreading.”

Once the fire was put out, there was nothing left.

“It was never a question for me to give up the pub. I decided on day one that we would rebuild it.”

It was difficult for John to watch the fruit of his life’s work reduced to charcoal and rubble. But it was even worse for his parents: “It was tough for them, so many memories and customers, most of whom are gone now.”

John took his dad’s hand and told him straight out: “You are going to pull the first pint in the new pub.”

He didn’t believe him and laughed, but half a year later, the pub is ready to roll again and continue its long history in the community.

LONG HISTORY

THE High Chaparral has a decade-long history in Geesala. John’s grandfather bought the pub in 1949 after returning from America.

He died seven or eight years later and his son Eamon Munnelly took over. Along with his wife Annie, they worked there from the 1950s and retired in the mid-80s.

John and his brother Eamon took over then, to carry on with the tradition into the third generation. The pub was only upgraded 15 years ago and the show of support after the fire confirmed its institutional status within the community.

“The community was great,” explains John. “Everyone wanted us up and running again, from day one. With that support we had to come back. It mightn’t be the best business in today’s climate, but the pub is part of the village and tradition.”

And Caitriona states, the next generation are still involved with the pub: “I had about eight or nine nephews from the first day after the fire, they’ve been there all the time, day and night and helped all the way through it. It’s part of their history as well.

They’ve all been working in it and a lot of them, they were helped through college and school, for pocket money and so on.”

A specific target to work towards was important for everyone involved. The Geesala Festival, which takes place this weekend, was the perfect focal point.

The Munnellys and the whole community started demolishing what was left and began the rebuild as fast as possible.

A structure can be rebuilt, but many material memorabilia are gone forever.

“We still have the memories,” says John.

Here is to new beginnings, when the historic first pint in the new High Chaparral pub will be pulled by 92-year-old Eamon Munnelly tomorrow.

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