A traditional Irish welcome at TM’s Vintage Bar

Tom Michael Hill and his wife Patricia, of TM’s Vintage Bar, are looking forward to the festive season, albeit with some trepidation given current Covid concerns.

Having just enjoyed six months of successful trading since the traditional pub was permitted to reopen its outdoor area on June 7, the popular couple are thanking their many loyal customers who returned to the Vintage Bar following the lockdowns.

The couple used the time they were closed to invest in their premises and develop their impressive and spacious, sheltered outdoor area. It retains all the charm and atmosphere of a traditional rural pub but keeps customers safe.

Tom Michael finds that people, having spent quite a bit of time socialising at home during the lockdowns, they gained a greater appreciation of their local pub with the result that business has been strong.

“Weekends are an awful lot better,” he reports, compared to pre-Covid levels of trade but Tom Michael admits it’s still quiet during the week.

In business for 16 years now, Tom Michael recalls a time when there were 14 pubs trading in Kilnaleck. Just three remain, with five having called ‘time’ since 2005.

Given the latest restrictions that say people must be off the premises by midnight, TM’s Vintage Bar is holding off on planning live entertainment over the Christmas season.

But, as long as they are permitted to stay open, Tom Michael and Trish promise a warm welcome and a bit of banter for all who drop into TM’s Vintage Bar over the Christmas and New Year.