Sale of iconic Cong pub imminent

Sale of iconic Cong pub imminent


Ciara Galvin
ciaragalvin@mayonews.ie

The public house which featured in John Ford’s iconic film The Quiet Man and brings thousands of tourists to the village of Cong every summer is close to being sold.
The famous Pat Cohan’s Bar in the village, which has been open since 2008 after being renovated from a grocery shop, is expected to change hands in a matter of months.
Speaking to The Mayo News yesterday (Monday), auctioneer Vincent Walsh said the business had been on the market since the beginning of the year and said interest in the premises had been ‘unreal’.
“We’ve had great interest. A lot of expats have shown interest and people from Philidelphia, New York, Boston and London, not to mention a few locals have all shown their enthusiasm,” explained Mr Walsh.
Mr Walsh said he has no doubt in his mind that the pub will reach, if not surpass, the €300,000 price-tag, as a number of bidders are said to be vying for the property. However the auctioneer who is based in Headford, Co Galway said the pub has been temporarily taken off the market due to a ‘boundary issue’.
According to the auctioneer, pub owner, John Connolly, who spent four years restoring the bar to its former glory of 1952, decided to put the bar on the market after facing health difficulties.
Though trading extremely well during the summer months, Mr Walsh said that the ‘new breed of banking’ is forcing more businesses to close.
According to Mr Walsh the pub has attracted at least five serious clients, adding that the timeframe for the sale will all depend on the boundary issue and on who clinches the deal.
“The overseas clients are all cash clients so if one of them are successful a deal will be reached sooner.”
Most important of all, Walsh added that the bar will retain The Quiet Man theme.
“It’s an iconic building and it’s important to the community of Cong that it is kept going,” he concluded.

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