Snow may have melted but fallout still felt as parties cancelled at popular pub

THE HEARTACHE continues for one pub owner on the Limerick-Cork border as the aftermath of damage caused by heavy snowfall becomes increasingly apparent.

Geary’s Bar in Charleville is known locally as Goughs, as it is owned and run by sibling duo Corina and Claude Gough. 

Disaster struck when massive amounts of snow fell and damaged part of the beer garden at the back of the pub between January 6 and 7, causing untold distress and leaving owner Corina “distraught”.

“I’ve never seen anything like what has fallen over the last few days. The roads are impassable, you can’t even walk on the footpaths. We’ve never had anything like this before.”

Saying the damage to the pub is “extensive” and that the beer garden in the pub accounts for “70% of business”, Corina continued by saying they are “going to get it sorted” and that they “will be back up and running bigger and better than ever”.

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Popular with locals and Limerick people alike, Geary’s is frequented by many Limerick people living just over the border and is a destination pub for those organising hen and stag parties and other events.

Many Limerick companies enjoyed Christmas drinks in the venue which is well-known for hosting live musical entertainment out the back.

Speaking to the Leader this Tuesday, January 14, Corina expressed her ongoing frustration about the lack of upgraded electricity facilities in the town of Charleville and that while the front of Geary’s bar has since reopened, the damaged outside area remains cordoned off to the public.

Saying that many functions and parties scheduled for this year have already begun to be cancelled, Corina said the outside area will cause her “serious business interruption for a while” and that “it is not straightforward” in terms of insurance.

“Our electricity outages in town have been ridiculous and it has had a knock-on effect on my business and will do for the next couple of months,” she explained

“We had a Brazilian party in this Friday which is now cancelled, as well as 21st birthdays, DJs and the afters of weddings.

“I’ve also had to cut our food offering because we don’t have the use of the outside area.

“I want answers,” she continued.

Charleville was hit badly with snow and was branded as “extremely dangerous” by those who live there.

“The amount of snow that fell must be some sort of historic record for Charleville,” a statement from the Charleville Heritage Society on Facebook read.

In terms of how the land lies in Charleville now, the Limerick/Cork border town is undergoing a major clean-up operation with both residents and businesses continuing to feel the knock-on affects of the freezing cold weather snap.

As one of the proprietors of Geary’s pub, which opened in 1780 and is now in its fifth generation of family members' hands, Corina vows to make a comeback, albeit acknowledging that there is a “long road ahead”.