Famed Mayo bar set to enjoy final weekend in business

Michael Henehan pulled his first pint when he was eight. He is the 8th Michael J Henehan and his son is the 9th.

The family name has been a fixture above the building on Bridge Street for over a hundred years.

Michael’s grandfather started out in part of what is currently Henehan’s in 1914. His father was involved for 30 years and he will have been 25 years at the helm.

It was more than a family business, it was a Bridge Street institution. For the past twenty three years, he has been at the helm of Henehans.

It’s a full on role, he explains that “this business, this industry, you're married to it. You never leave it. It never sleeps. It's 24/7- if you're not serving, you're cleaning. If you're not cleaning, you're repairing. And it is a certain lifestyle. And if you love it, you love it. If it's not for you, it's not for you, and for me, as I decided, it's just time for me to pass the torch and move on to the next chapter of my life.”

The idea has been ruminating for over a year as he was “preparing for the next phase of my life.” A proud dad himself of three children, he wants to be there for the next formative years.

The Henehan family, from left: Michael, Lexi, Sue, Taylor and Michael pictured behind the bar at Henehan's.

Driving force

“The main driving force for me is my kids and my I suppose I want to be a little bit selfish now and and have as much of their time as possible going forward”

It was the anticipation of a conversation with his own father, also Michael J Henehan, that occupied his mind as the weight of the history and responsibility to the Henehans before him are extremely important to him.

“There's a huge amount of responsibility involved here in relation to heritage, my grandfather's name, I always view it as my grandfather's name as such, and I've always felt a responsibility to carry that forward. My Dad had it before me, and recently, I was kind of concerned as to when I broke the news to my Dad because you don't know how it will affect somebody else. Especially when they had so much of their life tied up in the same property.

“I remember saying, ‘Dad, I've got something to tell you, ‘Are you okay with this? And Dad said, ‘I'm really, really happy for you. As long as you're happy, I'm happy’.

“And I said, ‘It's your name over the door, Dad’. And he goes, ‘No, Mike, it's your name.’

“My dad and I have the best relationship, and I kind of knew what his response would be, but for me, it's lovely to hear the words out of his mouth. And as long as I don't feel like I'm letting my family down by doing what I'm doing. But I also have to put my family first and their needs going forward.”

Henehan’s has been a huge part of the social fabric of Westport for many years and there has been a huge reaction online to their social media post announcing that “It's the end of an era … Don't miss it …” and next weekend, July 11 to 13 will be their last.

Michael has been struck by the amount of people who have come in and shared a tear and recalled stories like “met my husband here, I met my partner here.”

“It's gone in the blink of an eye. It seems like just yesterday, I was 25 years old, and I opened up the premises for the first time, full of dreams, aspirations, and yeah, in a heartbeat that 25 years has passed.”

Twist of fate

A twist of fate would have it that Michael Henehan reopened the bar in its current form on July 12, 2002, so it will mark exactly twenty three years as part of the social fabric on Bridge Street on the same night as it finishes “The Last Weekend.”

There will no doubt be many people both in Mayo and beyond reflecting on the wonderful memories down the years in Henehan’s.

“It's just when you sit down and you start to think about all of the people that I've interacted with, that I've served, you've laughed and joked with, you've held, you know, you've tried to comfort. There's just thousands, you know. It's like one big montage just comes at you all at once. And you can try and pick out one or two stories and then you just move into another hundred and more. It is 25 years of relationships built professionally with people in the industry and with customers, and you make a lot of friends.”

It is understood the premises will not remain closed for long and will reopen under new ownership in the very near future.

The 23 years with his name over the door have included huge social changes, from the smoking ban, emigration to the town itself.

Innovating in response to the recession, which was a very challenging time, Michael pivoted from a seven day license to a late bar or having a dance license. Reflecting on the change, he says, “that was the big change over the course of me being here, going from just the standard bar operating hours to late night business.”

The number of young people emigrating is “very noticeable in small towns like Westport, and I think things have changed in the last couple of years”.

Looking ahead, he doesn’t think moves towards later opening hours outside of urban areas “would be a beneficial move for our country socially. I wouldn't agree with it personally, I don't think it's the direction to go in. And I think the licensing laws are fine the way they are currently.”

Emotional goodbye

Ahead of what is sure to be an emotional goodbye, Michael is reflective and says, “I've had a year to get my head around getting to this decision. A lot of people are kind of shocked. They go, ‘Oh my God, you must be devastated. You must be so sad.’

“And I've kind of turned a corner on that. I'm somewhat okay with it but there are moments when I will talk to someone at the bar counter, and they'll mention something, and I'll get a lump in my throat, and I have to take a minute pause, and I can respond.

“It might be a little bit cliche, but a lot of times, you look in through the glass and you see people laughing, having great fun, boys, girls, people meeting. And every now and then you get that little warm, fuzzy feeling inside, and you go, that's what it's all about.”