Owners of popular pub in Limerick village call time after two decades

AFTER a life spent teaching students, training teams and serving the community in Scoby’s bar, Pat O’Callaghan says it is “time to hang up the boots”.

The popular pub in Hospital is on the market with a guide price of €250,000. Pat and his wife Mary would love to see a young couple take it over and continue the successful business.

“We have a lovely mixed clientele between young and old. We are doing a very good trade, we have a function room, there is accommodation upstairs.

“We’d love to see it kept going because we have built up a great trade and have a very loyal customer base. Turn the key and off you go,” said Pat, who bought the pub – then called the Seanachai – 22 years ago.

They changed the name to Scoby’s as that was Pat’s nickname from his teaching days in John the Baptist Community Hospital.

"I was teaching in the secondary school for 35 years. My nickname was Scoby. Even at parent teacher meetings many of the parents thought my name was Mr Scoby. T'was funny. That's where the name came from," explained Pat.

There has been a pub at that location for the last 100 years or so.

"We extended it and modernised it over the years. My son Brian was running it for years. When I retired from teaching seven or eight years go we took it over from Brian who was going away doing other things. Myself and Mary are both 70 years of age so it is time to hang up the boots,” said Pat, who trained the three time All-Ireland winning Limerick U21 hurlers in the early 2000s.

But now he is better known as being the grandfather of Limerick Person of the Year 2021 winner, Pádraig and ‘Paudcast’ star.

Pat is now looking forward to a well-deserved retirement with Mary.

“At our age doing seven days a week was just crazy. Covid opened our hours because we were closed. We decided after Covid that seven days a week was just too much for us so we open Thursday to Sunday.

“But you’re tied down when everyone else is off. At weekends it will be nice to be able to go watch the grandchildren play hurling,” said Pat.

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Pat Dooley, of REA Dooley, who is handling the sale of Scoby’s, said Pat and Mary run a very busy, profitable and successful enterprise.

“It is in a very good location on the main thoroughfare of Hospital with a very good passing trade. Scoby’s has a very good name and Pat is very popular in GAA circles and through teaching in the local school for many years. The whole family are very well got,” said Mr Dooley, who said the guide of €250,000 is a very fair price.

“When you break it down the licence is worth €60k, you have the pub and its prominent location, a function room and accommodation upstairs. There is good interest with a number of offers,” said Mr Dooley, who advises interested parties “not to delay”.